Chapter 62 – El

Adam distinctly felt the gaze coming from the direction of his bed but the only two who could be looking at him were asleep.

He did a once over of the twins with his eyes to make sure that they were truly asleep.

"You awake?" He quietly whispered and then walked up to one side of the huge bed. Leaning over he waved his hands above their faces to make sure. He felt their even breaths as he did and was certain that they were not awake.

'Is my mind playing tricks on me? That gaze was so real though… I can't be mistaken.' He could not believe that what he had just felt could be false. There were two main factors for this, one of which was enhanced sensory.

When in combat this skill was like a completely new filter placed over his senses that let him see, hear and feel the most minute details on anything that he looked, heard or felt but even outside combat his senses were most definitely above the average person.

The second reason was the strength behind the gaze that he just received made him feel like it was almost material.

There was no point doubting his senses. Realizing that he was getting nowhere if he kept doubting himself, he closed his eyes to hopefully get another feel of that gaze.

He did not have to wait even for a second because that gaze had never left him. With that same almost material gaze on him, he did not open his eyes this time but followed the gaze with his eyes closed.

He was no stranger to his own room and had a distinct knowledge of where things where placed. With his arms folded in front of him, he dauntlessly traversed the obstacle that was his bed and walked on it as he reached right in front of his destination.

Opening his eyes he was standing right beside the two girls who hadn't even noticed his movements. In front of him was the painting sent by Fen that was hung in the centre of the wall above the head of the bed.

'It's coming from the sketch.' He tilted his head to the side in confusion as nothing was different about the sketch. That distinct gaze was still on him every time that he closed his eyes to feel. Without a doubt, the origin of it was this sketch.

There was no way he would let such a creepy thing go without looking into it. Adam would have to be as thick skinned as a sloth to ignore this and fall asleep.

He raised his hands as his fingers began tracing the lines of the sketch and the weird and magnificent creature that it depicted.

'What is this thing really? It has such amazing colours. A work of fiction most likely, there's no way a creature that seems to be such a mix of monsters could exist.' With one hand hooking his chin, his other hand's fingers continued to trace the sketch. He was trying to find the abnormality that led to the weird sensation he kept getting from the sketch.

The creature that was sketched was a mix of a dragon, bird and a horse from what he could tell. Even with his extensive reading, Adam had never come across the mention of any creature that had such characteristics. Especially since they were so prominent.

He was in the middle of scratching his head as he had run out of leads when a voice was transmitted straight to his head.

"I only looked at you! Why have you begun touching me?! Stop!" The voice was as if someone was screaming at him through a tunnel. He was on one side and the voice was on the other as it screamed at the top of its lungs to get its voice across. The voice that reached the other end was barely audible.

"WHO?!" Adam was startled into this question.

"The one you have your hands on!" The voice that was almost as low as the squeaking of a mouse sounded out again.

"You?" Adam pointed at the dragon type creature on the sketch.

"Yes, why are you so surprised?" A very concise reply but the other party had a very thick accent that was unlike any of the countryside farmers of Two Fang city that Adam had come across.

"Because you are a sketch? Just maybe…" No matter how startled he was, it was good to know that he could still give witty replies.

"Oh…" At Adams words, the other party seemed to have a realization and went quiet as if it were recollecting some memories.

"What do you think of this painting boy?" Completely apart from what Adam had expected, the voice was now asking his appraisal of the sketch. He felt like he and the voice were on completely different wavelengths in this conversation as if there were a disconnect between them.

He had calmed down a bit by now and seriously pondered the question he was asked as he looked at the sketch again. His green eyes were piercing.

"You have very pretty eyes boy. I have never seen someone with such a pair before." The voice interrupted him as he was appraising the sketch.

"Thanks. you can stop calling me 'boy' though. My name is Adam Blackwing. You can just call me Adam. It is a short enough name, I don't think there's any need for nicknames Unless you really want to give me one. In which case, I will consider it but no promises." He said cheekily. He felt no harmful intentions from the other party so he let up and began conversing as he normally did. He even took the liberty of getting back at this voice for startling him as much as it had and the creepy staring.

"Huhhhh?! Who wants to give you a nickname? I'll just call you 'boy' forever at this rate." The voice seemed amused by the flow of the conversation.

"First you stare at me like a creepy old uncle and now you not only refuse to introduce yourself back but even refuse to address me appropriately. Not a very mindful person are you?" Adam would never lose when it came to a competition of words.

"Creepy old uncle…" The other party seemed to have taken considerable damage at that jab. "I'm not creepy and I am most definitely not an uncle! Since you like nicknames so much 'Adam', you may call me El."

"nice to meet you El." He gave a victorious smirk and said. His face was almost punchable.

"Will you answer my question from earlier or not?" El seemed a bit impatient as it asked again.

"Ugh, yeah…" Despite his frivolous and witty attitude from before, when it came to Art he was a completely different person. His expression changed and he began seriously appraising the painting "This stroke has…. This line intersecting with this to depict the volume…. The colour used here…." Adam was the best student among all the girls in the lodge to all the travelling artists. 'A million drops could make an ocean' this saying was very apt for Adam who had absorbed everything from all those artists.

"You are versed in the finer things… How very peculiar for someone who is as young as you." The voice complimented sincerely. Though he could not see it, the look that El now gave him was a little different.

"Tell me how you feel when you see the painting?" El's anticipation grew as if it was expecting something.

"Freedom," Adam replied instantly. "Why else would anyone draw a fantastical creature that soared through the skies? Both defy the natural order." He almost had a conviction in his statement.

"Why else huh?" El had an amused voice when it heard his opinion. "That's a nice thought. To wish for my freedom even then…" its voice trailed off into a melancholy.

There was constant mumbling from El as it went into a conversation with itself that Adam was not a part of and could not hear.

He had so many questions for the voice in the sketch like: 'How can you converse with me mentally?' or 'What are you?'. All of that had to be put on hold for now as the other party seemed to be the controller of this mental conversation. He was being tactful and allowing El space of its own when it was rumbling through its own thoughts.

Adam waited patiently for El to initiate the conversation.

"Adam…" El said in a mild tone "I like you."

All the witty comments and conversation diverters he had thought up went out the window.

Not giving him a chance to speak, El began clarifying.

"It means that I approve of you. Don't get any wrong ideas. I was slightly apprehensive of a person who could carry the flames of death. Can you blame me?" El said with a hint of mischief. It seemed that El was not one to passively take a loss. It had intentionally spoken misleading words to catch Adam off guard.

"For the flames of death to spark alight the flames of life… especially for something that should never exist. How ironic and fascinating." El mused to itself.