Family

"Adam!" Before he even reached home, he saw Lina rushing toward him on her short legs, her face beaming with a silly smile. She wrapped her arms around his leg, smearing dirt all over his pants.

Despite his usual aversion to dirt, Adam didn't get angry. Instead, he laughed, lifting Lina high into the air, making her laugh so hard her eyes turned into crescents.

Adam's laughter faded as he noticed someone watching him from the second floor. His expression shifted to his usual gentle smile as he set Lina down and ruffled her hair.

When he glanced back at the second floor, the person was gone.

Adam had a sharp memory. Even if he had only seen someone once or twice long ago, he could remember them clearly—especially if he had been the one to bury them.

"You thief who stole my identity!" a venomous voice echoed in his mind, but Adam didn't turn around. Instead, he continued chatting with Aris and Maggie about the latest neighborhood gossip.

Aris wasn't much of a talker. The man often sat in his small woodshop, carving pieces of wood. But today, he unusually joined the conversation, awkwardly agreeing with Maggie before falling silent again.

"All this care should be mine!"

The phantom's angry wails were like a devil's howl, but Adam ignored them, utterly unbothered. In this world, there might be spirits, but they had to originate from powerful beings. An ordinary boy's death was just that—death.

"So this is another issue caused by the bloodline awakening?" Adam looked at the shadowy figure of the "real Adam" without a trace of fear or guilt. He had merely borrowed the identity; he hadn't killed him. Even if he had, he would face the vengeful spirit without remorse.

"Do all lycanthropes experience these things during their bloodline awakening?" Adam wondered, maintaining his composure. Other lycanthropes might not handle these hallucinations as well.

"Or is it just me?" Adam considered his unique circumstances.

"I interacted with monkshood, a plant linked to lycanthrope bloodlines."

"I'm a half-blood lycanthrope, which is rare."

"I've also undergone rituals related to the church, like the Tears of God ritual, which might have triggered something."

"It could also be due to my early activation of sensory perception." Adam scrutinized the shadowy figure, comparing it to his surroundings.

"This is definitely a hallucination from my sensory perception, rooted in my memories, not reality."

"Enhanced perception combined with the retrospective nature of the bloodline awakening caused this," Adam concluded, feeling a bit irritated.

He quickly calmed himself, knowing that irritation wouldn't change the situation. Most people understand this but find it hard to stay calm when faced with issues.

"Could sensory perception be my talent? Awakening talents should be comprehensive." Adam's mood improved with this thought.

"Charm, sensory perception—are these my talents?" Adam found satisfaction in this, even though he needed direct combat abilities. In his current situation, charm and sensory perception were more beneficial.

"After all, my control over those people is based on my acting skills, which rely on my charm and perception." Adam smirked, adjusting his mental state.

The shadow gradually faded. After a relatively lavish dinner, Adam headed upstairs.

Although the familial affection wasn't his, the concern from others lifted his spirits.

But soon, Adam reined in those unnecessary emotions. He knew he would eventually be exposed; it was just a matter of time.

Fewer unnecessary emotions meant it would be easier for him to leave when the time came, benefiting everyone involved.

Locking himself in the attic, Adam waited. As the moonlight appeared, he began to see hallucinations—strange people and events.

"White fur, is this the beginning of ancestral recall?" Adam squinted, calmly observing the hallucinations.

The images were varied—scenes of daily life, battles, and even inappropriate content.

"Really? Why is everything included in the bloodline?" Adam frowned at the numerous inappropriate scenes.

"I understand reproduction is crucial for the species, but this is too much..." Adam tried to focus on the more relevant scenes.

"Close combat, tool crafting, wilderness tracking, and even lycanthrope mages." Adam shook his head. Most lycanthropes excelled in close combat. Lycanthrope mages were rare, and the mage's scenes conveyed little useful information.

"Battle is easily shown through visuals, but mage training is hard to depict—just a lycanthrope sitting there, with slight changes in their aura and form."

"This isn't very informative." Adam closed his eyes, resting, and transformed again as the night deepened.

"Thud!" His head lightly bumped the ceiling. Adam belatedly realized his lycanthrope form had grown taller.

Moonlight touched his white fur, making it seem as if light spirits danced upon him before merging into his body.

Suppressing the urge to howl, Adam climbed out the attic window, racing through the streets.

Leaning forward, using all four limbs, Adam's speed increased, the wind ruffling his fur.

His rational mind felt detached from his body, aware of his actions but finding it harder to control them.

"The superego retreats, the bloodline's wild nature connects with thoughts, the id takes over, and the ego steps aside, making body control more challenging," Adam's rational mind analyzed.

In psychological terms, the mind comprises the id, ego, and superego. Normally, Adam was the ego, influenced by the id and restrained by the superego.

Now, the id was in control, with his rational mind as a detached ego—pure reason.

The ego usually moderates the id but now struggled due to the bloodline's influence.

"The bloodline amplifies the id, suppresses the ego, and without the ego, the superego struggles to curb the id's impulses."

"Fortunately, my mental state is stable; my id, ego, and superego are balanced." Adam reflected on his goal-driven perseverance despite enduring pain, ensuring a harmonious psyche.

His id would calm after some release, making self-control easier.

"So, letting myself relax is good." Adam's rational mind wasn't worried about danger. The id's instincts heightened his senses, making it easier to detect and avoid threats.

Essentially, the id was the most cowardly part, enjoying pleasure and avoiding pain, making it the least likely to take risks.

With this understanding, Adam let his id run wild, knowing his rational mind would regain control.

Soon, he could control his body again, ending his transformation and retrieving his clerical attire and mask.

It was time to get to work.