Adam's entire body had been wrapped in bandages, except for his face which was covered in post-burn scars. He looked unrecognizable and extremely hideous, to say the least.

He wore a dark cloak that fluttered behind him in the wind as he rode atop Ennea through the dense forest.

Valerian was sitting on the fox's head. He refused to go back to Adam's spirit sea this time. He feared that something would happen again and he wouldn't be able to assist the youth.

The white fox's powerful strides created a rhythmical thud against the ground, accompanied by the rustling of leaves and the occasional snap of twigs and branches underneath.

It seemed that Ennea had fully recovered from her injuries. If anything, after receiving Adam's professional herbal treatment, she seemed to have become even stronger.

As they dashed through the forest, sunlight filtered through the dense canopy above, casting spotted dots on the forest floor.

They inhaled the rich, earthy scent of the jungle and the sweet fragrance of the wildflowers and berries. Birds chirped melodiously, their sound mingling with the soft buzzing of the insects.

It was a soothing atmosphere, but that was only on the surface.

The danger lay hidden in the shadows.

Adam had an extremely grim expression on his face as he slowly approached the eastern camp. It had been a week since he had departed from the panther's cave.

He thought to himself in nervousness, I hope they aren't late, damn it!

About an hour later, the trio finally emerged from the forest and came across a large clearing. Seeing this familiar scene, Adam's shoulders involuntarily loosened. At the same time, his eyes turned solemn.

"It feels like forever."

Before him, lay the largescale Magus camp. It was still in the wee hours of the morning, and was hence, bustling with activity.

Even from a distance, the youth was able to smell the aroma of grilled meat. The smell wafted into his nostrils, causing his stomach to grumble in hunger.

He had given away most of his rations to the panther and her cubs. He barely had anything to eat on the way here.

Adam led Ennea toward the entrance of the camp, where a few Magi had been stationed.

"Halt! Who goes there?!" A burly man stepped forward, spear in hand.

When he looked at Adam's burned face, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He couldn't even begin to imagine what the youth had gone through to receive such a ghastly injury.

Adam dismounted and took out his identification token along with other papers from his earring. Then, he handed it to the guards.

The guard checked the documents thoroughly, trying to confirm that the person in front of them was the same as the person on the papers.

After all, Adam looked vastly different than he used to.

It took close to half an hour for the Magi to confirm Adam's identity, after which he was finally allowed to enter the eastern camp.

After walking past the boundary of the camp, Adam gently patted Ennea's head and spoke warmly, "Little Ennea, head back to Lisa, okay?"

Ennea took a step forward and nudged her head against the youth's chest. Seeing this, Adam smiled and hugged her.

He then whispered in her ears, "Let Edward and Lisa know that I'm alright, but tell them not to come look for me."

The white fox deeply glanced at the youth with her emerald eyes.

Adam emphasized his last sentence, "You must tell them not to come close to me, you understand?"

Ennea nodded with a growl.

"Good girl." Adam ruffled the fur on the fox's head. "Tell them, I'll come find them later. Now, go."

Enna turned around and slowly jogged away, making her way through the maze-like camp.

Adam then glanced at Valerian who was sitting on the ground beside him and gracefully licking his paw.

"You too, Val."

"Myu?" The little guy was perplexed.

'Why me?' He protested.

Adam crouched and gently patted the young dragon's head. "I don't want to risk it."

Valerian lowered his head, feeling extremely helpless. He already knew what was going to happen. Adam had already informed him. Despite knowing, he couldn't help the youth at all.

He was a mighty dragon.

Yet, he was powerless.

Adam bent over and kissed Valerian's head. "It's going to be alright. Just trust me."

"Myu" Valerian meekly nodded with tearful eyes. Then, he too turned around and walked away, disappearing amidst the crowd.

The youth looked at Valerian's departing back for a long time. Then, he stood back up and walked toward his tent.

He journeyed through the camp, his heart pounding wildly. To say that he wasn't scared would be a lie.

His back was against the wall. There was nothing he could do now. He had already made his arrangements. Now, all he needed to do was wait and let things play out.

Adam finally arrived at his tent. He raised the tent flaps and entered. Looking around, he didn't find anyone else. Seeing that, he breathed a short sigh of relief.

After entering his tent, he couldn't help but pace around in panic, wondering when they would come.

He had never felt so nervous about anything.

It couldn't be helped. His life was on the line, after all.

In the end, he simply decided to sit down and practice a round of mindfulness. "Worrying about it isn't going to help me. Might as well try to do something productive."

He sat down cross-legged on the ground and began revolving the Five Elemental Codex. Gradually, his mind felt at ease.

A vortex of barely visible mana had only just begun to form around him when all of a sudden, it vanished.

Adam opened his eyes and glanced at his tent entrance. He could hear the sound of hurried footsteps as well as the enraged sound of people talking coming from outside.

"They're here," he muttered solemnly, his fists tightly clenching.

The following moment, a white orb of light flew inside the tent. Then, his body trembled ever so slightly and a similar white orb emerged from within him.

Soulmark Retribution!

The two orbs of light circled around each other before finally merging into one. Then, they flew toward Adam and covered him in a thin layer of white light.

Seeing all of this take place, he could only lower his head and helplessly sigh.

The following moment, the entrance to his tent was viciously torn open and more than a dozen furious Magi of the Gracie Family stormed in. The one leading them was none other than Morden Gracie.

When Morden's gaze fell on Adam, who was bathed in the white light, his bloodshot eyes blazed with fury.

A moment later, when he realized the identity of this person, his eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "It's you!"

Unbridled anger and hatred flashed in his eyes and he charged at Adam with blatant murderous intent.

"I'll kill you!"