MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin

Adam listened carefully as he felt like he should miss no words coming from her at this moment.

"The Scales of Equilibrium protect humanity by keeping the balance. This is also the same Will that keeps the Veil active and stops humans from perceiving the threat of the Supernatural. The same Will that fights against the entry of Celestial beings on this plane and limits the power they can bring on earth."

"Human beings are strong. In times of peace, we are indolent, lazy, and stupid. But when dangers truly come our way, while a majority will fall and cry, there will always be a minority that will stand up and keep even the sky from falling down on the rest. Those people are called heroes. But without the Counter Force, we would be nothing."

Her eyes turned around, "I believe you are such a hero, Adam."

"..."

"You may find me to be ridiculous. You may even laugh at the words I am relaying to you right now. But Adam, I can see it as clearly as I can see the moon on a cloudless night. You are walking a treacherous path and I believe I will be one of the mentors that will guide you on your path."

"Why?"

"Because I love humanity, Adam."

For an instant, there was no mischievousness left in her eyes, no mysteriousness could be found in her aura, and no silliness was present on her lips. Like a benevolent saint, she was wearing a smile so beautiful it was almost blinding to him.

"I have seen both the good and the bad side of humanity over my long life. I have fallen low enough to be despised by the world and climbed high enough to be revered by the masses. Humans are beautiful and complex creatures that are born with the ability to be the worst and the best at the same time. We are paradoxes without any predefined notions. Our existence is the greatest mystery of the Universe."

She laughed quietly as she mentioned that fact, "They say that the first sin of humanity was eating the fruit of wisdom that brings knowledge of good and bad. I say this was the greatest gift humanity has ever received from the Almighty."

"Out of my free will, I will guide you and teach you. Out of your free will, you can refuse or accept my guidance. You can use me and discard me or even respect me afterward. But I will always be there for you. That is my will."

"I thought this was supposed to be an exam?"

"It is. I already judged that you are a man with the destiny of a Hero."

She ignored his attempts to change the topic and took a few files in her hand, "I have done my research and have come to this conclusion. You are not forced to admit or refuse my conjectures."

She adjusted her glasses and read from her hand, "Born from one of the strongest families, raised by one of the strongest humans. You are most likely a mixed race. I believe your father may be a Celestial.

"You most likely awakened on the day you were attacked by that vampire back at the start of the month. The greatest blacksmith moved to your residence. All your friends are related to the Supernatural side and wherever you go, accidents are sure to follow."

"There are many assumptions in your theory."

"The stupidest thing is thinking of a hero with pure logic. Sometimes a leap of faith is necessary to grasp the truth. But it's fine. Whether you admit to being a Hero or not, this will not change your destiny."

Adam felt like he was having a massive headache right now, "I am not a particularly good person. I doubt I have the qualities to be a hero."

What came in reply was a full-blown laugh as Piaget put a hand over her stomach. When she finally calmed down, she only gave a sneer of derision.

"You talk about heroes of tales from children. A true Hero's primary trait is not kindness. A true Hero is a supreme, selfish, and egotistical being who has enough belief in himself and his cause to decide he can and will change the world as he deems fit."

"A true Hero is someone who has the strength to say, 'I believe this is wrong and this is what I believe it should become.' They fear not facing accusations from the masses, they do not care about those who think their ideals are an impossibility and they will trample on anyone who dares to oppose them on the path toward the realization of their ideals."

The more she spoke, the more excited she became. There was undoubtedly a gleam of madness in her eyes as she continued her speech,

"The greatest mistake is thinking that heroes were people that were unconditionally good paragons of justice with no flaws whatsoever. Because… For all the power they possess, for all the determinations they have… Heroes are still humans. And to err is only human."

"Heroes fail, they stumble, fall, cry and scream in frustration but they still stand up and continue to trudge on even as their bodies and hearts continue to be riddled with wounds. They reach their limits then constantly break those limits over and over again."

Her voice was calm as she continued what was no different from a lecture, "Adam, you need to understand. In the path toward power, knowing Who You Are, is not a question of philosophy. It's a necessary step in order to ascend to a greater level of power.

"The first step to improve is to realize you are not perfect. Ask yourself who you are. Who you want to become and how you are going to reach your ideal self. Then strive toward that goal.

"You need to constantly ask yourself this. Then one day, when you truly realize who you are, you will be able to open The Gate of Truth and step into a completely different realm of existence."

Silence fell between them, the tumultuous waves of the sea seemed to stir slightly and the wind started to pick up.

Adam was bewildered. This was supposed to just be a routine check to pass some tests. Why then was he listening to some deep lecture about self-improvement?

"Your belief in heroes seems extreme."

"Oh, it is."

She nodded, "I touched the lowest of the low because of a hero and I was saved because of another one, after all."

She smiled, "The one who pushed me is a hero acclaimed by history. The one who saved me is a man considered the greatest sinner. Thanks to him, I regained my humanity and gained so much more. This is one of the reasons I believe why heroes are not bound by mere boundaries of morality."

She stood up and clapped her hands, "Well, It seems like I have bored you with my spiel. I feel like I am merely a sketchy saleswoman trying to sell you a product."

She went into her house and rummaged through her belongings before coming back with a pack of what seemed to be plain old cigarettes.

"I can imagine that you are being plagued by some nightmares and your power needs intense mental energy. These are specially made cigarettes by yours truly."

She smiled, "The herbs were bred with alchemy. It's in a way a special pill or elixir that has the effects of calming the mind and strengthening your mental capacity. It can also help in healing the wounds of the soul."

Adam tilted his head at the sudden shift in their conversation but remembered the cigarette Mammoth shared with him before.

"I think I have seen those before."

She shrugged, "I am the creator. Too many hunters are lost because of mental health issues so I decided to do something about it. Though the ones I am giving you are made of high-grade materials. As an example, each cigarette costs 10 million dollars, at least to make."

Adam looked at the pack that was filled with more than 30 cigarettes and swore inwardly at the power of capitalism.

(AN: *30/04/23. Guys, next month I am entering classical in win-win, this means I need 10K to unlock to obtain a banner and be promoted on the front page. I would really appreciate it if you guys could help me reach that goal. This is why, for next month only, as it is my first month of Classical, I will make all the Tiers at 99%. I would really appreciate it if all of you guys subscribed once again next to my story and helped me reach that number. Perhaps even promoting my book to your friends if you think I am good enough. Really thanks for your support during this month. Thanks to your support, I reached more than 5K before leaving newbie Win-Win, which was really helpful.

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