Faced with Evah's candid attitude, Adam wasn't surprised. As a Spectator, He could tell Evah was speaking the truth—or at least, in Evah's mind, it wasn't a lie.
But Adam didn't let another detail slide, reminding him lightly, "Your Shadow of Time isn't something a Sequence 5 could pull off."
Sure, on Evah's unprecedented pathway, he might only equate to a standard Sequence 5, but that didn't mean he lacked other tricks.
Telling the truth wasn't the same as baring all.
"Whoops, my bad, forgot about that skill," Evah said with a half-hearted smile, leaving it unclear whether he'd meant to omit it or not. He breezed past the topic, still utterly frank. "I can turn others into puppets, sure, but only if their will's weak. As for you, Mr. Adam… no way I'm controlling you."
That was the honest truth. Evah didn't think Adam's will could be swayed by a Persona Mask.
Also true.
Adam weighed this internally, silent for a few seconds before saying, "Your abilities might not work on me."
"Give it a shot! You've got nothing to lose," Evah pitched eagerly. Testing his skills on an Angel King? What a rare chance!
Adam gave Evah a deep look, then nodded. "Alright."
It was a gamble, but for Adam, it was also an opportunity—He wanted to feel firsthand what this enigmatic creature's powers were about.
Some abilities you only understood by experiencing them, giving Him a clearer read on Evah's essence.
So, the two struck a deal. After trading 008 for the Conqueror characteristic, they got to experimenting.
First up: a Persona Mask imbued with "joy."
Adam seemed mildly surprised—or maybe not, since surprise might not be in His emotional repertoire. After a brief pause, He said, "There's some effect. Slight, but it's there."
"So it actually works…" Evah blinked, then snapped his fingers, activating Emotion Manipulation on Adam, targeting joy again.
This time, Adam's reaction was more noticeable. He seemed to smile—not His usual calculated, icy warmth, but a smile with a touch of genuine feeling.
"You smiled! So it's doing something?" Evah asked, intrigued by the hint of real warmth in Adam's expression.
"It's stronger than the last ability, but it fades quickly," Adam said, His expression flickering as if dazed for a moment. Looking at Evah, He added, "The essence of your abilities carries a high status. A typical Sequence 7, even with similar powers, wouldn't affect me at all."
"But limited by my Sequence, the effect's still weak…" Evah said, a bit disappointed. As the ability's user, he could sense Adam was affected, but barely. On a standard Sequence 5, that Emotion Manipulation would've turned them into a puppet. On Adam?
Maybe one percent of the progress bar, tops.
No puppetizing this guy.
Evah sighed inwardly, bummed.
"Whatever, affecting an Angel King at all is badass enough. What more do I want, a bike?" Evah quickly shook off the disappointment. He hadn't really expected to puppet Adam anyway. Grinning, he said, "So, Mr. Adam, how about a deal?"
"What kind of deal?" Adam's golden eyes met his, no longer entirely serene but carrying a faint, real warmth.
"I need to digest my Mask-maker potion, and you probably wouldn't mind feeling some normal human emotions. So, how about wearing my mask for a bit to help me digest it?" Evah said boldly, his eyes gleaming with unmasked curiosity.
There were plenty of ways to digest the Masked Master potion, but what could top making the emotionless Dream Angel feel again?
It was just too fun an idea, wasn't it?
Evah admitted his Trickster genes were tingling.
Adam seemed to see through Evah's thoughts, giving him a knowing look. He neither agreed nor refused, only saying, "Emotions at this level won't sway my judgment."
Meaning: Even if I wear your mask, I won't become what you're hoping for.
"We'll see about that," Evah said with a grin, snapping his fingers. "How about now?"
Adam paused, sensing a change, but it was too subtle to pinpoint. "What did you do to me?"
"Just tweaked the Persona Mask's attribute," Evah said, not hiding anything. The mask's attribute wasn't fixed—as its wielder, he could alter it within 10 meters.
"What attribute?" Adam asked.
"Love. The purest, most essential kind—love for this world, for all living things," Evah answered with a smile. "It's one of the few attributes I can't trigger with Emotion Manipulation."
Emotion Manipulation could spark emotions like joy, anger, or sorrow, but love didn't fit that mold.
Adam clearly hadn't expected that answer. He went quiet for a few seconds before saying, "You think love for this world would change my actions?"
"No clue, but I'm pumped to find out," Evah said, smiling at Adam. "I'm dying to see what you look like loving this world again."
A soul warped by divinity—would twisting it again make it love the world? Evah was genuinely curious.
"I'm curious too," Adam said after another pause.
Evah grinned. "Happy cooperation, then, Mr. Adam!"
"Happy cooperation, Mr. Evah," Adam replied calmly.
"Alright, it's getting late. I've got a rescue to pull off elsewhere, so no more chitchat," Evah said, checking his pocket watch.
Adam had no objections.
But before leaving, Evah seemed to remember something, turning to Adam. "Oh, forgot to ask… Mr. Adam, you offered a Conqueror characteristic for the trade. As Medici's lord, are you finally planning to do something for him?"
(End of Chapter)