Inside his own weird, dark space, Adam kept watching the screen hanging above him. It showed everything happening in Prince Eric's fancy bedroom: Eric looking totally scared, the tough-looking guard, and the tense feeling in the air that you could almost touch.
Adam felt super frustrated. He knew he had this weird power buzzing inside him, this energy he could sort of control now.
He'd changed his clothes just by thinking about it, and maybe he'd even made the sun in this dark place. So why did he have to just sit back and watch?
If I'm really as powerful as the System says, he thought, getting more determined, if this place really does what I want, then taking control of the body I'm stuck in should be possible.
He felt a little spark of confidence, maybe even getting a bit too sure of himself. Yeah, the System mentioned a "seal," like a barrier, but maybe it just needed a harder push. It made sense to him. If he was in Eric, shouldn't he be able to steer?
Slowly, Adam lifted both his hands up in front of him, palms facing the screen showing Eric's room. He closed his eyes, focused hard, and gathered the warm, buzzing energy inside his spirit body.
He ignored the small voice telling him to be careful, ignored what the System had said about the seal being strong.
"If I'm really powerful enough to do anything I want here," he muttered, his voice echoing a little in the big empty space, "then I should be able to take control of his body too. Right now."
The second he said it, it felt like something broke loose inside him. A super bright blue light exploded out from Adam. It wasn't just a glow; it was like a real wave of pure energy, super bright and strong.
It rushed through his domain, washing over the ground he couldn't see, lighting up the darkness like lightning flashing inside a room. The power pushing out was huge, spreading out fast like ripples in water.
The blast of energy was so strong that the floating System Window got knocked backward. It tumbled through the air for a second before it steadied itself, its blue light flickering like crazy as it tried to stay put against the wave of Adam's power.
Adam himself felt a rush, like he was overflowing with amazing power flowing out of him, filling his whole domain.
Meanwhile, on the screen showing the fancy bedroom, the guard who had come to get Eric was still waiting.
He was tall and looked strong in his armor, giving off vibes of being impatient and in charge. You could tell he was probably a skilled fighter. He had a cool golden sword strapped to his waist. The blade shone with a silvery light, hinting it was sharp and deadly, not just for show.
The man had black hair with some gray streaks, looking like he was maybe in his early forties. His face under his helmet looked stern, like he was used to giving orders and maybe didn't approve of Eric much.
This was Roald, Prince Eric's main trainer. It was his job to get the weak prince ready for challenges he seemed likely to fail. Roald watched Eric, looking mostly serious.
Eric stood there in front of Roald, shaking a little, looking like he might fall apart. Then, right when Adam pushed his power out, trying to take over, a weird feeling washed over Eric.
On the screen, it looked like the room suddenly tilted for the prince. Eric's golden eyes went wide with shock, then lost focus. His vision blurred.
Before he could even make a sound, his whole body went totally limp, like a doll whose strings were cut. He just folded forward, collapsing toward the expensive carpet.
Roald, even though he looked tough, reacted super fast. Seeing Eric suddenly collapse, he moved with surprising speed, crossing the room in one quick step.
He caught Eric easily before he hit the ground, scooping him up with one strong arm. Roald's voice was firm but also worried as he held the unconscious prince. "Prince Eric! Hold on! What's wrong? What's happening to you?"
Back in his own domain, Adam's eyes shot open as he saw what happened on the screen. He hadn't expected Eric to just pass out cold. Whoa. A bit of surprise hit him, quickly followed by annoyance. Did I mess up? Or maybe... I just didn't use enough power? He hadn't felt the seal push back much, just felt Eric's body give out. Maybe he needed to push harder to really connect, to break through whatever barrier was there and take control.
Gritting his teeth, Adam ignored the tiny warning feeling in the back of his mind. He focused again, gathering even more of the strong blue energy pulsing around him.
He aimed it like a beam towards the image of Eric, now limp in Roald's arms. Come on, he urged silently, Connect! Let me drive!
But this time, what happened was way different and really scary. As soon as Adam pushed harder, Eric's body, which had been totally floppy, suddenly jerked violently.
His eyes snapped open, but they looked wrong, rolled back a bit and filled with pure pain. His whole body started shaking uncontrollably.
He gasped, making a choked sound, and grabbed his chest hard, like he was trying to rip something painful out. It looked horrible, like his heart was being stabbed or squeezed by invisible daggers.
Roald, still holding Eric, looked totally shocked by the sudden, violent reaction. His usual serious face twisted with worry.
"Prince Eric!" he yelled, sounding truly alarmed now. "What is it?! What's wrong? Talk to me! Where does it hurt?"
Right then, the System Window, which had been watching closely after getting blasted by Adam's energy, shot back towards Adam super fast.
Its blue light flashed bright red, which was definitely not normal. Its robot voice sounded stressed, almost panicked, breaking through Adam's focus.
"Master, stop! Stop it! You have to stop right now!"
Adam was startled by how urgent the System sounded and by the flashing red light. He saw the pure agony on Eric's face on the screen, heard his choked gasps.
The System's desperate warning finally got through. With a grunt, he pulled his energy back hard. It felt like snapping a thick rubber band, the power rushing back into him.
Immediately, the terrible effects on Eric started to fade. The shaking stopped. The awful chest pain seemed to let go.
Eric's breathing was still rough and uneven, but it started to get closer to normal. His eyes fluttered shut, then opened again. They looked pained and confused, but not full of agony anymore.
He sagged against Roald, who carefully helped him sit back on the edge of the huge bed. Eric's face was super pale and sweaty. He took deep, shaky breaths, trying to recover from the invisible attack.
Up in his domain, Adam watched it all happen, feeling tense himself. He lowered his hands, and the bright blue light around him dimmed back to a low hum.
He turned to the System Window, which was back to its normal blue glow but seemed to float a bit closer now.
Adam frowned. "What was that?" he demanded, sounding confused and annoyed. "I almost had it! I was so close to taking control. Why did you freak out and stop me?"
The System's voice was firm now, not panicked but still serious. "Master, I had to stop you. If you kept pushing with that much energy, Eric's body couldn't handle it. His body is very weak. His heart was under extreme stress—it was about to fail. Like, have a heart attack. He was moments away from dying. That's why I stopped you. If you hadn't stopped, you almost definitely would have killed him."
Adam went quiet. The System's blunt words – heart attack, about to fail, would have killed him – sunk in.
He stared hard at the screen above him. It still showed the bedroom scene. Eric was now leaning back against the fancy pillows on his bed, with Roald helping him stay up.
Eric's chest was still moving up and down quickly with each breath, but he wasn't convulsing anymore. His eyes were closed, his face pale and looking exhausted and still pained.
Roald knelt beside the bed. He didn't look like a tough guard anymore, just seriously worried. He gently put a hand on Eric's forehead, probably checking his temperature, his face looking grim.
"Prince Eric," Roald said softly, his voice much gentler than before. "What happened? Can you tell me what that felt like? Are you okay?"
Eric's eyelids fluttered open. He looked up at Roald, his golden eyes looking haunted, showing the terror he'd just felt.
He whispered, his voice scratchy and weak, "It… it felt like… like tons of sharp knives… or needles… stabbing my heart. All at the same time. Crushing it." He shivered, closing his eyes again like he could still feel it.
Hearing Eric describe the pain he had accidentally caused made Adam feel a sharp jab of guilt. He hadn't wanted to hurt him, just take control.
He'd been reckless, excited by his own power, and totally forgot how fragile Eric's body might be.
He realized with a sick feeling that his actions had real, possibly deadly, results in the world outside his little bubble.
From now on, he had to think carefully before using his power. Being reckless could kill the innocent kid he was trapped with.
Feeling heavy with guilt, Adam turned back to the System Window. He needed a new plan. Trying to force control was clearly too dangerous. "System," he said, his voice quieter now. "You said before… that you could maybe send my energy out of this domain, just a little bit."
The System Window lit up steadily. "Yes, Master. Limited interaction is possible."
"Okay," Adam said, thinking it through. "If taking control is too risky… maybe understanding him better is the way to go. Can you get into his memories? Can you show them to me? I need to know who he really is, what this trial thing is, why he's so scared… I need to know everything."
The System Window paused for a second, processing his request.
"Master, accessing the host's memories is possible in theory. The seal might block it, but I can try to get around the restrictions for retrieving data. I am starting the process now. But be aware, getting memories from someone's mind, especially if they're messy or hidden, will take a lot of time and effort."
A little loading bar, showing 0%, appeared at the bottom of the window.
Adam sighed slowly. Answers weren't going to be quick. He leaned his head back and took a moment to really look around his domain again.
It stretched out forever, dark land under the fake sky with its one constant sun. He noticed faint blue energy waves rippling across the ground like heat shimmer.
Far off, he saw a small patch of dark, still water, reflecting the blue glow of the place. It was kind of beautiful in a weird way, but also super empty and lonely.
As he sat there, looking around, something strange occurred to him. He focused on how he felt. Wait a minute… He hadn't eaten since… well, before all this started. He hadn't slept either. But… "I don't feel hungry," he murmured out loud, surprised. "And I'm not tired at all."
Curious, he looked down at his hands – the ones that had glowed bright blue earlier. They felt solid enough, but he knew they weren't really physical.
He'd been standing, thinking, feeling strong emotions for what felt like ages, but he wasn't tired at all.
No aches, no pains. It proved what the System said – he was like a spirit, not needing the same things a body does.
A small smile touched Adam's lips. He held out his right hand, palm up. He focused his mind, picturing exactly what he wanted: something comfortable to sit on while he waited.
Instantly, blue energy gathered in front of him, swirling and taking shape. In seconds, a fancy, comfy-looking sofa appeared out of nowhere.
It was covered in dark blue velvet and had cool carved wooden legs. It looked like it belonged in Eric's room, but it was here for Adam.
Adam smirked a little, happy with how easy that was. He walked over and sat down on the sofa he'd just created.
It felt surprisingly real and comfortable. He leaned back, got comfy, and turned his attention back to the screen way above him. It still showed Roald looking after the shaken Prince Eric in the bedroom.
"Well," Adam muttered to himself, feeling a new sense of patience mixed with curiosity.
"This is going to be interesting..." He watched carefully, ready to observe, learn, and wait for the System to hopefully unlock the secrets inside the mind of the prince whose life was now completely tangled up with his own.
Things were still happening out there, and Adam knew he needed to understand them better before he tried to act again.