MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin

The moment Adam used the pass, his body immediately slumped on the bed, his consciousness drifting into the realm of sleep.

His mind, meanwhile, felt as if it was being stretched and pulled from all sides and traveling into the unknown. That feeling persisted for a while until… He finally felt himself land on his feet.

"My, my, I see that you are here once again, child. Though out of your own volution this time around. Tell me, how many years have gone by since we last met?"

When Adam opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of the same enchanting, holy woman he had met the last time. She had been quietly organizing the books on the shelves while floating in the air prior to his intrusion into the realm of Nexus.

The sacred atmosphere surrounding her despite her sinful body was the same as he remembered as well. The same went for the oppressive air around this library.

The shelves still seemed to go as tall as the cloud themselves and their numbers were so numerous and unending that it was intimidating, to say the least.

"It has only been one day."

"One day? Hah, I should really try to take a look at earth on a more regular basis from now on."

The woman spoke like an airheaded fool but Adam gleaned some precious information from her seemingly unimportant words. Clearly, the time in this place moved at a different pace compared to earth. But by just how much? He idly wondered about that in his mind…

"I used one of the free passes. Weren't you the one who gave them to me in the first place?"

"I did, didn't I?"

She tilted her head with the same smile she had been adorning all the while, "Sometimes I forget the simplest of things I tell you."

Placing the books she was holding in a corner of the shelves, she approached him and began scanning him up and down and all over his body.

"I see. I see. My, how interesting! To think there would be such a restriction… The curse that you are inflicted with is stronger than I thought it would be."

Adam sighed and closed his eyes, he could feel that the woman was on a pace of her own and if he didn't try to steer the conversation in the direction he wanted, things wouldn't progress anywhere.

"Firstly I would like to apologize for my conduct the last time. I was still confused about what was happening and may have acted rudely to you. I'm truly sorry."

"Hehe. Good boy, good boy! I like polite boys like you. If only your siblings could act like you, they would be sooo much cuter."

She patted his head gently with her dainty hands, stroking it with gentle motions. Her gesture made Adam flinch in surprise. It was, after all, quite the intimate gesture.

"I do not mind the way you acted toward me. I found it quite refreshing, in fact. Reminded me of how brazen I was when I was much much younger."

She grinned delightfully, reminiscing of the past, "So, what do you want?"

"Could I first may ask for your name, please? I realized that I do not know much about you."

"My name, huh…" She tilted her head a bit in confusion, as though she herself was confused about that bit of information about her, But soon, she smiled mischievously before answering in a gentle tone, "My name isn't really important but let's play a game, shall we? If you manage to find out my true name, I will give you a reward. For now, just call me…." She looked up a bit before nodding, having come to a decision, "Call me… The Fool."

"The fool?"

There were so many things he wanted to say about that name that he was left utterly speechless.

"Indeed. For I am but a naive woman still exploring the world. I believe that all seekers of knowledge are fools at their core. Though if you don't like that name then you can also call me Akasha. It's my library, after all."

"I prefer Akasha."

Adam did not feel like he wanted to call someone who had so much knowledge by the pseudonym 'The Fool'. It felt demeaning to him. If that woman was a fool then what could be the rest of humanity called? He couldn't come up with a word…

She smiled and began walking around him in circles while nodding her head…

"So tell me, oh seeker of Knowledge. What brings you here now? Of course, if you are just here to see me, I would not mind that. But it would be quite a waste of the free pass. Those things are limited items."

Adam took a deep breath and started his case, "I have many questions…"

"Such as?"

"What am I exactly?"

"Hah, such a fundamental question. Who am I? Why do I exist? I believe there is no right answer to those inquiries. But, that isn't what you want to hear, is it?

"Hmmmm… I will give you a choice. Your time in this place is extremely limited. So let me guide you to the correct path. I believe that knowledge earned by oneself is much more reliable than anything else."

She nodded to herself and snapped her fingers. Immediately, a few books flew from the shelves before landing on a table that magically appeared between them. A set of chairs included.

"You see Adam… You are special. Each primogenitor has something that defines them. A power that belongs only to them and them alone. One can control the illusory shadow and blood, another can control his body to near perfection. Those are the easiest examples I am able to give you.

"But you? Heh, your power is much much more interesting than anything I've ever seen. 'Origin' even I cannot fully comprehend the full breadths of your powers. But because it's so vast and deep, understanding it is that much harder.

"So, the first thing you need to do is to unblock the 107 minor Chakra and open one among the seven main ones. You already opened your Ajna point. The Third Eye is another way to refer to it if you like. But you can do much much more."

"Chakra? Am I becoming a Ninja or something?"

"Ninja? Since when do ninjas open their chakra again?"

Two people from two very different worlds became confused for a few seconds. They had knowledge of vastly different aspects hence the incongruence between them. Adam was the first to understand his mistake and resolve this circumstance.

"*Ahem* *Ahem* My bad. It's just some anime my friend made me watch. Sorry. Please continue, if you will."

She tilted her head but decided to do some more research about what he had just told her. She would never back down from obtaining more knowledge, after all. But she had more pressing matters to attend to right now.

"Okay… So let's start with something simple."

<<What are Chakras>>

<<Prana — The breath of Life>>

<<Learning How to Breath>>

<<Appraisal>>

"The first thing you need to know is… Breathing. Breathing is the first Gift god imparted to living beings. To live is to breathe. Simple, right?

This is the single common thing across all living beings in existence. Insects, plants, or even animals, it does not matter. By knowing how to breathe, the very world around you will vastly change beyond your wildest imagination.

"Ki, Qi, Mana, Aether. Prana, so so many different names but they all come to a single thing… Breathing… This goes beyond simply breathing oxygen, however. It means to truly absorb the natural energies that hold and shape the Universe… The energy that runs everything surrounding us…

"Sadly, after humans were kicked out of Eden, they partially lost this ability of theirs."

She pointed at her chest, "Now, humans who have the Gift can only open the Anahata. The Chakra located close to their hearts."

'The heart?'

Adam's eyes widened into circles before he hastily intervened in her discussion, "If there is a problem with that Anahata thing you mentioned… Could it lead to heart-related problems?"

"Indeed."

Now his mind had sprung up into full focus mode and he swiftly started walking towards the books. If before he was simply interested in obtaining the skill called Appraisal, now his thirst for knowledge was real.

She did not stop Adam and simply moved aside. A smile still etched on her ethereal face.

"Before you begin, you need to understand that you cannot stay here for very long. Your soul is still too weak and the more you read the more energy you spend. You will have to train in the outside world. But whatever you read here will be engraved into Genesis. So do not worry."

"Secondly…Hmmm… No, forget it. It isn't really a problem in your case either way."

Adam was too engrossed to hear her as she mumbled the second part of her warning.

Looking as Adam was focused on obtaining the knowledge he so desperately needed, she chuckled slightly before walking away from him.

She really wondered if he could go back to the Origin itself and open all the seven major Chakras. That would truly be a tremendous feat.

Either way, she would not meddle in his path outside of giving him the knowledge he wished for. She was not an adviser after all.

His life was his own and how it ended was for him to decide.

(AN: Man I wish I could simply dump all the information about the power system of Prana and everything in one go. But it would be dumb and boring. To make it easier for people to understand, it works a little like Nen from Hunter x Hunter. The Chakra here isn't the energy as described but rather the veins that circulate Prana.

Lol, the power system of MP is far more complex than the one in SHK. I don't know if it's a good or bad thing yet. But I want to try something original and interesting.

Later on, I will post a glossary. As for Akasha's true name, some have already guessed it.)