Chapter Text
— One.
It began with Amon grasping His hands so tightly that Adam paused, blinking in quiet indulgence. A strange fuzziness lingered at the edges of His consciousness, one He couldn't quite place, though He assumed it was merely the lingering haze that came with being Omnipresent.
Still, He narrowed His eyes, puzzled by the sudden feeling that something was wrong. Amon's grip tightened ever so slightly, drawing Adam's attention back to Him. Looking into His little brother's black eyes, He found Himself wondering if they had always been that dark.
"Yes?" He asked, smiling automatically. The gentle curve of His lips remained as warm as ever. "What is it?" He waited while Amon studied His face with unsettling intensity, like He's searching for something Adam couldn't quite comprehend yet.
Then the black-haired Angel smirked, mischief radiating from Him in waves that are clearly obvious. Adam blinked when His vision suddenly blurred at the edges, reality itself seeming to ripple for the briefest instant. He blinked again, and the distortion vanished as abruptly as it had appeared.
'Did father's experiments go haywire again?' He wondered. 'The last time that happened—' Amon suddenly leaned close, as if He's intending to whisper something into His ear. Adam couldn't help but notice that His little brother still hadn't let go of His hands.
It was a little unusual, though not enough to truly alarm Him. The little raven had never cared much for personal space or social propriety. Still, for Him to keep holding on for this long... Adam couldn't help wondering what sort of prank He was planning this time.
"I became the Lord of Mysteries," Amon said, His voice light and ethereal, as if it existed only halfway in reality. His words carried a faint distortion, each syllable sounding subtly out of place. "I ascended, just as I was meant to."
Adam stared at Him, unable to believe what He had just heard. "You did?" He asked, taking a long moment to study Amon's expression. His gaze sharpened, absorbing every minute detail, and it felt like a veil had been lifted from His eyes.
"Are you?" Almost unconsciously, both of His thumbs brushed over His brother's fingers in a gentle, absentminded caress. "How did you do that?" Amon merely stepped back with a grin. Adam's eyes followed Him instinctively, allowing Himself to be led without protest.
"Would you believe me if I told you I'm from the future?" His little brother asked, His tone playful, like He's simply sharing a delightful secret.
"That sounds," Adam began, pausing as He searched for the right words. "Plausible. At least to some degree."
Amon burst into laughter. He released one of Adam's hands but kept a firm hold on the other, skipping ahead as He tugged Him along.
"Did you find the Sefirah?" Adam asked, still slightly bewildered. "How?"
Amon looked back at Him with a proud smile. "I stole it, of course!" He declared.
"Stole it?" Adam echoed, thoroughly confused by where this conversation was going. He could understand every individual piece of information, but whenever He tried to fit them together, they refused to form a coherent whole.
The complete picture remained frustratingly out of reach. "From whom?" He asked, wanting to know more than the scattered fragments of an elusive truth. Amon pouted and looked away.
"Is that really so important?" He whined before giving Adam another tug. "It doesn't matter, does it?"
"Doesn't it?" Adam mused, quickening His pace to match Amon's sudden burst of speed. His gaze drifted across the sprawling field with only passing interest, already sensing that His little brother had no intention of answering any further questions.
"Where are we going?" He asked instead.
"Somewhere fun!" Amon answered brightly. "There's a flower field nearby, isn't there?"
Then He glanced back over His shoulder with a mischievous grin. "You still owe me flower crowns."
Adam blinked, His gaze dropping to Their intertwined hands. "All right," He murmured, then He looked up. "You're saying those words as if it's been a very long time."
Amon came to such an abrupt stop that Adam walked straight into His back. He blinked in surprise before quickly regaining His composure and taking a small step away.
"Well," Amon began, turning to face Him with a smile that never quite reached His eyes, "it has been a long time, hasn't it?"
Adam stared at Him in silence, uncertain what to think. Until now, He had treated everything Amon said as nothing more than an elaborate joke. It no longer felt like one.
"I don't know," He admitted honestly. Reaching out, He gently brushed a stray lock of hair away from Amon's eyes. "I haven't lived that long yet, if what you're saying is true."
At His words, Amon let out a soft snort. Adam wasn't entirely sure how to interpret that sound. If He had to describe it, His little brother seemed almost mockingly amused.