The years passed by quickly. During that time, the boy and I took every chance we could to sneak beyond the wall and meet Adam. Many times, we nearly got caught, but somehow, we always managed to slip away at the last second.

Each time we visited Adam, he amazed us more than before. With every visit, he merged with the shadow of the wall more easily, for longer periods until he could remain within it for half an hour straight. He had also learned to control his shadow, stretching and shaping it however he wished, turning it into living silhouettes that crawled and danced across the walls.

I used to tell him stories and tales I'd read at home, and he would bring them to life through his shadow plays, making my words pulse with movement and wonder.

He even tried to teach the boy how to use his own shadow the same way, as they had agreed but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't explain it well enough for the boy to understand.

After several failed attempts, the boy opened his small notebook and asked with genuine curiosity,

"When was the first time you got those magical powers?"

Adam rubbed his chin, took a piece of bread from the black sack, and replied,

"I was running from a group of beggars. They caught me and slammed me to the ground because I refused to give them a piece of bread I'd found. But I didn't want to give it up I was starving. My body was bleeding, and all I wanted was to disappear. That's when it happened I merged with the shadow of the wall beside me."

I didn't know what to say, so I murmured quietly,

"I'm so sorry you went through that."

He looked up at me with a faint smile, chewing the bread,

"It's fine. Honestly, I'm glad it happened. If it hadn't, I never would've discovered this power."

The boy raised his head from his notebook and said,

"Can you repeat the story? I want to record it accurately."

I glared at him, then smacked the back of his head,

"That's rude. Don't you realize that?"

He rubbed his head, grumbling,

"But he said he didn't mind!"

"Even if he said that, it doesn't mean you get to be rude!"

Adam laughed for the first time since we'd met him. I couldn't help but laugh too when I heard it. The boy looked between us, then burst into his own ridiculous laugh.

That moment was one of the happiest days of my life no, the happiest. But as every beautiful beginning has an end, that was also the first and last time the three of us laughed together.

A few weeks later, one of the neighborhood children discovered the hole in the wall and told his parents. The authorities decided to seal it completely. When the boy and I found out, we snuck out one last time, carrying a large sack filled with food. We wanted to say goodbye to Adam before the path between us was gone forever.

We entered the abandoned factory and shouted together,

"Adam! We're here!"

From behind a pile of scrap, Adam appeared and ran toward us. He grabbed the sack from our hands and said excitedly,

"Guys! I learned a new trick! Do you want to see it?"

But this time, the boy didn't lift his head. He stared at the ground, fists clenched.

"I'm sorry, Adam... we can't do that this time."

Adam froze, staring at us in confusion.

"That's fine... maybe Diana can tell us a story today? And I'll show you the new trick later."

The boy shook his head.

"No. There won't be a next time, Adam."

"What do you mean?"

The boy took a deep breath.

"We won't be seeing you again, Adam. We're going back to where we came from. We won't be coming back anymore."

"Why? Did I do something wrong?"

The boy answered,

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. But you're not one of us, Adam."

Adam and I exchanged confused looks. Neither of us understood what he meant. Then the boy suddenly shouted, his voice breaking,

"You're just a street kid! You know where we come from, don't you?! So we're leaving and we don't ever want to see your face again, got it?!"

Adam didn't understand what the boy meant, and neither did I. We had never agreed he would say that. We had agreed to tell Adam the truth nothing like this.

In a burst of anger, Adam shouted back,

"Go then! Who said I needed you? I was fine without you, and I'll be fine without you now!"

After yelling that, he turned and walked toward the pile of scrap. The boy, his fists trembling, kept his expression cold, then turned and walked out through the wall's crack without looking back.

I stayed where I was for a moment, frozen. Then I ran after Adam. I reached him and placed my hand on his shoulder, but he shoved it away violently and shouted,

"Get away! I don't want to see your face again!"

I tried to speak, but he turned toward me, his eyes filled with tears he was desperately trying to hide.

"I'm just a street rat you two felt sorry for, aren't I? I thought we were friends..."

Before I could answer, he grabbed the sack from the floor, threw it beside me, and ran deeper into the factory, yelling,

"Leave! I don't ever want to see you again!"

My hand hung in the air. Slowly, I lowered it, then turned and walked out of the factory. The boy was standing near the hole in the wall. As soon as I reached him, I slapped him hard, making his head snap back.

"Why did you say those awful things to him?!"

He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, hand pressed to his red cheek.

"It was the best option."

"You could've told him the truth instead of saying that stupid nonsense!"

He raised his head.

"If he'd known the truth, do you really think he would've let us leave so easily?"

I didn't respond, and he went on,

"No, he wouldn't. I've seen what he can do he can pass through walls. If he knew we were leaving, he would've followed us inside the walls, no matter what we said."

"And what's wrong with that?!"

He sighed.

"I looked into those magical abilities of his. At first, I found nothing. But one night, I snuck into my father's office and found reports about children born with something called Authorities. I realized then they were talking about kids like him, born with powers. Those children either get sent to the Imperial Forces or sold off to other gangs. If they ever found Adam inside the walls, he'd be..."

I didn't let him finish. I slapped him again harder this time.

"How dare you lie like that?! My father and Mr. Gabriel would never be part of something like that!"

"I tried to tell myself the same thing at first, but in time, you'll see the truth for yourself."

He turned away without another word and started walking toward the distant wall on the horizon. I didn't follow him. I just stood there, watching as he grew smaller and smaller.

I stared at the horizon for a long while, then began walking toward the wall, my heart refusing to believe it. He's lying... he must be lying. There's no way my father could be part of something like that. No way.

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