Children laughed and played in the snow-covered cobblestone streets. Men and women chatted animatedly, their faces lit with genuine smiles as they shared news and gossip.
On the surface, it was a scene of perfect harmony and bliss.
From within his room, Adam watched everything unfold. His eyes were sharp and flashing with a mix of emotions as he watched the town's residents go about their day.
After comparing the blood samples and analyzing them, he was able to see beyond the townfolks' cheerful facade; beyond their laughter and their smiles.
A dark aura, subtle and insidious, clung to them like an unseen shadow.
These people were blissfully unaware, living their lives under the weight of a curse they didn't know existed.
Adam's heart ached for them.
"Damn it!" He cursed aloud and turned away from the window.
He paced back and forth in his room, his expression dark. The newfound knowledge weighed heavily on his shoulders.
Whatever anyone does or says, I must be good; just as if the emerald were always saying this: whatever anyone does or says, I must still be emerald, and keep my color.
— Marcus Aurelius