[Sylvia's POV:]
What...just happened?
I was back in my room, even though it was still mid-noon. Allen was calling out to me, asking me to stay. I didn't know why he was asking for me, but in this state of mind, I couldn't bear to hear anything from anyone.
I...don't know what happened.
The investigation I did on Adrian clearly stated that he failed to inscribe Runes during his examination. It was no forfeit nor any technical fault. He just simply failed to write those ancient letters that require to change a weapon into an Armament.
Despite having the knowledge and the talent of Runesmithing, he was a failure.
My information couldn't be wrong; that's why I took such a big step to expose him.
I know that I was just venting my frustration on him because of what he thought about Allen, but it was no baseless accusation.
He should have been a fraud. He should have humiliated himself in front of others.
Then...why did he prove his skills, not just as Runesmith but a unique one at that?
He disclosed a secret of Allen which he had been hiding from everyone except for a few people.
Considering Olivia and Adrian's current relationship, it was highly unlikely for her to inform him.
And even if I assume that someone informed Adrian about Allen's attribute, how was he able to channel his magic to form the runes so perfectly? Did he master it in just a few months? But that's not possible! Otherwise, he would have gotten his AET test last month.
"....did I just falsely accuse a man?" My mind was failing to register what was happening around me. I know I have committed a blunder...but Adrian wasn't an innocent man either.
'He...he wanted to murder Allen, to torture him. Then shouldn't he have faced a little humiliation?'
Without realizing it, I started to console myself with some lies that helped me comfort my mind.
I wasn't wrong; I did the right thing—that was what I kept repeating myself until I fell asleep.
°°°°°°°°
[Third Person POV:]
Adrian returned to his room after a very cumbersome day.
Ariana asked him several questions, all related to how he got to learn Runesmithing in just a day.
Naturally, Adrian made up some lies, telling her that he had been practicing it for some time now, so he could pass the test next time.
Ariana seemed still quite suspicious, but she didn't bother him for long and said, "Take a break for a week. I will have someone covered for you."
Adrian didn't hesitate to take the offer since he had several things to settle.
He reincarnated just a day ago, and he hasn't been able to catch his breath. Then there was recalling the plot so he could prepare for any upcoming catastrophe.
Just like how the ambusher today tried to kill Ariana—the one who has executed dozens of Fallen One's believers. It was a revenge attempt which resulted in a failure. However, things didn't concern only her. Being a part of the academy, he needs to prepare himself as well.
But the massive problem was...he never reached the conclusion of this novel. He didn't know why but he dropped before reaching the end.
And now, Adrian knew he would going to pay a massive price for his mood swings.
"Agh ...." Reaching his office door, Adrian winced.
On his door, some graffiti was made with slime and marker.
The words read:
[Loser]
[Fraud]
[Just Die Already]
[As*wipe]
And whatnot.
Adrian wasn't angry but frustrated. These kinds of things were something children do....well, they are children.
Thinking that it would stink if it remained like that, Adrian went inside the office and took out a mop and a bucket from the storage cabinet.
For someone who has worked as a cleaner in several food outlets, his movement was fluent as he rubbed the mop up and down and washed it in the water.
He heard a few male students passing by, giggling and snickering.
They hate him...just because he was handsome and female students like him?
'What kind of weird reason to hate someone?' Adrian heaved a sigh as he finished cleaning his door, and once done, he walked inside the room.
His office was well organized, with a wooden desk by the window and a long wooden chair on which he sat. There was a display case on the left in which some decorative items and the award for the best teacher he got two years ago were stored.
On the right was a bookshelf on which several study materials, history books, and, majorly, books about runes were stored.
Adrian decided to refresh his memories about this world a little so he took a history book and sat down on the couch.
[The Ancient War]
The title read.
Because Adrian was a teacher and someone who loved to read books in his free time, he was able to read faster than an average person.
His eyes trailed down the pages as he read what this world went through.
Millions of years ago, there were eight gods, each entrusted with the care of their own domain. Their worlds thrived in perfect harmony, untouched by conflict or chaos. No force threatened the balance they maintained, and no discord arose between them.
In those ancient times, the gods bestowed the gift of magic upon chosen individuals, granting them the power to uphold peace and order. Sorcery flourished, and witches and wizards walked the land as guardians of stability.
There was no need for Celestial Armaments, not because runes were unknown, but because the gods and their chosen saw no purpose in crafting them. Magic alone was enough to shape reality itself—there was no reason to bind power to steel when a mere thought could bend the laws of existence.
But then—it appeared.
A whisper in the void. A thought without form. An essence of chaos.
It was neither man nor beast, neither shadow nor flesh. It was an intention—pure, malignant, and insatiable. It slithered into the hearts of mortals, twisting their minds and feeding on their desires. Wars ignited where there had been peace. Brother turned against brother. Kingdoms fell to ruin, consumed by a madness no blade could cut and no spell could undo.
The gods watched as their world unraveled, but they could not see the hand that wove the destruction. Their chosen warriors, gifted with magic, fought and fell, unable to strike what had no body, no weakness.
And so, the gods themselves took the field. Seven stood against the unseen force, knowing the price of their defiance. The war that followed eclipsed all that had come before—a battle not of armies, but of existence itself.
They knew the cost. They knew what must be done.
There was no other choice.
At last, after the sacrifice of millions and the near ruin of four worlds, the chaos was subdued. But it was not sorcery that sealed its fate. No spell, no incantation could silence the formless terror.
It took steel. A blade.
Not just any weapon, but a sword unlike any before it. Forged by the greatest runesmith to ever walk the world—a craftsman who labored endlessly, carving power into steel, etching destiny into its very core. He worked beneath the light of burning stars, embedding their essence into the weapon so that it might stand against an enemy that had no form.
And in the hands of a true warrior, the sword struck where magic had failed. The chaos was sealed away, its whispers silenced… for now.
'Haah…' That was some weird story…a runesmith achieving something which even Gods failed to? Adrian really wanted to meet that man…if he could.
But even in victory, the scars of war remained. The devastation was beyond measure—millions lost, entire worlds reduced to ruin. Magic, once a gift, had become the instrument of destruction.
Mother Nature, the ancient force who had helped the gods shape existence, wept for what had been lost. The echoes of suffering lingered in the very fabric of creation. And the gods, burdened by the weight of what had transpired, could not ignore the truth: magic had become a force too dangerous to remain unchecked.
The war had ended, but its shadows still clung to the hearts of mortals. The essence of chaos had left wounds not just upon the land, but upon the minds of those who had wielded power. Fear, madness, and ambition—seeds of future calamities—had already taken root.
And so, the gods made their choice. To prevent further ruin, they sealed magic away, locking it beyond mortal reach.
It was not done in anger nor in punishment. It was a desperate act to preserve what little remained.
For magic had nearly destroyed the world once. They would not allow it to happen again.
However, out of the seven Gods, one didn't agree with the decision, believing that magic is the very essence of a world's foundation and shouldn't be sealed away.
That God was named Nythaors—the one who betrayed and broke the pact—the fallen God.
'And now, those who follow Nytharos are considered evil-god followers…' Adrian sighed. The opponents in this world would be magicians who can freely wield magic and defy the law of physics.
To say this war would be easy would be a lie. And the only thing he could do right now to ensure his safety was to continue to work here and become a capable runesmith. Both because he wanted to form a perfect Armament for himself and earn a lot.
With those thoughts, he reached his table, thinking to do some work—when his eyes landed on the envelope resting at the table, addressed to him.
And the sender was, "Oh, crap."
His step-mother.
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A/N:- Thanks for reading. Add the book to your collection.