[Comncing World Transfer in: 3 Minutes]
Adrian took a deep breath as he read Valor’s ssage again, his gaze lingering on the words longer than necessary. The ssage was short, almost painfully so, yet it carried weight enough to still his racing heart—Ariana and Annabelle were safe. The adversary had been dealt with. The danger, at least for now, had passed.
Even so, the tightness in his chest did not fade.
Turning toward Raven, the first thing he said was, "I am sorry."
The words felt heavier than any apology he had spoken before. He reached out and held her hand, his shoulders finally dropping as if the strain he had been carrying all this ti had found a crack to escape through. "I shouted at you even though you were trying to help ."
Raven looked at him, surprised at first, but she did not pull her hand away.
"If not for you," Adrian continued quietly, his voice rough, "I might have kept panicking. I might have done sothing reckless."
That truth weighed on him. The mont his mind had conjured the image of Annabelle cornered—of Ariana forced to stand alone against sothing unknown—his thoughts had dissolved into noise. Fear had drowned out logic. His vision had narrowed until all he wanted was to be there, to do sothing, anything.
The thought of sothing powerful enough to push even Annabelle into a corner had left his mind blank. He had wanted to tear through worlds, to ignore every rule and every warning just to reach them.
Yet the sudden restriction on the World Transfer had stopped him cold.
If not for Raven—if not for her firm voice cutting through his panic, asking him to think, to breathe, to consider how he could still help them from here—he might have failed them today. That realization hurt more than the restriction itself.
Querella stepped forward, her presence gentle but unwavering, and cupped his cheeks in her hands. Her palms were warm, grounding him in a way few things could.
Looking into his eyes, she spoke softly, "It’s okay, Adrian. You don’t need to apologize. I understand what you must be going through."
Her words loosened sothing inside him. His head dipped forward, and he slowly pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. "Thank you... Querella," he murmured. Then, more quietly, "And I’m sorry that I’m leaving so soon."
This visit had been important.
It was the first ti he had co to see her after regaining his mories. These twenty-four hours were ant to be hers. This single day—quiet, personal, uninterrupted—belonged to Querella alone.
And yet, here he was, about to leave again.
Valor had dealt with the danger. The imdiate threat was gone. By logic alone, Adrian could have stayed, could have told himself that everything was under control.
But his heart refused to accept that.
Even with Valor’s reassurance, even knowing how terrifyingly capable that man was, Adrian could not bring himself to relax. He needed to see them. To confirm with his own eyes that Ariana and Annabelle were alive, breathing and still with him.
Querella smiled at him then.
There was no frustration in her eyes. No trace of complaint or resentnt. Only understanding.
"Trust ," she said gently, "I’m not mad. Didn’t you say it yourself? We both have our circumstances. There will co a ti when I might have to leave your side too—when my presence is needed sowhere else."
She intertwined her fingers with his, holding his hand firmly. "They need you right now, Adrian. And it’s not like we won’t have another day just for us. Whenever you have ti, co back to . I’ll always be waiting."
His chest tightened at those words.
He felt restless, torn between worlds and responsibilities, yet at the sa ti, strangely at ease. Her trust in him settled like a quiet promise.
Every minute he spent with her only deepened his feelings. His love for her rose steadily, without urgency or doubt, filling him in ways he could not easily describe.
Slowly, his figure began to radiate silver brilliance as the system responded, light blooming around him in soft pulses.
He reached up and cupped her cheek, morizing the warmth of her skin. Leaning down, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Raven stood nearby, watching in silence. Her heart felt heavy seeing him leave so soon, but she hid it well. When Adrian turned toward her, she offered him a composed smile.
"Take care," she said. "I’ll be waiting for you."
...
Adrian exhaled as the world shifted.
Querella’s presence vanished from his sight, replaced by a vast white void. His body was pulled forward, stretched through space as the World Transfer activated. The sensation was disorienting, like being pressed through layers of existence all at once.
Then it stopped.
He found himself back inside the Ti Chamber.
The familiar stillness greeted him. He took a mont to steady his breathing before reaching for his equipnt. His axe manifested in his hand, solid and reassuring. The revolver settled against his belt, its weight familiar.
Taking a deep breath, Adrian spoke clearly, "Take back."
The world folded again.
When his vision cleared, familiar walls surrounded him.
His room.
The sa place he had left Ariana.
His gaze snapped to the bed.
It was empty.
He expected this, that’s why, without another thought, he sprinted out of the room. His boots echoed sharply against the floor as he ran down the corridor.
Every door was closed. From behind them, he could faintly hear murmurs—students whispering, fear and confusion lingering in their voices.
It didn’t take much thought to understand what had happened. The mont Ariana sensed danger, she must have locked the students inside their rooms, prioritizing their safety above all else.
As he reached the ground floor, he saw several teachers gathered near the front gate. Jagged spikes rose from the ground, forming a brutal barricade that distorted the ground around it.
Ariana’s magic.
"Ah, Professor Adrian," Norma said, spotting him first.
He didn’t slow down. "What’s the situation?" he asked. "Where are Ariana and Annabelle?"
"The situation is stable now," Gilbert answered. "The Headmistress and Lady Warden are being taken to the infirmary. Their condition... is concerning."
Adrian drew in a controlled breath. "The man who fought the demons," he asked, "where is he now?"
Gilbert hesitated, then pointed to the left—toward the highest spire of the academy.
Adrian turned.
And froze.
Red, ruby-like eyes stared back at him from atop the spire, their gaze sharp and heavy. The pressure descended instantly, crushing down on him and making his blood run cold.
For several long monts, neither of them moved.
Then, slowly, the pressure receded.
Valor blinked, surprise flickering across his face as he looked at Adrian. He had never t him before—yet sothing in his instincts scread recognition.
So this is him.
"P-Professor..." Gilbert stamred, "Am I seeing things, or is that... personage waving at you?"
Adrian let out a wry smile.
The sa being who had stared at everyone monts ago like a hostile god was now grinning broadly, waving his entire arm with childlike enthusiasm.
Adrian gestured for him to co down.
Valor stood instantly and jumped—
—and in the next mont, he was standing right in front of Adrian.
"Huh?" Valor blinked, then his face lit up. "Avirin!"
He threw his arms around Adrian without hesitation. "Finally! I’m finally eting you!"
Gilbert froze in place.
This was the sa being who had rewritten the laws of reality, who had forced an evil god to retreat. And now he was... giggling.
The shock was so great that Gilbert completely missed what Valor had called Adrian.
Adrian sighed. "Calm down, Valor. Let breathe."
"Hehe~ I’m just really happy," Valor said, stepping back slightly. "I’ve wanted to et you for a long ti."
Adrian turned to Gilbert. "Have the students been checked?"
"Yes," Gilbert replied, still shaken. "Several instructors are ensuring their safety."
"Good," Adrian said. "Please take care of things here. I’ll go check on Ariana."
Gilbert nodded.
Adrian started walking toward the building, Valor following closely, almost like an overexcited shadow.
"Were you in the middle of sothing when I called you?" Adrian asked.
"Not really," Valor replied. "I was just... educating my brothers on what a true family should behave like."
There was sothing heavy beneath the casual words, but Adrian chose not to press further.
"How long can you stay here?" he asked instead.
Valor checked the tir, his shoulders slumping. "Twelve minutes... I wanted to stay longer and spend ti with you."
Adrian tried asking the system if Valor’s stay could be extended.
[No, host. Host Valor’s presence is extrely unstable and dangerous for this world. The less ti he spends here, the better to prevent unnecessary damage.]
Adrian humd softly in disbelief.
He knew Valor was strong—but to think his re presence could distort the balance of the world?
He glanced at the black-haired man walking beside him, his gentle smile and warm deanor betraying nothing of that terrifying truth.
"Professor Adrian, you are here." The head nurse called out as she spotted him near the door. Her gaze shifted to Valor for a mont, her heart skipping a beat seeing the handso youth bathed in the dim light of the infirmary.
"Nurse Madeline," Adrian said, breaking her out of her reverie, "where are they?"
"This way, please," she replied, gesturing for him to follow.
As they moved deeper into the infirmary, Adrian’s heart sank.
Annabelle lay on the left bed, her face ghostly pale, lips drained of color. Her body looked fragile, weakened, as if even breathing took effort.
Then his gaze shifted.
Ariana.
One of her arms was gone.
Her face was white as a sheet, finger marks dark and cruel around her neck. She lay motionless, unconscious.
Both pillars of his life lay before him.
And for the first ti since returning—
Adrian’s hands trembled.
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