Currently, Acolytes are divided into three factions—two under the command of different leaders, and one faction, which has the highest numbers, is working independently.

But regardless of whether they are under command or not, their end goal is the same—to corrupt every being on the planet and make a home which can be administered by their fallen God: Nytharos.

These people mostly live in wastelands, making their homes and hideouts so that they don’t get raided overnight. Human warriors don’t venture into the barren lands because it’s too vast, and the cultists take advantage of it.

They can come and go anytime they want. They have the means to secretly enter the human domain and wreak havoc.

Just like how right now, they are planning to attack the academy once the mid-terms conclude and more than half of the teachers return home.

There are six ranks of Acolytes based on their mastery of their skills and their achievements:

Trainee

Adept

Elite

Master

Ascendant

Divine

And the one who would be attacking the academy would be an Ascendant, with an army of several low-ranking Acolytes and magic beasts.

It would be chaotic in two weeks. The destruction that would be caused would be immense. Several students would lose their lives, and if not for Allen and Ariana, then the main characters, like Olivia and Sylvie, would have died too.

Currently, sitting inside his workshop, Adrian was experimenting with things in the rosy-glowing Heartstone, but his mind was still revolving around what he must face.

“Should I try warning Ariana?” The thought crossed his mind, but then he thought about how he could share the information without coming out as suspicious. Yes, she trusts him, but having precise information on Acolyte’s movements would surely make anyone frown.

Adrian couldn’t ask for anyone’s help in this since he doesn’t have the luxury of affording a high-ranking Warden.

‘Haah~well, I should keep preparing for the time being.’

Adrian was currently preparing explosives. These explosives would have the runes of the fire element, and their sensitivity would be adjusted with the earth element.

However, there was a problem. Unlike with bullets, where he could effortlessly inscribe runes without any external aid, drawing runes on Heartstone required the presence of someone attuned to the specific element he needed, actively assisting him.

It’s nothing different than tuning a weapon, but the runes would be engraved on a stone, while keeping a subject used as a reference. It was not necessary for the bullets, but on the Heartstone, it was.

‘Now, where do I find the person with the flame element?’ There were a few on his mind, but he didn’t want to disturb his students when they were focused on their studies.

He was thinking about what he should do when suddenly someone entered his workshop.

It was the familiar silver head, wearing a dangerously tight-fitting pair of jeans and a white shirt with a few buttons undone.

With the exposure of her skin, Adrian could see the head of the dragon—the tattoos she had. A cut on her eyebrow, and her free-falling smooth hair over her left eye…yes, she looked badass.

“Effortlessly mesmerizing you now?” She joked, a grin tugging at her lips.

Adrian slightly shook his head and re-focused on his work.

Ariana drew closer and asked, “I heard Elana was all over you since yesterday?”

“Jealous?” Adrian teased her, only to receive a scoff,

“Why would I be? She is a little girl. I can outdo her any day I wish to.” Spoke a cocky woman, with her arms crossed.

Adrian sighed and asked her, “So? What brought you here?” He knew that unless some urgent work, she wouldn’t have come here to disturb him. More so, when it has only been an hour since he stepped inside the workshop.

And as he thought, “I got a letter from Lady Melissa.”

Adrian’s brows were elevated, “What did she say?”

Ariana grumbled, “At least show some shock or something.”

Adrian chuckled, “She isn’t worth it. Anyway, what did she say?”

Ariana took out the letter, and as she extended it toward Adrian, she told him, “She asked me to convince you to return home. Just for once.”

Adrian’s brows drew closer as he read the lines written in the letter.

Apparently, his father has recovered, and Lady Melissa hasn’t told him about Adrian being disowned. As such, she wants Adrian to meet him just this once, and for that, Ariana was asked to convince him.

“Aren’t you happy that your father recovered?” This time, there was no amusement or tease in her voice. Ariana knows how close the two of them are.

Adrian hummed, “I am happy, but I am unsure if I will go.”

He gave the letter back and returned to his work.

Ariana was slightly shocked, “You really don’t want to meet your father because of what happened?”

Adrian glanced at her before asking, “How do you know that this is not another tactic or something to trap me? Do you trust that woman?”

Now, she was even more surprised, “But I heard that he actually had rec-“

“Aria, regarding my former family, let me make the decision.” He rebuked in a soft tone. He didn’t want to hurt her, but there was no better way to say it.

Ariana wasn’t some little girl to get hurt by his statement. She understood him well enough to know what he must be feeling.

Getting discarded from the family and becoming an orphan…definitely not a feeling one wants to experience. And after all that, the lady of the Lockwood family desires him to forget about everything and return to the family just to show his face.

Adrian suddenly paused as a pair of arms wrapped around his chest.

“Why the sudden affection?” Adrian asked as he felt her face pressed against his back.

Ariana slowly mumbled, “Don’t forget, I am still here. And I won’t ever abandon you.”

Adrian hummed…and that’s why, he was going to do something which would negate the incoming danger.

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A/N:- Thank you for reading.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep