Return of the Legendary Runesmith-Chapter 528 - 527- The reason

"So what do we have here?" Once Darkness had finished indulging in his flirtation with the woman, he finally turned toward the real matter at hand.

Adrian had grown increasingly restless, watching the girl writhe and groan in relentless agony. Whatever those marks were, they were clearly torturing her.

At last, Darkness rose from the bed. The room fell silent at once, and even the music died out.

Adrian instinctively stepped back as the towering figure stood before him. The man had to be at least eight feet tall. With those massive shoulders and that broad chest, he looked like someone who could kill without lifting a finger, simply by standing in front of you in utter silence.

The only man among the many women approached the struggling girl.

"Her condition has worsened. No potion works on her anymore, my lord," Corella reported, concern threading through her voice.

Darkness said nothing. He merely examined the girl’s state. "They are trying to break through and spy on me. Fucking moles," he snarled.

Adrian narrowed his eyes. Spy on him? Who could it be? The deities?

It made a disturbing kind of sense. Darkness was living among the witches, and the deities knew it. Since the other apostles could not approach from outside, perhaps the gods were attempting to use someone already within.

Darkness then released the girl’s restraints.

The others stepped aside as the giant carefully lifted her into his arms.

She continued to moan in pain, tears streaming down her face.

Then he kissed her.

"What?!" Adrian’s eyes widened as he saw Darkness press his lips to hers. "System?!"

[Do not worry, host. The girl is an adult. Your ancestor was quite mindful of that.]

"That does not ease my concern. Why is he kissing her? And is he stripping her too? Do not tell me..."

Adrian struggled to process what he was witnessing.

Gradually, and to his immense relief, his vision began to darken. It seemed he was about to wake up, and this time for good.

He truly did not want to see a giant of a man crush a flower-like girl upon that bed.

As his consciousness slowly returned, the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a curtain of silver.

He frowned slightly and focused. "Aria..." he murmured.

Ariana let out a soft chuckle. "What kind of dream left you looking so horrified?"

Adrian made to sit up, but the view above him was far too soothing, and her thighs far too soft. Instead, he turned his face and buried it against her stomach. "Don’t ask. I was about to witness something... disturbing."

Ariana hummed thoughtfully. "Was it related to the Acolytes?"

He shook his head. "It was a memory, Aria. A memory of Darkness."

Her eyes widened at once. Without another word, she gently slid out from beneath him, letting his head fall onto a pillow. She moved quickly to lock the door and activate the silencing artifacts.

She understood how sensitive this was. Even the slightest chance of someone overhearing was unacceptable.

When she returned to the bed, her expression had grown serious. "Now tell me. What did you see?"

Adrian grumbled and turned his face away. "I don’t feel like it." He glanced at her in exaggerated complaint. "My favorite pillow was stolen from me."

Ariana smiled helplessly. It was rare to see him behave so childishly.

Shaking her head, she settled back down and patted her lap in silent invitation.

Adrian’s lips curved into a satisfied smile as he reclaimed his place, resting against her once more. He breathed in her scent. Warm. Gentle. Calming.

Ariana urged softly, "What did you see?"

Adrian hummed before beginning his account, starting with the expression on the girl’s face.

He described the room from his memory, the chamber where Darkness resided. The many women, the heavy atmosphere, and the version of Darkness he showed only to those he trusted. He recounted everything in careful detail, enough to leave Ariana deeply shaken.

The most terrifying being in history... flirting? She could hardly imagine it.

Adrian continued, "The girl was suffering from something. I assume it was divine in nature, since Darkness said she was meant to spy on him. Then he picked her up and became intimate with her. You know, kissing and all that..."

Ariana hummed thoughtfully, her gaze drifting as she considered his words.

Adrian noticed the shift in her expression. "What?"

She bit her lower lip before asking, "You mentioned that no potions were working. Do you know what kind they were?"

He shook his head. "No idea."

Ariana grew contemplative. "I have always wondered why every secluded witches’ village consists only of women."

Adrian scoffed lightly. "Isn’t it because Darkness wanted an enormous family?"

"That could be part of it... perhaps." She hesitated, then looked at him with a different light in her eyes. "Adrian, I want to show you something."

He frowned slightly. "Where is it?"

She pointed toward her bag resting on the tea table.

With a lazy wave of his hand, Adrian drew it toward her using magic.

Nothing was going to take his favorite pillow away from him.

Ariana sifted through her belongings and pulled out a thick stack of papers.

Adrian waited in silence, curious to see what had her so intent.

She flipped through the sheets one by one, her brows drawn together in concentration. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Then she paused, her eyes lighting up slightly. "Here. Look at this."

With a reluctant sigh, Adrian lifted his head from her lap to get a better view.

On the parchment were several rune symbols, arranged in a pattern that framed a face, as though forming a mask.

His expression shifted. "This... looks familiar." He distinctly remembered seeing something similar etched across the suffering girl’s face, though in his memory the markings had been far more intricate and far more vivid.

He turned to Ariana. "What is this? And how did you get it?"

"I had Jean sketch it," she explained. "Do you remember when the Umbral members were sent to assist us, but something unseen stopped them?"

Adrian nodded slowly. Then his eyes widened in realization. "You’re saying... their faces were marked with these symbols?"

Ariana nodded. "And that confirms your theory. The girl in your dream was being punished by those pathetic gods. They were trying to seize control of her."

Adrian hummed in agreement. "Yes, that much is clear. Good job connecting the pieces. But we still do not know how to counter it."

Ariana leaned back slightly, a faint smile forming on her lips. "I believe we do."

Adrian tilted his head, waiting for her to continue.

She exhaled slowly before explaining, "Ruby... during the battle at the Acolytes’ base, she felt her magic waver. She was losing control for a moment. But thanks to her quick thinking and the tools she always carries, she managed to suppress whatever was interfering with her."

Adrian frowned. "Why didn’t she tell me that?"

Ariana shook her head. "That’s not the point, Adrian," she said gently but firmly. "In that building, out of the three of us, only Ruby and I were under those deities’ command. It is common knowledge now that Annabelle is one of Nytharos’s Apostles. So tell me, why was Ruby affected... but not me?"

Adrian fell silent.

"It’s not because they didn’t want to interfere," Ariana continued. "It’s because they couldn’t. They were unable to touch me."

Her eyes locked onto his.

"And I believe you know the reason why, Adrian."