Return of the Legendary Runesmith-Chapter 543 - 542- Secrets

"Iris!"

"Yes?" She flinched at the sudden call and turned to see a familiar man standing there, a glass of water in his hand.

Her throat was dry from hours of speaking, and she had dozed off in her office instead of resting at the facility where she normally slept.

She looked at him again and shook her head. "It’s fine, Mark. I’m not that thirsty."

Water had become one of the most precious resources. Unless she was too dehydrated to function, she would rather reserve it for those who had been working without pause for days.

Mark let out a quiet sigh and crouched beside her chair. Gently taking her hand, he said, "Iris... everyone here looks up to you. You are their hope. If not for yourself, then for them, please take care of your health."

Iris studied him in silence.

The left side of his face was scarred, burned when he had stepped too close to the red zone while trying to shield her brother.

,Her brother had survived.

Mark almost had not.

Even now, with his face permanently scarred, he never once blamed her for giving him that near impossible order in the heat of desperation.

She accepted the glass from him and asked quietly, "What if I’m not the solution to their problems? Sometimes I’m afraid I’ve taken on a responsibility I can’t carry."

Mark smiled softly. He guided her hand to his unburned cheek and pressed it there.

"You didn’t ask for their trust," he said gently. "You never demanded loyalty. You just had that fire in your eyes, that resolve. People chose to follow you."

Iris let out a slow breath and leaned back in her chair.

Mark kept his hand over hers, the one holding the glass, and nudged it slightly toward her lips.

This time, she did not resist.

She took a sip.

The water slid down her dry throat, bringing a quiet, much needed relief.

She extended the remaining water toward him, knowing he had to be thirsty as well.

Mark accepted it quietly.

"I... should I ask Adrian about it?" she asked after a moment.

Mark immediately lowered the glass and shook his head. "That’s a bad idea. We’re already placing too much pressure on him. Whatever he’s trying to accomplish requires months. Yet he asked for only a few days."

Iris felt her chest tighten.

Her eyes grew moist as she turned toward the window.

Beyond the glass lay the massive hall where the runesmiths worked endlessly, forging cooling artifacts to keep the rising heat at bay.

They were exhausted. Some trembled from fatigue. Some wiped tears away while continuing their engraving.

But none of them stopped.

It was as if an invisible mechanism kept them moving.

"I..." Her voice faltered. "I just want this to end. All I’ve ever seen since childhood is my people struggling to survive... enduring... or simply giving up."

Mark tightened his hold on her hand, his own emotions just as unsteady.

They had been together for as long as he could remember. He had watched her endure phases that would have broken most people.

Yet Iris was different.

In her world, words like stop, surrender, and lose did not exist. She refused to bow to circumstance because she believed that if she did, everything she had fought for would lose its meaning.

"I... didn’t mean to intrude."

The sudden voice from their left startled both of them.

They turned to see a familiar brown-haired man standing there, looking slightly awkward.

Iris’s eyes brightened instantly. "Adrian? You should have told me you were coming." she said as she got up from the chair.

Adrian gave a small chuckle. "I wanted to surprise you. Seems like I picked a bad moment."

His gaze shifted briefly to Mark, who stood beside Iris with a composed smile.

Iris gestured warmly. "Mark, this is Adrian, a dear friend of mine."

Then she leaned slightly closer to the man beside her and added softly, "And Adrian... this is Mark. My fiancé."

Adrian’s brows lifted slightly as he clasped Mark’s hand. "It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Mark gave a respectful nod. "I saw you the last time you visited. The honor is mine, Sir Adrian."

Adrian smiled awkwardly. "Please, don’t call me ’Sir.’ I’m just a runesmith trying to help a friend."

Iris let out a soft laugh. "That level of modesty is new even to me. But Mark has always been like this. He respects those who give without asking."

Adrian exhaled, unsure how to respond. The quiet gratitude and admiration in their eyes left him momentarily speechless.

Sensing that, Iris gently shifted the conversation. "So? Did you need something?"

Although he had insisted on handling the solution himself, she was ready to offer any support he required.

Adrian’s smile turned almost boyish, like someone hiding a handmade gift behind his back.

"Actually..." he said softly, "it’s done."

Mark and Iris blinked in unison.

"...What?" Iris whispered.

....

[In the Time Chamber]

"Are you ready?" Adrian asked as he stepped back into the Time Chamber after speaking with Iris and Mark.

He had told them he would return shortly. He had only come to bring Elana out.

The silver-haired girl gave a brief nod and turned toward him.

"Are you nervous?" Adrian asked, noticing her silence and the stiffness in her posture.

Elana offered a faint smile. "No... I was just thinking about how little I truly knew about you, Professor. You carried so many secrets, yet in front of us, you always seemed... normal."

Adrian chuckled softly. "Because that is the real me."

He walked closer and leaned casually against the desk in front of her.

"When I stand on the podium with a book in my hand, teaching my students, that’s the real me, Elana. Yes, I have secrets. But at the end of the day, I’m still the same person you’ve always known."

Elana’s shoulders eased. A warm smile touched her lips.

"So... what should I do with this?" she asked, lightly brushing her fingers against the spear levitating beside her.

Adrian’s first fifth-grade armament.

The thought alone made her heart swell.

Beyond that, the sensation of being connected to the weapon was indescribable.

Strange. Powerful.

It felt as if she had grown an extra limb, one that moved freely at her will, unrestricted and alive.

It felt so deeply intertwined with her consciousness that, if she focused enough, she could almost hold a conversation with it.

"What do you feel?" Adrian asked, as though he had heard her thoughts.

Elana glanced at him, then back at the spear. "I... feel it. It’s like it’s trying to move closer to me. Like it... likes me."

She lifted her hand slightly.

The spear responded at once, gliding toward her and pressing gently against her palm, eager to be grasped.

Elana gave a silent command.

The spear rose above her head without a single physical gesture from her. With another thought, it shot forward, slicing through the air before piercing a training dummy clean through.

She closed her eyes and called it back.

The armament tore itself free and flew into her waiting hand, obedient and precise.

Adrian’s lips curved faintly. "You’ve resonated with your armament remarkably well."

Elana finally turned toward Adrian. "This is incredible, Professor. I can’t believe something this advanced even exists."

Adrian grinned. "You’ve only scratched the surface. The more you use it, the deeper your bond will grow. And when that happens, you’ll begin to understand what truly allowed the Hero of Light to seal the Darkness."

Her expression changed instantly. "Professor... you said the Apostles of the deities are awakening again. Then does that mean... the Light Hero will awaken as well?"

Her voice carried unease.

She had grown up listening to tales of that figure, the one who stood at the peak of humanity and subdued an existence that even the Gods feared.

If he returned... and learned that Adrian carried the essence of Darkness...

She did not know what would follow.

She knew where she would stand.

But the legends described the Hero as someone who could split mountains and pierce the heavens.

Adrian fell silent for a moment before speaking quietly.

"The Light Hero is already among us. He simply hasn’t realized who he truly is yet. Once he does... we will enter another era of chaos."

Allen.

The prophesied child.

The one blessed by the eldest god.

The one destined to bring down Nytharos in this world.

But Adrian no longer believed events would unfold as they once had.

The path had already shifted.

For the deities, their fallen brother was no longer the greatest concern. Something far more significant loomed ahead.

And to face that future, Adrian knew he had to begin preparing now.

"Professor?"

"Ah, yes." He blinked, realizing his expression must have turned grim, judging by the anxiety in her eyes.

He stood and gently ruffled her hair. "Don’t burden yourself with things beyond your control. Focus on what’s in front of you. You’ve memorized the incantation, haven’t you?"

Elana nodded, tightening her grip on the spear.

Adrian gave a soft hum. "Your task is simple. Keep the spell active for as long as you can without harming yourself. Elana, your safety comes first. Exhaustion is acceptable. Recklessness is not. If you feel you cannot continue, call for me immediately. I will take over. Understood?"

Elana rose to her feet and met his gaze firmly. "I understand, Professor. Leave it to me."

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. Since I am focusing on the new story, I will only upload a single Chapter for some time.