"Agh…" Adrian groaned in his sleep, shifting to the other side of the bed.

As he moved, his soaked shirt came into view—even though the cold night wind was slipping in through the open window.

There was no blanket over him, and the room was quite chilly.

Yet the sweat wasn't from the heat.

It came from the struggle his body was enduring.

"Mm…" he mumbled, turning his face upward to stare at the ceiling in his sleep.

His lips trembled, pressed together, as if trying to speak but unable to.

His brows were furrowed.

His fists clenched.

His heartbeat—slower than usual.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he rolled to the other side of the bed, curling into himself.

Then came the shiver—a tremor that crawled down his spine.

And suddenly—

"Ah!" He jerked up, gasping for breath, his eyes wide and confused.

He reached up, covering his damp forehead, then ran a shaky hand through his tangled hair.

It took him a few seconds to remember—

He was still at his uncle's house.

"…What was I witnessing?" he whispered, restless and rattled.

He saw a burning house in the dream. But it wasn't really burning.

He was close to it, desperate to run in—

But something kept dragging him away.

"Fuck… this is insane." He picked his glasses and got up, grabbing the glass of water beside the bed.

Gulp Gulp

Thud

He set the glass back down and walked to the window, hoping the night air would help him calm down.

The breeze hit his face, brushing past his skin.

And slowly, the wild beat of his heart began to settle.

"…What just happened…" he muttered again.

Ever since he saw that demon—Abraham—

These flashes… these nightmares…

They hadn't stopped.

"System... I need your help. I can't focus like this."

[The Host's pulse is too high. A short walk might help.]

Adrian let out a sigh. "You're not going to help me unless I learn the Fourth Thread, are you?"

He wasn't expecting much from the emotionless voice in his head.

But still... a part of him hoped.

After a moment of silence, the system responded.

[It's not that the system doesn't want to help. But giving you everything at once is risky. It's better to take it slow—and keep your mind occupied in the meantime.]

Adrian rubbed his forehead and gave a small nod.

"...You're right."

So instead of going for a walk, he stepped into the Time Chamber—choosing to drown himself in study for the next few hours.

....

The next day, by afternoon, they decided to leave.

"As I said, Mom, I can't skip more than a day or I won't be able to take a long leave next month," Ariana warned her stubborn mother who wanted them to stay at least today.

They chatted until late at night, and since the morning, Morgana and Ariana had been together, talking about all kinds of things.

'Someone said it right; lock two women in a room for several days, and after unlocking the door, they still might ask for a few more minutes.'

He chuckled at the thought as he stepped out of the house with Ariana on his side.

His parents had left early morning since they had to visit someone who lives in the same town.

Adrian met him in the morning and told him not to expect the duo when they return.

As they reached the carriage, Ariana glanced at the man who was standing at the window on the first floor.

With a soft smile, she waved at him.

Victor's eyes warmed up as he just nodded in response.

Adrian also waved at the man only to get a scowl as a response.

The bespectacled man chuckled at the response before turning towards his future mother-in-law, "Is there anything you want me to bring next time?"

Morgana gave him a hug as she said, "Just come back as soon as you can."

Adrian nodded, "We will."

They soon boarded the carriage and left for the teleportation center.

Ariana had a contented smile on her face as they sat holding hands.

"Thankfully, I was able to change that frown into a smile," Adrian commented.

Ariana closed her left eye as she teasingly said, "You did nothing. It was all uncle Adam."

Adrian narrowed his eyes, "Hey...that's mean. You don't understand how much courage it took for me to declare my love in front of my first teacher."

Ariana giggled, "Mum was surprised too, to hear you boldly confessing." She kissed his cheek, "Thank you, my brave man."

Adrian's left brow went up as he said, "Well, this is underwhelming for a reward."

Ariana shrugged, "You didn't get a clear green flag from my father so only a kiss is what you get."

Adrian grumbled, "That is so unfair that it requires a trial."

Ariana leaned closer, "I am very curious how the trial would go."

Adrian bit her ear before huskily whispering, "Come to my room tonight. I won't disappoint you."

They flirted and chatted all the way to the center before the carriage came to a pause.

They stepped out and advanced towards the building when suddenly, Ariana asked, "By the way, are you okay?"

Adrian hummed in questioning, "What do you mean?"

"Don't know but you felt...off in the morning. You were zoning out a lot."

Adrian thought for a moment before a sigh seeped through his lips.

He paused and gave her forehead a soft kiss before whispering, "Give me some time. I will tell you everything."

Seeing his tense shoulders and the way he spoke, Ariana realized that this matter was more serious than she had initially evaluated.

She looked up at him and asked, "You know you can trust me, right?"

"I trust you blindly, Aria. But this...I need time to process everything before I can tell you what is going on."

Ariana softly nodded at that and they soon used the teleportation to reach the academy.

On the way, they bought lunch, the famous dumplings of the market, and by evening, they were at the academy's gate.

As they stepped in, they found several instructors rushing toward the academy building.

Ariana frowned, and in an instant, she was before one of the Professors, who nearly tripped to see her there.

"H-Headmistress?"

"What happened, Rose?" She asked.

The pink-haired woman first calmed down her heart and Adrian also reached them in those few seconds.

With her hand on her chest, she informed them, "It's student Elana....she fell from the second floor and broke her arm. She has been taken to the infirmary."

Adrian and Ariana shared a glance before they rushed to the infirmary too.

'I hope what I am thinking doesn't turn out to be right.' Adrian muttered under his breath.

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. Drop a comment.