"What… just happened?" Ariana asked, glancing at Ruby.

The redhead, breathing heavily, shook her head. "No idea…"

They both turned toward the man they loved the most—yet the same man had been the reason for their pain just moments ago.

They had no idea what came over Adrian. He suddenly brought them deep into the forest, trapped them inside a barrier, and began casting small but cruel spells on them.

Electric jolts ran through their bodies. Heat scorched their skin until it hissed, only for the air to drop to freezing cold the next second.

When Ariana tried to fight back, he tackled her with ease—as if all her training and battles meant nothing.

They were helpless against him. It was as though Adrian had become someone else entirely.

Not just stronger—but different.

He hurt them. And their cries only made him smile.

Ariana cried for the first time because of him.

Not just from pain, but from heartbreak—because he was enjoying it.

Then, suddenly, he stopped. His eyes went blank, and his body froze.

The rings on their fingers glowed brightly for a few seconds before fading, as if whatever danger had attacked him was forced to stop.

Now, he stood there, motionless and silent.

Ruby hesitated before asking, "Should we be concerned?"

Ariana let out a dry chuckle. "Are you even in the state to worry about him?"

Ruby looked down at her burned feet and sighed. "Do you have any idea what might have happened?"

Ariana stayed quiet for a few seconds before answering, "I think it's connected to Adrian's ability to use independent magic."

Ruby flinched. Right—the sorcery he used to heal Damien earlier… it wasn't something Adrian could normally do.

It had to be related.

Ariana looked at her fiancé and muttered softly, "All we can do now is wait for him to wake up and tell us what really happened."

….

"What?" Adrian's eyes widened as he stared at the man before him in disbelief.

Avirin nodded calmly. "It's true. I'm a witch's son. I used to live here… until they burned everything down."

Adrian frowned, his mind racing.

The memories he'd received showed a time when Darkness had already fallen—when Avirin lived with Annabelle in a hidden bunker. By then, witches were already being hunted, accused of sheltering the Darkness.

"So… you left the village when they attacked?" Adrian asked quietly.

Avirin gave a small nod. "I was told to. They said I had a role far greater than staying here and dying for nothing."

"To end the Darkness, right?" Adrian asked. After all, Avirin later became the runesmith who forged the Sword of Infinity—the weapon that ended the Darkness once and for all.

But Avirin didn't respond. He just looked at Adrian in silence.

Adrian frowned. Wait… wasn't that supposed to be his role?

Before he could ask further, Avirin changed the topic. "The pact… it's broken now."

Adrian blinked. "Right. Yeah—what exactly is that? When did I even form this pact? And why am I still alive?"

He didn't mean to sound like a restless child, but there were too many questions clawing at his mind.

He was rushing—not just because Avirin was the only one who could answer him, but because he wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

Avirin finally spoke. "This pact wasn't something you consciously formed, but you agreed to it nonetheless. You're still alive because of it… but your human side has died."

Adrian's throat tightened. "Will I… forget who I am?" he asked hesitantly.

Avirin shook his head. "No. You'll remain yourself. Even without your human side, you are still you. It's just that… you'll face certain changes in your behavior."

It didn't make much sense, but Adrian decided to focus on what might affect him from here on.

"Like how?" he asked quietly.

Avirin raised his index finger. "Your control over magic—it will increase greatly now."

Adrian blinked. "Wait… are you saying my unstable magic control was because of this pact?"

He had tried countless methods in the past to improve his control, yet no matter what he did, his mana reserves were always drained within minutes.

He wouldn't call himself a genius, but there had been moments when he found his own unique solutions to problems—things even Avirin hadn't written about in his notes.

Still, this constant instability in his mana had always left a lingering doubt.

A doubt in his own abilities.

So it turned out it was because of the Pact—

"No, it isn't because of *that* pact," Avirin interrupted, cutting through his thoughts. "It's because of a certain pact formed by Heaven's Residents long ago."

He went on to explain, "When a person is born, they're automatically bound to this pact. It prevents them from using Independent Magic. But because of your origin, you were able to use it—just not freely. The pact kept trying to suppress that power, which is why your control was always unstable. Now that the pact is broken… you have full control."

Adrian nodded slowly as the realization settled in.

Still, the thought of divine beings binding every newborn from the moment they entered the world felt deeply unsettling.

A few moments passed in silence before Avirin spoke again. "Second, your emotions."

Adrian straightened, paying close attention.

"You can't let your emotions affect you too strongly," Avirin continued. "Anger, sorrow, joy—none of them. The moment you let an emotion overwhelm you, it will start affecting your surroundings."

Adrian frowned, confused, but Avirin explained further. "Think of it like a fragrance. When kept under control, only you—or those near you—can sense it. But if it spreads too much, everyone around you gets affected."

Adrian asked carefully, "And how exactly will I affect them?"

Avirin gave a small shrug. "You'll disrupt their emotional balance. You might make a dying enemy smile because you're happy—or make a friend cry simply because he scored higher than you."

Adrian scratched his head, "Isn't it useful, then?"

Avirin shook his head, "While you might recover, the people around might forget other emotions because they basked in your scent for far too long. Imagine a person who knows no other emotions than happiness. Or someone who got too close to you when you were aroused."

Adrian winced, "Yeah, I got that. I will keep my emotions in check."

Adrian heaved a sigh. That's such a weird trait…

Adrian believed that was it but Avirin suddenly raised his third finger and his following words shocked Adrian,

"You can now live as long as you want."

"..."

"You are pretty much immortal if you wish to be."

"...."

What…

…the…

…fuck.

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.

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