Thursday morning was calm.
A warm breeze carrying the scent of flowers drifted through the open windows of Adrian's classroom from the garden outside.
"Alright, class. Today, we're going to start The Catcher in the Rye. I hope everyone brought their books."
The English teacher spoke as her gaze swept across the classroom.
It paused briefly on Adrian, who sat straight in his seat, appearing completely attentive.
In reality, it was merely the effect of Mr. Clown's Fooling Aura.
Even if Adrian walked up and slapped her ass, she likely wouldn't notice.
She still isn't here…
Adrian lowered his eyes slightly.
He had hoped Marie would return home before school started.
But even now, her seat remained empty.
The more he thought about it, the heavier the unease in his chest became.
He had been feeling a heavy weight in his chest since yesterday.
"I wonder if she is alright..."
Adrian was not like the other kids in school.
No, not just in his school, but perhaps in the entire world.
He had awakened as an Aura user not long ago. He learned truths hidden from ordinary people: the existence of Auras, the three great regions, the thirty royal families, Domain Cards, and countless other secrets.
His view of the world had broadened immensely.
But with that knowledge came fear.
He knew delegates from the other great bodies of the Aura Region had already arrived on Earth. Even though Lumenia was currently protecting him, who could say when death might suddenly descend upon him?
And it wasn't only his own life he feared for.
His friends.
His family.
The people close to him.
Now, it seemed his worries had finally become reality.
Marie had likely been taken by one of the delegates from the opposing organizations.
The more he tried to avoid that thought, the more it appeared in his head.
It was simply like a premonition, but it wasn't, and him panicking.
Just as the heavy feeling in Adrian's heart was intensifying, the door of the classroom opened, from which a tall man in his middle age walked in.
He had a thin but tall body with a strict expression on his face; barely any black hair was left on his hairline, which was declining as his blue eyes gazed around the entire classroom.
All the kids immediately looked down at their seats, unable to hold their gazes with his.
This was the principle of Adrian's school.
He coughed a few times as he started to speak in a plain tone: "I am here to inform you that your classmate, Marie Tsuno, went missing yesterday. There have been no traces of her, the police are still investigation but we need clues. I hope that if any of you know something, even if it's something insignificant, please tell us immediately. I am here right now to ask you about the last time you saw her."
All the students looked at each other in confusion as some raised their hands to inform the principal of everything they knew.
Adrian's heart sank the moment he heard those words.
A cold heaviness spread through his chest, dragging his emotions down with it.
Before he even realized it, tears had already begun rolling down his face.
He remembered her smile.
Her voice.
The countless small conversations they had shared.
The places they had gone together.
The moments he had once considered ordinary now surfaced one after another inside his mind, painfully vivid.
She had been his only friend.
The only person who had ever approached him first.
Back then, Adrian had been strangely indifferent to her presence. He had simply accepted it as something natural.
But now that she was gone—
Only now did he realize how important she truly was to him.
No one in the classroom noticed that he was crying.
Due to the passive illusion surrounding him, the others only saw Adrian furrowing his brows slightly, as if he were merely deep in thought.
Adrian subconsciously turned toward Mr. Clown.
A small part of him still wanted hope.
A denial.
An explanation.
Anything.
But what greeted him was only Mr. Clown's calm and emotionless face.
That final trace of hope inside Adrian's heart quietly shattered.
He wanted to know the truth.
Desperately.
But he also understood something clearly—
He was too weak.
If he tried to investigate what had happened to her on his own, he would most likely meet the same fate she had.
What Adrian did not know—
Was that the very people acting as his teacher and bodyguard were the ones most responsible for her death.
Yet strangely enough, Adrian never once suspected them.
Perhaps his subconscious refused to even entertain such a possibility.
If that thought had truly surfaced in his mind—
He might have already lost control.
Even if she were alive, could he go and find her? fight the ones who had kidnapped her?
He simply can't.
This helplessness was suffocating.
At that moment, Mr. Clown slowly raised his left hand and gently placed it on Adrian's shoulder.
That single action completely broke whatever composure Adrian had left.
He lowered his head and started crying loudly.
His body trembled slightly as tears continuously streamed down his face.
Mr. Clown silently closed his eyes.
Then, without saying a word, he slowly began patting Adrian's back.
Adrian cried helplessly beside him.
His breathing became uneven.
At times, soft sniffles escaped from him.
His eyes had already turned red, while tear marks spread across his face in messy streaks.
After crying for a long time, Adrian slowly raised his head.
His brows were tightly furrowed, veins bulging faintly across his forehead.
There was grief in his eyes—
But beneath that grief was something far more dangerous.
Anger.
Indignation.
He could not accept this.
He refused to let it end here.
Someone had killed Lily.
And for the first time in his life, Adrian genuinely wanted to find someone.
To make them pay.
Gritting his teeth, he slammed his right hand onto the desk.
Cracks immediately spread across its surface.
Ever since becoming an Aura user, his physical abilities had increased tremendously, including his strength.
But Adrian paid no attention to the damaged desk.
Right now, he hated only one thing—
His own weakness.
If he had been stronger…
If he had known more…
Could he have saved her?
The answer no longer mattered.
There was only one thing he could do now.
Become stronger.
And for someone of the Knowledge Pathway, strength came from understanding.
Curiosity.
Learning.
Accumulating knowledge.
That was the foundation of the Nova Rank's method of control.
The more he learned, the deeper his understanding of Aura became. The deeper his understanding became, the stronger he would grow.
If his previous determination had merely been a small, contained flame, then Lily's death had become the fuel that transformed it into a raging inferno.
Adrian took a deep breath before reaching into his bag.
He pulled out the new books Mr. Clown had brought him.
Previously, Visie had given him seven books in the Meditation Realm—texts regarding Aura basics, Sub-Pathways, relics, the Nine Legendary Meditation Masters of Lumenia, the Thirty Legendary Beasts, and other foundational knowledge.
But these new books went even deeper.
Augmented Domain Cards.
The Three Laws of Aura.
The detailed history of the Four Great Bodies of the Aura Region.
Advanced knowledge regarding Pathways, relics, and Domain Cards.
The Three Types of Aura.
Guide on Ancient Lumenian.
Every single book was thick, comprehensive, and clearly invaluable.
Adrian's gaze soon landed on the letter placed beside them.
It was the same letter sent by the mysterious person through Mr. Clown.
The man had written many things about Adrian, his mother, and even his sister.
His tone throughout the letter had been warm and gentle, almost fatherly.
He sounded proud of Adrian.
He encouraged him to continue learning, becoming stronger, and pursuing knowledge.
Yet from beginning to end—
He never once revealed who he truly was.
Nor what relationship he had with Adrian.
Adrian silently stared at the letter for several seconds before putting it back into his bag.
Right now, he had no mood to think about that mystery.
His emotions were still burning too fiercely.
He grabbed one of the new books about Ancient Lumenian before slowly lifting his head toward Mr. Clown.
There was determination burning inside his eyes.
"Mr. Clown," Adrian said quietly, "I want to learn Ancient Lumenian."
Even Mr. Clown felt slightly unsettled after meeting Adrian's gaze.
Adrian would undoubtedly become a high-ranking Aura user in the future.
And that future might very well place Mr. Clown's own life in danger.
After all, he was personally helping Adrian grow stronger while hiding the truth behind Lily's death.
The moment Adrian learned everything—
There was a high chance he would turn that hatred toward them.
Mr. Clown had already begun preparing for that possibility long ago.
He had even considered shifting the majority of the blame onto Eric once the truth eventually surfaced.
Still—
Those thoughts were not important right now.
Seeing Adrian finally gain such overwhelming resolve, Mr. Clown actually felt somewhat pleased inwardly.
Tragedy was often the greatest catalyst for growth.
Adrian's development would undoubtedly accelerate after this.
And the faster Adrian grew, the greater the rewards Mr. Clown would receive after the Paris operation ended.
"Alright," Mr. Clown replied calmly.
"Then I'll begin teaching you Ancient Lumenian."
He paused briefly before adding,
"But be prepared. It won't be easy to learn."
"Fortunately for you, Ancient Lumenian is somewhat similar to English, so your progress should be faster than most."
Adrian silently nodded.
At this moment, the determination within his eyes seemed fierce enough to burn.