The afternoon was sunny and warm.
A gentle breeze drifted through the streets, making the atmosphere feel lazy and peaceful.
School had just ended.
Adrian was walking home.
Outwardly, he looked calm, but his pace was noticeably quicker than usual. A few steps behind him, Mr. Clown followed leisurely with his hands in his pockets.
Adrian wanted nothing more than to get home and continue studying Ancient Lumenian.
Ever since Mr. Clown had started teaching him the language, he had become increasingly fascinated by it. The book his mysterious relative had sent only deepened that fascination.
As he walked, Adrian recalled what he had learned.
"Ancient Lumenian was first conceptualized by the First Meditation Master during his solitary journey. Later, after he met the Third Meditation Master, the language gradually developed a proper structure. It was ultimately completed by the Ninth Meditation Master only a few decades before the Dystopian War."
"Even now, Ancient Lumenian remains in use. However, a newer language called Lumenian has begun emerging. It's considered a more modern and refined version, though it is still incomplete."
As those thoughts passed through his mind, another question suddenly surfaced.
His steps slowed.
"Mr. Clown," Adrian called out. "Can I ask something?"
"Of course."
"When I study subjects like mathematics or physics, I can understand them just by reading them in English. So why is Aura knowledge different? Why do I need Ancient Lumenian to truly comprehend it?"
Mr. Clown chuckled.
"You finally thought about that."
Adrian blinked.
"The answer is quite simple," Mr. Clown continued. "Ordinary subjects are merely knowledge created by humanity. Aura knowledge is different. It is directly connected to the Universe itself and to the Layer of Natural Aura."
"To properly understand concepts tied to those things, you need a language capable of resonating with them."
"And that language is Ancient Lumenian?"
Mr. Clown nodded.
"Precisely."
Adrian fell into thought.
"So Ancient Lumenian isn't just a language..."
"No. It is closer to a bridge."
Adrian slowly nodded.
Every day, a new question appeared in his mind.
Every answer illuminated another small corner of the vast world hidden beyond ordinary people.
The more he learned, the more he realized how little he actually knew.
"Connected to the Universe itself..." Adrian muttered softly.
As that thought lingered in his mind, he suddenly felt something else.
His Aura.
His control over it had improved again.
The sensation was difficult to describe.
If he absolutely had to compare it to something, it would be like trying to hold a metal ball coated in oil.
At first, the ball constantly slipped from your fingers.
No matter how hard you tried to grasp it, your grip remained weak.
But as your control improved, it became easier and easier to hold.
You gradually learned where to place your fingers, how much force to apply, and how to prevent them from slipping away.
The ball itself never changed.
Only your understanding of it did.
"My Aura control has reached eighteen percent," Adrian suddenly announced.
Mr. Clown raised an eyebrow.
"Already?"
Even among talented Nova-rank Aura users, reaching such control in only a few days was rare.
The praise immediately lifted Adrian's mood.
"You've reached that level in only a few days. Your efforts weren't wasted after all."
Adrian scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
It, in fact, was not easy to get this high rate of control on your Aura in just a few days. For every rank, the initial steps would be easy; the lower the rank, the easier the initial steps.
An Aura user who is at Nova rank can gain a hundred percent control of their Aura within 6-12 months if they constantly put effort into finishing the steps of the methods of control.
Obviously, this was not ideal, as most Aura users at the Nova rank have to maintain their aura and stabilize it, buy charms, obtain materials to forge domain cards, charms, and possibly a relic, and do missions for Aura stones to buy materials.
Adrian getting eighteen percent of control over his Aura in just a few days showed his immense talent.
Then Mr. Clown added:
"In that case, I suppose I can allow you to use your Aura ahead of schedule."
Adrian's body froze.
His eyes widened.
Then they lit up.
"Really?"
"Really?!"
The excitement in his voice was impossible to hide.
Mr. Clown simply smiled and nodded.
Adrian nearly jumped from happiness.
Originally, Mr. Clown planned to wait until Adrian completed the first stage of his control method before allowing him to use Aura.
However, Adrian's progress had exceeded expectations.
Besides—
This was the perfect opportunity to reward him.
A small reward today would become a much larger motivation tomorrow.
Mr. Clown glanced around before pointing toward a nearby dog being walked by its owner.
A leash connected the dog to the man's hand.
"Go over there."
Adrian followed his gaze.
"The leash?"
"Use your Aura on it."
Adrian looked surprised.
Mr. Clown continued:
"It doesn't need to be effective. Even if you only weaken it slightly, that's enough. This is just practice after all."
Adrian nodded seriously.
He turned around and approached the dog.
The owner was busy talking on the phone and paid him no attention.
Adrian stopped a few meters away and took a deep breath.
Then he reached inward.
Toward that strange power sleeping within him.
The moment he made contact, a peculiar sensation spread through his soul.
It was warm yet cold at the same time.
The feeling flowed through his body like an invisible current.
From his soul.
To his organs.
To his bones.
To his flesh.
Finally—
It reached his fingertips.
A drop of black liquid containing tiny white particles slowly emerged from his index finger.
It was his Destruction Aura.
Invisible to ordinary people.
Adrian stared at it for a moment before waving his hand.
The droplet floated through the air and landed on the leash.
The instant it made contact, Adrian felt a faint connection form.
He concentrated.
The Aura obeyed.
Slowly, the leash began to deteriorate.
Tiny fibers broke apart.
A small hole appeared.
Adrian's eyes widened.
It was working.
He didn't understand exactly what he was destroying.
But it was working.
A grin spread across his face.
For the first time in his life—
He had successfully used his Aura.
Then a sharp pain suddenly stabbed through his head.
His smile immediately disappeared.
"Ah..."
The Aura dispersed.
Adrian staggered slightly and pressed a hand against his forehead.
The headache felt like he had spent an entire day taking exams without rest.
He slowly returned to Mr. Clown.
Mr. Clown had watched everything.
"This kid truly has frightening potential."
Adrian rubbed his temples.
"So using Aura isn't as easy as it looks."
Mr. Clown chuckled.
"Of course not."
"Using Aura requires control, concentration, and mental energy. You only released a tiny amount, yet you exhausted yourself."
"Why?"
"Because your control is still low. Most of your effort is wasted."
Adrian sighed.
"There has to be an easier way."
"There is."
Mr. Clown nodded.
"Many Aura users bind their Aura to a specific weapon or tool."
"Why?"
"The more frequently you channel Aura through the same medium, the more familiar the process becomes. Eventually, it feels as natural as moving your own arm."
Adrian listened carefully.
"Can I ask another question?"
"You always do."
Adrian ignored the teasing.
"Why does using Aura exhaust the mind?"
Mr. Clown thought for a moment before answering.
"Because your Aura contains your will."
"When you command Aura, you're effectively issuing countless instructions that consume thoughts."
"Those instructions are made by your thoughts, which are generated by your world of consciousness and subconsciousness."
"The more commands you issue, the more thoughts you consume."
"And when those thoughts become depleted..."
"My head starts hurting."
"Exactly."
Adrian groaned.
"The deeper I go into this power system, the more complicated it becomes."
Mr. Clown laughed.
"This?"
He spread his arms dramatically.
"This is only the surface."
Adrian stared at him.
Then a smile slowly appeared on his face.
Instead of feeling discouraged, he felt excited.
The deeper the mystery became—
The more he wanted to uncover it.
"I'm looking forward to learning the rest."
Mr. Clown's smile widened.
After that, the two continued walking home beneath the warm afternoon sun.
Neither of them noticed that Adrian's control over his Aura had quietly increased once again.
Or perhaps—
One of them did.
And simply chose not to mention it.
...
After a few minutes of walking, Adrian and Mr. Clown finally reached back to Adrian's home.
Lily was already back and was watching TV in the living room. Seeing Adrian come back home a little later, she got up and went to him near the main door.
"Hey Adrian, why are you late? Were you doing drugs again?"
Adrian's body froze as he stared up at her with a blank gaze. He took off his shoes and started to climb the stairs.
"I was with my friends, none of your business."
"So you do have friends." This statement by Lily hit Adrian super effectively.
She then recalled Marie's disappearance as she sat up. She naturally knew about this, too. She didn't want to bring Adrian any more down than he already was.
She turned silent and walked back to the living room, sat on the sofa, and continued watching TV.
In Adrian's room, Adrian quickly sat down, took out the book on Ancient Lumenian, some blank pages, and a black and blue pen.
Mr. Clown took out his Meditation Aura in the form of flames and snapped as a few old parchments appeared in his right hand.
Mr. Clown placed the old parchments onto the table.
The paper itself felt strange.
Not rough like ordinary paper.
But smooth. Dense. Almost cold.
Ancient symbols covered its surface.
Some resembled incomplete circles.
Others looked like spears, hooks, or broken stars.
Adrian frowned slightly.
"…This is Ancient Lumenian?"
Mr. Clown nodded.
"It was the primary language used during the early Aura Era and is still used till now."
His finger slowly pointed toward a symbol resembling a half-circle.
Ͻ
"This symbol is pronounced similarly to the modern letter C."
"It represents incompletion. An unfinished cycle."
Adrian stared at the symbol.
For some reason, simply looking at it made him feel slightly uncomfortable.
As though the symbol itself carried intent.
Mr. Clown continued calmly.
"Ancient Lumenian is different from modern languages."
"In this language, words were designed to carry meaning beyond sound."
"Every symbol possesses conceptual weight."
He pointed toward another symbol.
⊙
"This symbol means perfection."
"Wholeness."
"The complete form of existence."
Adrian's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…So the symbols themselves have meanings?"
"Correct."
"That is why Ancient Lumenian becomes increasingly difficult the deeper one studies it."
"The language was designed by people who believed knowledge itself possessed structure after all."
"Every letter has its own meaning and use in different types of rituals; every pathway corresponds and resonates more strongly to certain symbols compared to the others."
"This is also why in different rituals, you would see different symbols being used according to the pathway or pathways that the ritual or formation is being made on."
Adrian nodded.
"I have read about these symbols when I was reading the books on rituals, but couldn't exactly get their meaning; now it is much clearer."
"You should first write all the symbols on paper and write their meanings with them, also find out which pathway they correspond to the most. It would increase your familiarity and allow you to comprehend the knowledge more."
"I am here to clear any doubts of yours, just in case."
"I can comprehend Ancient Lumenian just by using simple English?"
"You indeed can, you are using another language to learn Ancient Lumenian, you won't have any problem comprehending now. This won't be easy, but you would have to start somewhere. You should be happy that the Ancient Lumenian is very similar to English; otherwise, it could take you years to learn it."
"How much time do you think it would take me now?"
"I will say about 3 to 6 months, but we are only doing the basics so that you can read it fluently and start comprehending the knowledge in Ancient Lumenian, not being reliant on me to read these books."
Adrian nodded and opened the book on Ancient Lumenian as he started to read it slowly and draw the symbols and write down their meanings.