Return of the Legendary Runesmith-Chapter 95 - 94- Horror

Ariana sat in her office, still and silent.

Listless.

She rested her chin on her hand, eyes staring at the documents spread out before her, yet not seeing a single word.

She didn’t know how she was supposed to face Adrian now.

That kiss...

It wasn’t a dream. It wasn’t her imagination.

He kissed her.

It had been brief—not too deep, not too forceful—but it struck something deep within her. Something that hadn’t stopped trembling since.

It was her first kiss.

She had never spared much thought for romance. Between relentless training, responsibilities, and chasing her goals, there had never been space in her life for such things.

But Adrian... he had always occupied a quiet place in her heart. From the beginning.

And maybe—just maybe—he felt the same. Not as a subordinate. Not as a cousin.

But as a woman.

"Agh... what should I do now?" she whispered to herself, burying her face in her hands.

He hadn’t said anything since. Not a word. Just left her hanging there, suspended between confusion and hope.

Were they still just boss and subordinate? Or had something... changed?

Her mind spun with questions.

Would he confess to me?

And if he does... what should I say?

It wasn’t that she didn’t like him. She did—too much, perhaps. Her feelings weren’t the problem.

What scared her... was everything that came after.

She had no experience with relationships. To her, dating wasn’t some casual thing—it was a commitment. A step toward marriage. There was no "testing the waters" in her world. If she said yes... it meant forever.

And when she thought about that—when she pictured marrying Adrian—

’Guh...’

The heat rose up her neck and spread across her cheeks. That same hot, tingling sensation. All over again.

She leaned back in her chair, heart racing, lips pressed into a trembling line.

She didn’t doubt her feelings. But was she really ready to let someone that close?

Was she ready... to be loved?

.....

[Five days left]

Adrian was in the Time Chamber, finishing his research about the Third Thread.

The emotions that trigger a person the most.

Dwell into their minds, find an anchor, go through their memories, see which memory makes them react the most, pick that emotion by going through the memory, and write the rune based on the records.

That’s it.

It sounded easy, but by no means was it.

He has already dove into the minds of several variations of the training doll, so he knew he could successfully jump into one’s head without faltering or letting them know what he was doing.

Anchoring was also now easy, as if breathing. His main concern was going through memories...watching so many impactful memories without letting his emotions waver.

That’s a very difficult task.

"If only there were a way to block all my emotions."

[There is, sir.]

The system replied.

Adrian blinked. "There is? How do I get it?"

[It is available in the Shop.]

"..."

Of course.

Useless.

He couldn’t access the Shop anytime soon anyway.

He sighed, hope flickering in his eyes.

"Is there any offer you can make? Please?"

Just like the time with the cross-dimensional group chat... maybe the system would make another exception.

There was a pause. Then—

[Sigh. Can’t help it.]

Adrian’s eyes widened as he read the next line:

[Make a working Third-grade armament in three attempts.]

"...You’re kidding."

Three tries? That was all? And he was supposed to perfectly replicate a technique he’d just learned?

He shook his head, chuckling under his breath.

Ridiculous.

Still, he asked, "Any penalty if I fail?"

[No penalty. But remember, you won’t get this offer again.]

"Tch. Figures. I didn’t expect you to be that kind."

Even so, this was enough. The system had bent the rules once more. That was rare. And more than welcome.

(A/N:- Warning, the further content might be disturbing for some, so tread carefully.)

Adrian rubbed his palms together and walked over to the lifeless doll.

A wooden sword lay beside it. He picked it up, then sat down.

A deep breath.

Calm mind.

Focus.

A skill that could silence his emotions was on the line. Something he needed—perhaps now more than ever.

He placed a hand gently on the doll’s head.

Magic rippled from his palm, flowing inward.

The doll’s own waves felt off—different than before. Maybe that was why it took longer this time. Adrian didn’t rush. He carefully adjusted his mana, slowly tuning it to match the doll’s rhythm.

There was no problem with that.

Once he was inside the doll’s head, he quickly found the deep, impactful memory where he could put a foot on.

And soon, he found it.

’It’s unbelievable though... how can the system put so many different memories every time?’

Every time Adrian looked inside the doll’s mind, he saw something new. Different people. Different worlds. Different lives.

None of them remained identical to anything he has seen until now.

But he didn’t let that distract him now. He pushed deeper, searching for a memory—one strong enough to leave a scar. One is tied to emotion.

He held his breath as he searched and searched...

Until something stopped him.

A memory.

He froze.

A dark room.

A girl, barely six, sat in the corner, hugging her knees. Her clothes were torn. Blood stained her body. The door in front of her slowly creaked open.

Footsteps echoed.

Heavy. Slow.

She didn’t look up. She just kept whispering something, over and over again.

"Not again. Please, not again. Please, not again..."

Then a shadow stepped inside. A man’s silhouette. His face was hidden, but his presence felt sharp, like a knife pressed against skin.

The girl screamed.

And the memory ended.

"Agh..." Adrian clutched his chest.

The connection broke.

Adrian stared at the doll for a long...long time before he asked, "Why did you show me such a horrifying memory?"

There was no response.

Adrian took a few moments to calm himself down.

He knew people have...experiences which they cannot tell anyone about or recover from. And he would meet people in the future, too, who might have much worse experiences.

And because of that, he has to...he must gain the skill.

’Let’s go again.’

°°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading