Return of the Legendary Runesmith

"This feels shady," Ruby muttered as she paced inside the private booth. The space was wide enough for her to move around restlessly, though it did little to ease her nerves.

No matter how many times they asked, the Tower Master had flatly refused to let them join the meeting.

Ariana let out a long, frustrated sigh. "I never trusted these Tower fools. They're just… inhumane." Her voice dripped with disdain. At this point, she could no longer tell who truly stood on the other side of the line—enemy or ally.

Acolytes, non-believers… what difference did those labels make? In the end, it was only a matter of skill. Their way of thinking, their cold disregard for others—it was all the same.

"What would actually happen if the Tower system collapsed?" Ruby's sudden question made Ariana flinch.

"Why are you talking like Bella all of a sudden?" the silver-haired woman asked, raising a brow.

Ruby shook her head, irritation clear in her voice. "I don't know. I'm just so annoyed right now—dragging Adrian into something this shady and not even letting one of us tag along."

With that, the redhead dropped onto the seat beside Ariana, arms folded.

Ariana's lips curved into a sly grin. "Oh, but who said we can't hear what they're talking about?"

Ruby blinked, startled, as Ariana reached into her pocket and pulled out a familiar device—a long-distance communicator that glimmered faintly in her palm.

…

Adrian followed the Tower Master up the spiraling stairs toward the upper floors of the Tower.

He had never set foot here before. These levels were strictly off-limits to anyone but high-ranking officials.

So many artifacts… he thought, his eyes darting over the walls. Faintly glowing runes stretched across the stone, some acting as alarms, others as dangerous traps.

Adrian knew one thing for sure—if trouble ever broke out, he wouldn't dare take this path to escape. He'd simply teleport out rather than risk getting caught in these wards.

At last, the trio reached the third floor. The corridor stretched long and narrow, ending at a massive door carved with ancient markings. Clearly, that was their destination.

The guard trailing behind them stepped forward and pushed the heavy door open with both hands.

"Please," Albec said, gesturing toward the room.

Adrian stepped inside without a word—only to spot a familiar figure.

"Miss Tia," he greeted with a nod.

She sat slouched at the round table, her expression reluctant, almost tired.

"Morning," she replied in a rough voice. It seemed she'd been dragged out of bed earlier than usual.

Adrian took the empty seat beside her. The round table had five chairs in total. With Albec settling down on his other side, that left only two seats vacant. Behind each chair stood a Tower member, silent as statues, their presence adding to the weight in the air.

The atmosphere was tense—so thick Adrian felt he had to measure each breath.

Breaking the silence, Tia asked, "Got any discoveries?"

Adrian gave a wry smile. "Unfortunately, no. I've been focused on studying the new thread."

Her lips curled into a grin. "Last I heard, you were working on the third thread. How far have you gotten?"

Adrian scratched his cheek, smiling sheepishly. "Just getting the hang of it." Of course, that was far from the truth. If he revealed his actual progress, the attention it would draw would be unbearable.

Tia chuckled lightly. "If you need guidance, I don't mind helping."

Before Adrian could respond, the doors creaked open again. Two figures stepped into the room.

The moment Adrian saw the man at the front, his brows knit tightly. Draped in a blood-red shroud, an ominous insignia gleamed from his chest. Adrian's heart quickened as recognition struck him.

He turned sharply to Albec.

"So now the Tower is holding friendly talks with the Demonic Cult?" he asked, his voice cold.

Albec had clearly expected this reaction. His face remained calm.

"I assure you, Mister Adrian," he said evenly, "nothing I do means I've forgotten what happened back then."

He let out a long breath, his tone heavy with restraint.

"A contract was signed. Just for today, we put aside our grudges. For one reason only—to hold this conference, and to speak for the sake of a better future."

Adrian's mind burned with words he wanted to unleash—questions he longed to hurl, curses he itched to spit at this wretched being. His hands tightened into fists beneath the table, every muscle coiled with restraint.

But before he could speak, the man across from him raised his voice, calm and composed.

"Please, be at ease, Mister Adrian," he said smoothly. "The purpose of our visit is not solely for our gain. What we propose will benefit humanity—far more than you can imagine."

The two men were seated across from them.

The one who spoke had a somewhat frail stature with short black hair and an ominous pair of violet eyes.

He was expertly hiding his presence and that was terrifying in itself.

The other cult member, on the other hand, was younger. His torso was long, making him appear taller than anyone when sitting.

His long, dark green hair framed his small face, and his piercing, olive green eyes fixated on Adrian.

Despite the storm brewing inside his head, Adrian calmly stated, "Hearing you talking about world peace sounds nothing but laughable."

The violet-eyed man chuckled, "Sure does. I have caused quite a chaos in the past, one not so long before."

Adrian's gaze hardened at those words. Was he just simply here to taunt them? Had he forgotten that Adrian wasn't bound by any pact? He can still attack anyone in the room.

The cult member leaned forward and, while shaking his head dismissively, he said, "Let's forget about the past. I want to talk about the future…" lifting his gaze to meet Adrian's, he added, "...our future."

Adrian frowned but remained silent.

Albec exhaled a short breath as the conversation finally came down to where it was meant to land.

A brief moment of silence and then,

"Mister Adrian Lockwood, I, the leader of the Demonic Cult Skulth, offers you a place in our family. Not as a member, but as a successor to the throne."

Adrian stiffened but the man wasn't finished.

"If you accept our proposal, our cult will get into a friendly relationship with the Tower. If you accept my offer, we will help the Tower to eliminate the other cults. If you accept my offer, we will ensure that humanity never experiences another wound."

With a sly grin extending his lips, the man asked, "So? What would be your-"

"No, not interested."

°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.