Return of the Legendary Runesmith - Chapter 395

Chapter 395: Chapter 394- Void
Adrian stepped out of the bathroom, now fully dressed, and saw Ariana lying on the bed.

A wave of relief washed over him—she was still there. Still in the same room, even after what happened.

He had… almost lost control.

When they were making love, things had gone too far. His heart had raced, his thoughts clouded, and the only thing that filled his mind was her—his craving for her, the warmth of her touch, the feeling of wanting her completely.

In that moment, nothing else mattered. Not the world, not himself—only Ariana and the pleasure she gave him.

But that feeling… it scared him. More than anything else. Because he had seen what happens when he truly loses control.

Back then, when he died and his consciousness slipped away, he had become a monster. He had hurt Ariana and Ruby—people he loved. He remembered their tears, their screams, their helplessness. No amount of apology could erase that memory.

They said they had forgiven him. But he knew some wounds don’t heal that easily. And that was why Adrian had sworn to never let himself lose control again—just like Avirin warned him.

Yet tonight… he nearly broke that promise.

If Ariana hadn’t stopped him, if she hadn’t pulled him back to his senses, he didn’t know what might have happened. The thought alone made his chest tighten with guilt.

Now, he didn’t even know how to face her.

She was turned away from him, her body wrapped in the blanket. Her breathing was calm, but he could tell—she wasn’t asleep. There was no way she could be, not after that.

He slowly approached and asked in a quiet voice, “Are you okay?”

No answer. Her eyes stayed closed.

He understood. She didn’t want to talk—not yet.

So he didn’t push her.

Adrian quietly walked to the cupboard, pulled out a spare mattress, and laid it on the floor. There was space on the bed, but he wanted to give her room—to let her feel safe.

Lying down, he rested his arm under his head and stared at the ceiling.

This wasn’t the first time they’d gone silent after a fight. But this silence was different. There were no angry words, no shouting—just a heavy distance that felt harder to cross than any argument ever could.

Even though she was just a few feet away, she had never felt so far.

After a long, heavy silence, Adrian finally spoke, his voice soft and uncertain.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, Aria… but I’m sorry. For what happened.”

He waited, hoping for a reply—anything. But there was none. Just the quiet sound of her breathing.

He didn’t blame her. He hadn’t expected her to respond.

With a quiet sigh, Adrian closed his eyes. His mind was still spinning with guilt, fear, and memories he wished he could erase. Thoughts overlapped, tangled, and slowly began to fade as sleep pulled him under.

And before he knew it, he drifted away—into uneasy dreams.

…

..

.

“Ah…”

Adrian’s eyes snapped open—only to find himself standing in a vast, endless void.

Darkness stretched in every direction, swallowing the horizon whole. It wasn’t the kind of dark that came with night—it was heavier, thicker, like a living thing pressing against his skin.

He was wide awake. He could feel his heartbeat, the cool air brushing against his skin. But this… wasn’t his room.

Ariana was nowhere in sight.

His chest tightened. Either he’d been teleported… or this was a dream.

“Hello?” he called out, his voice echoing faintly—too faintly, as if the air itself was absorbing the sound.

No answer.

Nothing moved.

If this were one of his memories, he would’ve seen something—his past self, a familiar face, a glimpse of the life he’d lived. But there was nothing. No ground, no sky, no end. Just emptiness.

He looked down. There was no floor beneath him, yet somehow, he wasn’t falling. His steps made no sound, but each one sent ripples of pale light under his feet, fading as quickly as they appeared.

The strange weightlessness made his chest flutter. His body felt light—almost too light. As if gravity itself had forgotten him.

“Am I dreaming…?” he muttered, raising his hand to pinch himself, just to be sure.

But before he could, something shifted.

A faint gust brushed past him—making him shiver

It came from behind.

Adrian froze. Every instinct in his body screamed *danger*. It wasn’t just the wind. Someone—or something—was there. Watching him.

The air thickened. The silence felt heavier now, almost tangible.

His breath caught in his throat. Every muscle in his body went rigid, ready.

He’d learned long ago that hesitation in moments like this could mean death.

So, swallowing the chill crawling up his spine, Adrian slowly turned around.

And as he feared—there it was.

A pair of eyes.

Two pale, smoke-like slanted, featureless eyes hovering in the darkness above him, staring straight into his soul. They weren’t human—too large, too distant, yet too aware. Their gaze was cold and unblinking, like a god observing an insect.

Adrian’s breath hitched. He couldn’t see a body—no outline, no shadow—only those ghostly eyes suspended in the void. They shimmered faintly, bleeding wisps of white mist that coiled through the air like living smoke.

His throat went dry.

He forced himself to breathe, to speak. “What… are you?”

His voice cracked midway, trembling despite his best effort to sound steady.

There was no pressure, no surge of power, nothing he could sense through his usual awareness. Yet something about the presence before him crushed his lungs. It wasn’t energy—it was *existence* itself. The kind that reminded him he was small. Breakable. Mortal.

Time stretched painfully thin. The silence felt eternal. Seconds trickled into minutes; minutes felt like hours.

Then, from that darkness—deep and resonant—came a single word.

“Foolish.”

The sound didn’t echo. It *vibrated*, rippling through the void and through his bones, as if the world itself had spoken directly into him.

Adrian’s heart thundered. Every instinct screamed to run—yet his legs refused to move.

“Stop holding yourself back for the sake of others. You are losing yourself.”

The voice echoed clearly this time—deep, commanding, and eerily calm.

Adrian blinked, trying to make sense of what he’d just heard. The words crawled through his mind before their meaning finally sank in.

He steadied his breath and asked, “What are you?”

The eyes narrowed slightly, glowing brighter against the endless dark. “A part of you,” it said. “The same existence that ensured your life… even after death.”

Adrian’s heart skipped. “A part of me?” he muttered, then clenched his jaw. “Are you… perhaps related to the witches?”

It would make sense—his witch ancestry was what had allowed him to be reborn. Maybe this entity was tied to that bloodline.

But the voice gave no answer. The silence returned, heavy and suffocating.

Then, once again, the being spoke,

“Extreme emotions will lead you to the pinnacle. If you continue to restrain yourself, you will become nothing more than a living corpse.”

Adrian frowned, his expression tightening. “What do you mean by that?” His tone carried a trace of anger now—anger and fear. “Are you telling me to unleash *that* side of me? The one that only knows how to destroy? To hurt the people I love?”

His voice rose, cracking with emotion. “You want me to stop holding *that* back?”

His frustration echoed in the void, and for a justifiable reason.

He had spent countless hours reminding himself to stay in control—to keep his emotions buried deep, where they could never hurt anyone again.

Ariana and Ruby’s faces haunted him whenever his heart grew too loud, whenever anger or desire tried to surface. He swore he’d never let that part of him rise again.

And yet here he was… being told the opposite.

This *thing*, this voice that claimed to be a part of him, was asking him to let go—to stop holding himself back.

His mind spun. His thoughts collided in a storm of confusion and disbelief.

Then came the silence again. A silence so deep it felt like the void itself was listening.

Finally, the being spoke once more. Its tone was slower now, heavier—each word carrying the weight of prophecy.

“The only way to gain control of yourself… is when you let go. Remember that, or one day even your origin won’t be able to save you.”

The words seeped into him, cold and sharp, like ink spreading through water.

The glowing eyes began to fade, dissolving into the surrounding darkness until only the emptiness remained.

Adrian felt his body grow heavy, his vision blurring as the void around him warped.

And then—

He began to stir, his consciousness slipping back toward the waking world.

…

“Agh…”

Adrian groaned softly, his head throbbing like a drum as consciousness clawed its way back. He blinked, the ceiling slowly coming into focus—only to see a pair of bright, curious blue eyes staring down at him.

“Bella?” he murmured, his voice rough, still heavy from the dream.

The girl leaned back a little, giving him space, her expression soft with concern. “Are you okay, Darling? You didn’t look well while sleeping.”

Adrian exhaled shakily, pressing a hand to his temples. His skin felt clammy, and his heartbeat hadn’t quite steadied yet. “Yeah… I’m fine,” he said after a moment, forcing a small smile. “When did you return?”

Annabelle stood, moving with quiet steps as she went to pour him a glass of water. “Just about an hour ago,” she replied. “I tried waking you a few times, but you wouldn’t respond. You were sweating a lot, too.”

Her words made him pause. The memory of that void—the eyes, that voice—still lingered in his mind, like a shadow he couldn’t shake.

He accepted the water from her hands, his fingers brushing hers for a moment. The cool glass grounded him, though the unease within him hadn’t faded.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, his eyes drifting toward the window as if searching for something beyond the room.

Just then, “Darling, are you fighting with Ariana? She left without a word.”

Adrian stiffened as he looked at the bed and indeed, it was empty.

‘Haah…now, how should I talk to her?’

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. Don’t worry, this situation between the two won’t last long.