Adrien sat alone in his dorm room, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the floor as it filtered through the small window. His elbow still throbbed from the earlier encounter with Oscar, a constant reminder of how out of his depth he was in this new world. The room was small and sparsely furnished, with a simple bed, a desk, and a few shelves. A door off to the side led to a bathroom, but otherwise, there was little to distract him from his thoughts.
He had been waiting for Arthur to return, but as the minutes ticked by, Adrien realized he couldn't just sit there doing nothing. His mind kept circling back to the combat class, the way he had been completely unprepared for the intensity of it all. He needed to get stronger, to learn more about this world and his place in it.
His gaze drifted to the book he had bought earlier, the one that claimed to know about every type of magic. It sat on the desk, its cover a deep, rich brown with ornate gold lettering that had faded over time. Adrien had been hesitant to spend half of his Mercury on it, but something had compelled him to make the purchase—an instinct, perhaps, or a desperate hope that it would hold the answers he needed.
He reached over and picked up the book, feeling its weight in his hands. The leather was worn and cracked in places, and the pages had yellowed with age. Adrien took a deep breath and opened the cover, flipping through the first few pages quickly. The book was filled with dense text and illustrations, all written in an old-fashioned script that was difficult to read at first glance.
Adrien's eyes scanned the pages, taking in the titles of different chapters: *Elemental Magicks, Alchemical Mysteries, The Arcane Arts, Shadow Weaving, and…* He paused, his heart skipping a beat as he found what he was looking for: *Anti Magick.*
He quickly turned to the section, feeling a mix of anticipation and anxiety. This was what the woman in white had mentioned, what had caused such a stir when she discovered he possessed it. Adrien wasn't even sure what Anti Magick was, but he knew it was rare—rare enough that it had made him a target.
The chapter on Anti Magick was shorter than he expected, spanning only a few pages. The text was dense, filled with unfamiliar terms and references to ancient spells and rituals. Adrien had to read each paragraph carefully, piecing together the meaning as he went.
*Anti Magick,* the book explained, *is a rare and powerful form of magic that directly counters and nullifies other magical forces. It is not simply the absence of magic, but an active force that disrupts the flow of magical energy, rendering spells and enchantments ineffective.*
Adrien's brow furrowed as he read on. The book went on to describe how Anti Magick could be used to break curses, dispel illusions, and even drain the power from enchanted objects. It was a defensive form of magic, one that could protect its wielder from harm. But it was also a dangerous power, one that could easily spiral out of control if not properly understood and mastered.
There was a list of names towards the end of the chapter—people who had wielded Anti Magick in the past. Adrien's curiosity piqued as he scanned the list, hoping to find some clue about his own abilities. But as he read through the names, he noticed something odd: some of the entries were incomplete, the names partially obscured by ink blots or faded to the point of illegibility.
He turned the page, only to find that several pages had been ripped out entirely, leaving jagged edges where the paper had been torn away. Adrien's heart sank as he stared at the damaged book, frustration bubbling up inside him. It was as if someone had deliberately removed the information, leaving only fragments behind.
"Why would someone do this?" Adrien muttered to himself, his fingers tracing the torn edges of the page. There were still a few names he could make out, but they meant nothing to him—ancient figures from long-forgotten histories, their stories lost to time.
One name, however, caught his eye. It was faint, almost unreadable, but Adrien could just make out the letters: *L-o-r-e-l-e-i.*
Adrien's heart skipped a beat. *Lorelei.* The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. He stared at the name, trying to dredge up any memory that might explain why it resonated with him. But nothing came to mind, only a vague sense of unease.
Could this be connected to what the woman in white had said? She had mentioned something about House Lorelei, but Adrien had dismissed it, insisting that he was a Vesperis, not a Lorelei. Yet here was that name again, linked to Anti Magick in this old, forgotten book.
Adrien's mind raced with questions. Who were the Lorelei? What did they have to do with Anti Magick? And why was his name associated with them? The more he thought about it, the more his head ached with the uncertainty of it all.
He closed the book, setting it down on the bed beside him. There were too many unknowns, too many pieces of the puzzle missing. And yet, Adrien couldn't shake the feeling that this was important—perhaps even crucial to understanding his own abilities.
The room around him was quiet, the only sound the distant murmur of voices from the hallway outside. Adrien stared at the wall, his thoughts spinning in circles. He was no closer to understanding who—or what—he really was. And with each passing day, the situation seemed to grow more complicated.
Adrien pulled the covers up around him, curling up on the bed as he tried to make sense of everything. The weight of his new reality pressed down on him, suffocating in its intensity. He had been thrust into a world of magic and danger, with no clear path forward and only a tattered book to guide him.
The door to his dorm creaked open, and Adrien's head snapped up, half expecting to see Arthur returning from wherever he had gone. But the room remained empty, the door ajar as if someone had opened it from the other side.
Adrien frowned, a shiver running down his spine. He hadn't heard anyone knock, and there was no sign of movement in the hallway beyond. Cautiously, he got up from the bed and approached the door, peering out into the corridor.
It was empty, just like his room.
Adrien hesitated, then stepped back into the room and closed the door firmly behind him. He didn't like the feeling that someone—or something—was watching him, but he had no choice but to push those fears aside.
He returned to the bed, picking up the book once more. There were still a few hours until dinner, and Adrien knew he needed to learn as much as he could before the day ended. He flipped back to the chapter on Anti Magick, determined to glean whatever information he could from the remaining pages.
As he read, Adrien tried to piece together the fragments of information, creating a mental map of what he knew. Anti Magick was rare and powerful, but it was also dangerous. Those who wielded it often faced persecution or worse, their abilities feared and misunderstood by the wider magical community.
Adrien wondered what that meant for him. If the Holy Church had taken an interest in his abilities, did that mean they saw him as a threat? Or were they simply trying to control him, to mold him into something they could use for their own purposes?
The thought made his stomach turn. He didn't want to be a pawn in someone else's game, especially not when he still didn't fully understand the rules.
Adrien's thoughts drifted back to the names in the book, especially the name Lorelei. There had to be a connection, something that tied it all together. But without the missing pages, he was left grasping at shadows.
With a sigh, Adrien closed the book again and set it on the floor beside the bed. He had learned a lot, but he was still far from the answers he sought. He would have to keep digging, keep searching for the truth—even if that meant confronting the secrets of his own past.
As he lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, Adrien felt a deep sense of unease settle over him. He was alone in this, and the road ahead was fraught with danger. But he couldn't turn back now. He had to keep moving forward, no matter what obstacles lay in his path.
And somewhere, deep in the recesses of his mind, a voice whispered to him, urging him onward.
Find the truth, it said, Before it finds you.