The announcer paused, startled by the sudden interruption. But as he looked at Aria's determined face, a gentle understanding crossed his features. He nodded slowly, a sad smile forming on his lips.
"Yes... you're right."
"Heroes Never Die," he said, his voice carrying across the arena.
"They live on in our hearts, in our mories, in every life they touched and saved. Adrian Lighthaven's spirit, his courage, his dedication to protecting others – these things can never truly die."
"Not only him but..."
"You don't understand..." Aria muttered, her hands trembling. She couldn't bear it anymore – this ceremony, these words that made it sound like he was gone. Without another word, she rose from her seat and left, ignoring the concerned whispers that followed her departure.
Her feet carried her back to the dormitory, past her own room, straight to Adrian's door. She pushed it open, the familiar scent of his room washing over her. Everything was exactly as he'd left it – books still open on the desk, training gear neatly arranged in the corner, that picture of their first date he'd insisted on keeping despite their friends' teasing.
Gently, she placed Noxy in its nest – the little hedgehog had barely stirred since that day. But its heart was still beating. Then she curled up on the sofa where she'd spent countless hours studying with Adrian, discussing theories, cooking, eating, playing, or just enjoying comfortable silence while he practiced his techniques.
The past week had been a blur of sleepless nights and untouched als. Every ti she closed her eyes, she used her ability, desperately trying to piece together what had really happened that night. She'd replayed the events countless tis, watching Adrian face the enemy, seeing him activate the relic, witnessing the brilliant light that had saved them all.
But every single ti, when she reached the mont his eyes turned that brilliant white, everything just... stopped. It was as if soone had erected an impenetrable wall around that specific mont, blocking her ability completely. The frustration of it made her want to scream.
"You're not dead," she whispered into the quiet room. "I know you're not."
It wasn't just blind faith or denial speaking.
The evidence was there, if only others would look. His body hadn't been found in the aftermath, despite thorough searches.
And that split-second vision she'd caught – it haunted her dreams. Two figures, one radiating white light, the other darkness incarnate, being pulled into... sowhere. She was certain the white figure had been Adrian. That brief glimpse had only strengthened her conviction.
She pulled her knees closer to her chest, eyes fixed on the window where afternoon light stread in, creating patterns on the floor that seed to dance like the barrier of light Adrian had created that night.
"Where are you?" she whispered. "What really happened to you?"
The room offered no answers, but Aria's determination didn't waver. She would find the truth, no matter how long it took. Because Adrian Lighthaven wasn't just another na to be carved in stone – he was out there, sowhere, and she would never stop looking until she found him.
Besides...
She had sothing else to do.
'That woman...'
Her eyes narrowed as her mind returned to those crucial monts within the domain. As she'd repeatedly reviewed her visions of what happened inside the domain and the Valerian Hall, sothing had caught her attention – a detail she'd initially overlooked in the chaos of that night.
Adrian had been making his way through the domain, and she'd noticed his gaze briefly shift towards a group of people from Valerian Hall. At first, she'd thought nothing of it, focusing instead on the next scenes they faced. But now... now she saw it clearly. That woman – one of the most prominent Valerian Hall elites – had watched Adrian with an expression that made Aria's blood run cold.
The smile that curved the elite woman's lips wasn't one of concern or fear, despite the dire situation they were in. It was sothing else entirely. Sothing calculated. And then, with deliberate casualness, she'd turned to speak to a man standing beside her. A man whose height and build matched perfectly with the assassin who would later attack Adrian.
Aria's fingers dug into the sofa's fabric as the pieces clicked into place once again.
The Black Hand Syndicate's assassin hadn't been randomly present in the domain. He hadn't just happened to target Adrian in the chaos. No – he'd known exactly where to find him, exactly when to strike. Because soone had told him. Soone had marked Adrian as a target.
"That woman told about Adrian to the assassin," Aria whispered to herself, her voice hard as steel. "And they don't accept just anyone's commission too. It had to be soone from within Valerian Hall or a noble family... soone with enough influence... and a grudge against Adrian..."
She didn't forget about the Black Hand Syndicate or the ones who put a bounty on Adrian's head.
She would take revenge on them as well...
Unfortunately, she hasn't been able to find out about who put a bounty or where the organization was...
'One day...'
'I'll pay them back...'
Aria muttered inwardly, a dangerous and determined glint passing through her eyes.
'But I will start from that woman...'
Her ability had shown her the truth.
The assassin had never once crossed paths with Adrian before that mont in the domain. He'd appeared with deadly purpose, moving straight to his target. Because he'd been guided there. Because that woman had pointed him right to Adrian.
Aria rose from the sofa, her exhaustion forgotten as cold fury coursed through her veins. The Valerian Hall elites had always stood apart from others, their wealth and status setting them above the rest. But this... this was beyond re elitism.
They'd orchestrated an assassination attempt on Adrian right in the middle of the domain crisis.
And when he was the one who was protecting them all...
Her hands clenched into fists. The afternoon light that had seed so gentle monts ago now cast harsh shadows across her face. She'd find proof. She'd expose them all. The Black Hand Syndicate, that Valerian Hall elite, and anyone else involved in this conspiracy.
"I won't let them get away with this," she promised out loud in the empty room, her voice barely above a whisper but carrying the weight of an oath. "I'll make them pay for what they did to you, Adrian. Every. Single. One."
The gentle girl who had stood in this room countless tis, laughing and studying with Adrian, seed very far away now. In her place stood soone else – soone with steel in her spine and ice in her veins. Soone who would stop at nothing to uncover the truth and deliver justice.
Or perhaps... retribution.
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