Return of the Legendary Runesmith-Chapter 97 - 96- You can do it

Adrian sat quietly in the garden, the night air brushing against his skin after four long hours inside the Time Chamber. The silence of the late hour gave him a moment to breathe, to clear his mind.

He had tried to connect the Third Thread—twenty times now—and had only managed it once. Just once.

"Unbelievable," he muttered to himself.

Frustration twisted in his chest. Why was he this shaken? He knew he could do better. He had done better before. But the weight of those repeated failures... and the shadows of the memories he couldn’t shake... they pressed down on him, harder each time.

Haah... if I don’t figure this out soon, I’ll lose the dimensional group chat too. The thought made his heart sink. With a sigh, he stood up, deciding a cup of coffee might help.

As he rose from the bench—tucked between two tall, overgrown bushes—his view widened, and he noticed something odd. A figure is slowly making its way toward the pond.

He frowned.

"It’s almost midnight," he said as he walked closer. "What are you doing out here?"

The figure stopped. Then, startled by the voice, Sylvie turned around quickly.

"I... uh... was just getting some fresh air," she replied, a bit flustered.

She wasn’t lying. But even she knew that no excuse would really explain why she was out here at this hour.

Adrian shook his head. "Strolling around at this hour is prohibited. Come with me—I’ll walk you back to the dormitory." His voice was firm, leaving no space for questions or excuses.

Sylvie had no intention of pushing back. She simply lowered her head and fell in step beside him.

The girls’ dormitory was on the far side of the academy grounds. She had deliberately chosen to wander this area to avoid the warden’s usual patrol routes. But tonight... luck just hadn’t been on her side.

As they walked in silence, Sylvie glanced up at Adrian.

His face looked tense, as if something heavy was weighing on his mind. Even earlier during class, he hadn’t seemed like himself. Distant. Distracted. Maybe even frustrated.

"Professor... are you feeling okay?" she asked in a quiet voice after walking beside him for several long steps.

Adrian raised a brow, slightly surprised. "Why do you ask?"

"Because... you look upset. Like something’s bothering you. Did my brother contact you again?" she guessed, hoping to keep the conversation going, even if she had no real reason to.

Maybe it was just an excuse. But seeing him like this—closed off and clearly struggling—made her uneasy. She had promised herself never to peek into his thoughts, so this was all she had. Just her voice, and whatever he was willing to share.

Adrian let out a slow sigh. "I don’t know why I’m telling you this... but I’m stuck. There’s a point in my research I just can’t get past. And this... It’s the first time I’ve ever felt this lost."

Sylvie was the first person to ask him, that’s why, maybe, he told her right away.

Ariana was ignoring him recently, for some obvious reasons, and Elana seemed to be troubled because of her own matters. He can’t blame either of the two.

Sylvie, meanwhile, didn’t respond instantly.

She somehow understood what he might be feeling, since being a research enthusiast, she also sometimes feels annoyed when she gets stuck on a topic and can’t make any progress.

They crossed the school building and were now approaching the dormitory section.

Sylvie finally found her words and let them slip out.

"Professor... you can do it," she said softly.

After a full minute of walking in silence, of searching her mind for the right thing to say, that was all she could manage. But it carried the weight of her belief.

Adrian’s steps slowed. He turned slightly toward her. "And why do you think that?"

Sylvie came to a stop as well. For once, she didn’t look away.

"I accused you once," she said, her voice steady. "More than half the school sided with me. They believed I was right. And yet... You proved all of us wrong."

Her eyes didn’t waver. Not this time.

"During the contest, everyone assumed the other Professors would win because they were older, because they had more titles, more experience. But again... you proved them wrong."

She took a deep breath.

"And it wasn’t luck. It never was. It was your effort, your persistence, and the love you have for Runesmithing. I’ve watched how much you pour into your work. And I’ve learned something important from that—when passion meets hard work, it creates someone unstoppable."

Her voice softened, but the words were sure.

"No matter how big this obstacle is... I know you’ll overcome it. I believe in that. I believe in you."

Adrian didn’t move for a few moments. He just stared at the little girl, as if he were staring into a complex painting, which needed deep contemplation to discern

Her words rang in his ears and kept repeating again and again.

In the end, he just turned and started walking again.

Naturally, Sylvie also started to walk, but her face was slightly red now.

She was embarrassed. Did she speak too much? Did she overstep her boundaries?

Both individuals had their minds filled with thoughts, but neither of them uttered a single word until they reached the gates of the dormitory.

Adrian gestured for her to go inside, and Sylvie instantly nodded and started to walk, only to hear him say,

"Thank you..." She spun on her toes to look at him.

His head was leaning as with a nod, he added, "It helped. Thank you."

Sylvie was too muddle-headed to react properly, so she mm-ed and stepped inside the dormitory building.

Adrian instantly turned on his feet and headed towards his room.

*Click*

Opening and closing the door at an urgent pace, he stripped off his clothes and headed toward the bathroom.

He first needed a long bath to get his mind on track.

The clock was about to announce the beginning of another day.

And once a new day begins, he would master the Third-thread.

’I feel so much like a shonen protagonist right now.’

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A/N:- Thanks for reading.