Adrian was left all alone in the alley after Max teleported away, and Eric walked off. He stood silent like a statue as the cold air blew past him. Today… had been an eventful day.
He had woken up with his usual bad mood, expecting yet another boring and lame day. But instead…
He had his Aura awakened! He met so many new people with various Auras and abilities, learned so much, and discovered the existence of an entirely different dimension!
He had taken his first step toward becoming a stronger being—a herald of justice. He couldn't wait to learn more about the power system and the history of this new side of the world he had discovered.
He looked down at the several heavy books he had been carrying the whole time while standing. These books were heavy, but his excitement gave him the strength to hold them and run back home.
However, he was afraid. What if he ran into someone familiar and they asked what these books were about? Or what if someone tried to steal them?
All kinds of unnecessary questions and worries started forming in the mind of this young boy at that moment.
He put the books down on the ground and took off his backpack from his shoulders, stuffing as many of the thick, heavy books into it as he could. Each book had at least a thousand pages. After counting, there were seven books in total.
Before, he hadn't paid much attention, but now he did. He counted all these books—there were seven in total. He also noticed that they all looked very old and had black-and-red covers with different symbols on each. On the top of the front cover was written a foreign language he had only seen once today. This was ancient Lumenian—the language in which the description of his Aura had appeared within his mind. He could read it then, but now?
He couldn't understand it at all.
Getting his mind off all that, he started pushing the books into his bag. He managed to fit three easily, then the fourth. After that, he was barely able to squeeze in the fifth one. He realized he couldn't fit any more books into his bag and decided to carry the remaining two by hand.
"I wish Max or Eric had teleported them to my home," he thought wistfully.
He did know, however, that an Aura user could only use their Meditation Aura to teleport to places they had either been to or knew the scenery of.
Adrian decided to get going now. He stood up, picked up the two remaining books in his hands, and walked out of the alleyway. He could feel the weight of the heavy books on his shoulders and in his hands. If this had been before he became an Aura user, he would already have been panting, but his body had gone through a qualitative transformation after connecting with the Layer of Natural Aura.
After walking for a few minutes, he looked at the charm on his finger—the black ring. He knew its uses but wondered how it could help him. He also began to ruminate on his premonitions and all the knowledge he had gained today. Thanks to his world of consciousness and sub-consciousness, he could store a lot more in his brain and recall any information he needed immediately.
Just when he was thinking about all this, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. All the hair on his back stood up. His body screamed at him to take a step right. Before he could even comprehend the feeling, his body instinctively moved one step to the right.
In the next second, a white bird's dropping fell from the sky and landed exactly where he had been standing…
Adrian was stunned for an entire minute before he snapped out of it and realized what had just happened.
"So this is a premonition!" he thought excitedly in his mind. He had heard from Eric about the different types of premonitions. They could be fast and instantaneous, long and strong. Every pathway's Aura users had different types of premonitions and triggers from different situations.
For example, he was an Aura user of the Apocalypse pathway. He would get a premonition when an unlucky event was about to happen to him. At Nova rank—the weakest rank—the probability of getting a premonition was very rare. It might be slightly higher than for Nova-rank users of most other pathways due to his pathway also having authority over probability and possibilities, but it was still quite rare.
This type of premonition was very weak and could only trigger for small events. So if he were to be attacked by someone far above his rank, his premonition simply wouldn't trigger and could even be suppressed if someone of a much higher rank in his own pathway came close to him.
Only one type of premonition was available to every pathway: the premonition of danger—but even that had its own variations.
"The world of Aura is very complicated and confusing… but that's exactly why it will be so fun to learn more about it!"
Adrian turned around and started walking again. This time, thankfully, he encountered no silly incidents.
After walking for an hour, Adrian finally reached his home. The sky had already long turned dark and night had fallen. The moon could be seen in the sky, silently illuminating the city with its blue glow.
He was tired and sweating. He wanted nothing more than to quickly put the books on his table and take a shower first!
Adrian strode forward and just as he was about to open the door to his house, he heard the eerie but familiar voice of a man from his right.
"You are finally here."
His heart pounded fast and his body jumped back. He used all his effort not to scream like a girl.
His gaze turned to the darkness beside the front door of his house, where they usually put their umbrellas. He was breathing heavily now.
"Hahahah!" In the next moment, he heard the laugh of the man who had just jumpscared him.
The man walked out of the darkness and revealed himself to be someone Adrian had met before.
This person was taller than average. He had a slightly thin physique. He wore a red suit with a black tie. He had slightly reddish-black hair and black eyes. On his face, he had plastered makeup and a big smile, giving him the look of a clown.
He wore a half-top black hat on his head.
He wore black gloves on his hands. His long fingers could be seen to be invisible beneath them in the darkness. He had a friendly smile on his face that could make others feel uneasy and uncomfortable.
An absurd vibe came off his body.
Adrian, looking at this man, had a shocked look on his face. He remembered this clown. He was the one who had given him the poster for the circus that was going to take place this Friday a few days earlier. He had felt completely trustful of this guy at that time and never suspected him.
He had been just a normal human back then who didn't even know the existence of Auras, but now his situation was different! He was himself an Aura user now. He also had a lot of knowledge regarding the topic.
He had been clueless at that time when he first met him, but now he had personally encountered the effects of the uniqueness of a Deceiver Pathway relic. With his newly gained knowledge, he knew that this man was an Aura user of the Deceiver Pathway!
On his way home, he had thought about this person but never imagined he would meet him again so quickly!
He didn't know why this man was here, but Adrian was wary of him. His first impression of the powers of the Deceiver Pathway hadn't been pleasant from the first time anyway. Now that he could feel the aura pressure the man was releasing—an Auri Nova!
How could he not feel threatened and panicked?
He was too weak. No one could come to help him. He hadn't unlocked his Meditation Aura yet either. He couldn't even contact those who could help!
Moreover, Adrian's sister was inside the house. If he ran away, wouldn't she be targeted? He may not show it, but he loved his sister a lot.
Adrian couldn't help but feel scared thinking of all the possibilities. His lower legs were even shaking.
If push came to shove, he was ready to fight—even though he wouldn't be able to do anything to the clown. It was much better to die defying than to be used.
Adrian was young and hot-blooded. He was naturally ignorant of death.
If Adrian had known that Visie had already used her Aura to connect Max, Eric, and himself so that they could feel it when he was in danger and could come help, he wouldn't have been this scared. Alas, he hadn't been told this by the others.
The clown observed Adrian's expression, body language, and reactions silently, standing in the same spot.
His brows slowly furrowed as his face showed a confused expression as he realized something. He took a step back and laid his hands to his sides, showing that he had no weapons and meant no harm.
Just this one action made Adrian's wariness and panic subside a little. He subconsciously started to relax.
The clown slowly began to perform different small actions: decreasing the aura pressure around himself, opening his palms, standing at an angle, wearing a gentle smile, and making sure the distance between them grew smaller. Not only that, he did all this slowly.
Slowly, Adrian's wariness dropped to the minimum and he relaxed his body, allowing him to think more rationally and making him feel that he was not in life-threatening danger. A sense of warmth and trust rose in his heart toward the clown.
Undoubtedly, the effect of the uniqueness of the Deceiver Pathway had started to work on Adrian.
Adrian knew about uniquenesses. He had also thought that he could make it not work on him by reminding himself not to trust the other party multiple times.
However, so what if he knew about it? In the end, he had no effective defense against it. He was also young and inexperienced. How could he compare to a veteran Aura user who had been in life-and-death situations multiple times?
Did he have more knowledge than the clown?
Did he know more ways to use the uniqueness of a pathway than the person who had used it countless times?
Uniquenesses were the manifestation of a pathway's authorities! How could they be defended against so easily? Just because one was aware of them didn't mean they couldn't be affected by them.
Just thinking that one could defend against something that targeted solely their subconsciousness was truly foolish and ignorant! Adrian could be excused for thinking this because it hadn't even been a proper day since he became an Aura user.
If this clown had come here today to kill Adrian, he would have long done so—and without putting in much effort.
The clown realized that the time was ripe and slowly opened his mouth, speaking in a calm and gentle voice, "You need not be scared of me, Adrian. Hasn't Mr. Eric already told you about me?"
Adrian, whose body had relaxed at last, heard his words and suddenly realized this. A memory came to his mind and he recalled Eric telling him about a bodyguard waiting for him at home.
His eyes widened as the realization dawned upon him. He straightened his body and looked at the clown apologetically. He had just gotten so scared and been ready to die. What kind of first impression was this?
A normal person would have questioned if the other person was lying, but Adrian didn't—because of the uniqueness's effect on him.
This was one of the reasons Aura users of other pathways avoided direct confrontation with Deceiver Pathway Aura users and attacked the moment they saw them. Another reason was that Deceiver Pathway Aura users were quite fragile and didn't have strong bodies or attacks while hiding.
"It's alright. It was my fault for the most part. I should have made it all clear from the start," the clown laughed and brushed it off.
Adrian slowly walked up to the clown and looked up at him. "So you're an Auri Nova of the Deceiver Pathway? You will be my bodyguard?"
The clown nodded and gestured for him to enter the house. Adrian understood and started walking toward the front door. He asked, "What shall I call you?"
From behind him, the clown slowly said, "Mr. Clown is enough."
It was obvious that he didn't want to tell his real name.
Adrian didn't pursue it and entered his home. He turned right and saw that his sister was sitting at the dinner table. He froze for a second.
"How is Mr. Clown going to hide from his sister?" This question popped up in Adrian's mind.
He then saw Mr. Clown walking past him, pulling back a chair and sitting at the dining table.
His little sister Lily at that time looked up at him. She seemed like she wanted to ask something, but she just stayed quiet and turned her head back to the book she was reading.
In this entire process, she didn't notice the existence of the clown sitting beside her. Adrian also walked up to the table and sat on a chair. He then looked at Mr. Clown with a curious gaze.
Before Adrian could ask anything, Mr. Clown started to give his introduction. "Let me now give you a proper introduction of myself. I do not want to disclose my real name, and I will be quite grateful to you if you don't pursue my background.
"I am an Aura user of the Deceiver Pathway at the Auri Nova rank, belonging to Lumenia. I have the power of the Fooling Aura. My Aura allows me to fool others—be it their senses, their mind, or their body. This is what I used on your sister before you came, making her think that I am not here and am unable to hear my voice, also that you are just sitting here and not listening or talking to anyone.
"I have been sent here on a mission. My main priority is to be your bodyguard and always ensure your safety—even if it means I have to sacrifice my life. In the absence of Mr. Eric, I will also act as your guide and teacher, helping you learn all about the world of Aura and answering any questions you might have.
"I will inform you that I will be going everywhere you go, watching over you and making sure you don't get hurt. You need not know the reason why you have to be protected, because I don't know why either. But if you ask me, it's because you have some connection with the Blackbell family."
Adrian nodded at his words. His mind then suddenly wobbled as his vision turned hazy. He heard the last words of Mr. Clown resound in his ears.
"Also remember that I often like to pull off pranks."
Adrian's vision returned for a second and he saw that Mr. Clown had disappeared. He thought that he had teleported away, but then his gaze turned to his sister. He saw that his sister had the face of Mr. Clown and was smiling like a maniac!
Adrian screamed suddenly and his vision changed. He looked around and saw that he was standing in front of his home's front door. All that he had seen was an illusion!
He looked to his right and saw that Mr. Clown was standing where he had first seen him, his hand to his mouth as he tried his best not to laugh.
Adrian's brows furrowed in anger. He was about to scream when a slap landed on his face!
Whack!
His little sister had been standing at the door, looking up at him with an angry gaze. She screamed, "Where have you been all day? I was waiting for you and looked for you for hours! I even went and asked your friend Marie, but nobody knew where you were! Do you know how worried I was?! And now that you've come home, you've been just standing here and not responding to any of my words or snaps? Have you been doing drugs lately because Mother and Father aren't home!?"
Adrian's left hand rested on his left cheek as he stared with widened eyes at his little sister. He was still trying to understand what was going on.
Seeing all this, Mr. Clown couldn't control his laughter anymore and started to laugh maniacally…
At least he had teleported the books to his room. Otherwise the situation would have been worse.