All Chapters of Adrian Cole; Return of the Lost Heir: Chapter 61
- Chapter 70
78 chapters
Impossible
CHAPTER 61The wooden door creaked softly as it opened.A faint medicinal scent drifted out—bitter herbs, old wood, and something deeper, heavier. Adrian stepped inside slowly, his footsteps unusually quiet. The room was dim, lit only by a few oil lamps and a pale glow emanating from a jade vessel placed near the bed.And there he was.Adrian stopped.For a moment, he couldn’t move.The man lying on the bed was thinner than memory allowed. His once-straight back was bent, his face gaunt, skin pale with a faint gray undertone. Tubes of spiritual essence were arranged carefully around him, feeding a slow, steady stream of healing energy into his body.His master.The man who had once stood atop mountains, who had broken stones with his palms, who could silence entire halls with a single glance.Now reduced to this.Adrian’s chest tightened.“He’s surviving on healing essence,” Kai said quietly from behind him. “Some friends… other healers. They bring it whenever they can. It slows the d
CHAPTER 62
The border of the Nightfall Zone lay before Adrian like a wound torn open in the land.Jagged cliffs rose like broken teeth, wrapped in perpetual mist. The air here was heavier, older—saturated with residual force left behind by generations of cultivators, warriors, and forgotten battles. Even the wind carried pressure.Adrian stood at the edge of it, coat fluttering lightly.“Twenty-four hours,” he muttered to himself. “No delays.”He stepped forward.The moment his foot crossed the boundary, the atmosphere shifted violently. The ground hummed beneath his boots, and faint formations carved into ancient stone flickered to life before dimming again.So this region still had defensive arrays.Adrian exhaled slowly and pressed on.He moved fast—too fast for an ordinary man. His body flowed through the terrain with practiced ease, leaping ravines, scaling rock faces, and gliding through dense forest canopies. Though he hadn’t trained in years, muscle memory never truly vanished.Still… he
CHAPTER 63
The woman stood beneath the towering stone pillars like a figure torn from legend.Her gown flowed in layers of pale silver and deep blue, embroidered with ancient sigils that shimmered faintly under the hall’s torchlight. A delicate crown rested upon her dark hair, not heavy with jewels, but refined—meant to symbolize authority rather than excess. Every step she took carried quiet dignity.Adrian stared.For a brief, disorienting moment, his mind refused to reconcile what his eyes were seeing.Miss Reyes…?“Reyes,” he called instinctively.She didn’t answer.Her expression didn’t flicker. No recognition. No surprise. Only calm curiosity, as though she were looking at a stranger.The silence stretched.The king turned slightly, frowning. “Who did you just call?”Adrian hesitated.Before he could respond, the king looked toward the woman and spoke with unmistakable authority.“Princess Elowen Venthra, come closer.”The title echoed through the hall.Princess.Adrian’s breath caught.Th
CHAPTER 64
Adrian’s boots crunched softly against gravel as he reached the familiar clearing, the jagged peaks looming like silent sentinels around him. The scent of pine and earth filled his lungs, carrying with it memories he hadn’t allowed himself to touch in years—harsh training at dawn, bruised palms gripping wooden poles, the steady, patient voice that had guided him through pain and growth alike.He lifted his gaze——and stopped.Kai was there.He stood near the edge of the clearing, sleeves rolled up, muscles taut, his face twisted with raw fury. An axe rose and fell in his hands, again and again, biting into a thick log with brutal force. The sound echoed through the mountains—thud, crack, thud—each strike heavier than the last.Too heavy.Too desperate.Adrian frowned slightly.At first, he thought it was training. Kai had always pushed himself hardest when his emotions were tangled. Adrian moved closer, the leather bag of herbs slung over his shoulder.“Kai,” he called out, voice ligh
CHAPTER 65
The smell of disinfectant clung heavily to the hospital corridor.Elena’s heels echoed softly against the polished floor as she walked toward the private ward at the far end, her expression unreadable. The closer she got, the heavier her chest felt—not with worry, but with exhaustion. The kind that came from realizing the people closest to you were the ones who had lied the longest.She pushed the door open.Inside, Margaret lay propped up on the hospital bed, her arm wrapped in thick bandages, her face pale but eyes sharp. On the adjacent bed, Sophia lay dramatically reclined, an oxygen mask resting uselessly near her chin, eyes half-lidded as though she were on the brink of death. A bouquet of flowers sat untouched on the table between them.The moment Elena stepped in, Sophia’s eyes snapped fully open.“So you finally decided to show up?” Sophia snapped, her weak act vanishing instantly. “Do you know how close we were to dying?”Margaret scoffed bitterly. “I really thought you’d do
Young master
CHAPTER 66Adrian stepped out of the car, his coat dusty from travel, his posture straight despite the fatigue buried deep in his bones. Beside him stood Kai—clothed in simple, old-fashioned robes that looked entirely out of place against the modern architecture of the mansion. His back was slightly bent under the weight of two heavy travel bags stuffed to the brim, the fabric strained as if they carried far more than books alone.Before either of them could take another step, hurried footsteps echoed from the marble steps.“Young Master!”Isabella Reyes appeared at the entrance, her expression a mixture of relief, worry, and restrained authority. She had clearly rushed out without caring for decorum—her phone still clutched tightly in her hand, her brows drawn together sharply.“I’ve been calling you nonstop,” she said, her voice tight. “Your phone was unreachable. Do you have any idea how—”She stopped mid-sentence.Her eyes landed on Kai.For a brief moment, something flickered acr
CHAPTER 67
The road grew narrower the farther they traveled.Adrian’s car stopped at the edge of a forest road where asphalt gave way to ancient stone, cracked and overgrown with moss. Tall trees loomed overhead, their canopies interlocking like the ribs of a sleeping beast. The air itself felt different here—thicker, quieter, carrying the faint scent of incense and old rain.“This is it,” Kai said softly.Adrian stepped out of the car and looked ahead.At the end of the path stood a temple..Not grand in the modern sense, but ancient—its stone pillars weathered by centuries, its tiled roof darkened by time. Faded carvings lined the walls: symbols of medicine, martial forms, celestial patterns, and unfamiliar sigils that seemed to shift when stared at for too long.“This place still stands,” Adrian murmured.Kai nodded. “Master protected it before he fell ill. Not many people know it exists.”They climbed the stone steps.Before they could knock or announce themselves, the heavy wooden doors cre
Chapter 68
Seven days later, the entire state seemed to hold its breath.From early morning, headlines flooded every screen, every channel, every social feed.“VENTRESS FAMILY DECLARES LIFE-AND-DEATH DUEL!”“ONE MAN VS TWENTY-ONE IMMORTALS—MADNESS OR MIRACLE?”“IS THIS THE END OF ADRIAN COLE?”The news spread like wildfire, faster than rumor, heavier than fear. Commentators argued endlessly. Analysts speculated wildly. Betting platforms—both legal and underground—were overflowing.Some claimed Adrian was already dead.Others argued he had to be insane.A few, very few, whispered that perhaps—just perhaps—he knew something the world didn’t.The duel grounds had been prepared overnight.What should have been a sacred arena for life-and-death combat looked disturbingly festive. Massive rings had been erected—seven concentric circles of reinforced stone and alloy, each etched with ancient symbols most spectators didn’t recognize. Security forces lined every entrance. Drones hovered overhead. Giant s
Chapter 69
The grand hall was quiet, but Freya’s mind burned with calculation. She paced along the polished floor, heels clicking with a cold rhythm. Her voice, low and sharp, carried authority as she instructed a small cluster of trusted allies.“Listen carefully,” she said, her gaze cutting across the room like steel. “Adrian Cole cannot survive this duel. He must die. No compromises. No second chances. Not as long as I’m in control. Even if we have to manipulate the entire event, even if it takes using every trick we’ve honed for years, he must not walk away as a living man.”The people she addressed nodded silently, the weight of her words sinking in. They had been with her long enough to know she didn’t bluff, and she didn’t take orders lightly. This was more than a duel—it was a test of survival, of strategy, and of power.As her instructions echoed in the chamber, one figure lingered, hesitant. Dr. Arvan’s former disciple, a man whose loyalty to the late Arvan had always been steadfast, s
Chapter 70
The moment Miss Reyes stepped into the duel hall, the atmosphere shifted.She arrived without announcement, without entourage, dressed in understated elegance that stood in sharp contrast to the extravagance surrounding her. No insignia marked her allegiance. No expression betrayed her intent. Yet heads turned all the same, conversations faltered, and more than a few powerful figures straightened unconsciously in their seats.Miss Reyes rarely honored invitations like this. When she did, it was never without reason.She moved through the aisles with calm confidence, her heels echoing softly against the stone floor, taking a seat among the distinguished guests as though she belonged there—which she did. Cameras subtly adjusted their angles. Whispers rippled through the crowd.“Why is she here?”“I thought she stayed away from Ventress affairs.”“This is unexpected…”Freya noticed her almost immediately.A faint, calculating smile curved her lips as she excused herself from the group su