Old Lue stormed into the intelligence bureau, her usual calm replaced by urgency. The room went silent. Clerks froze mid-keystroke as she approached the nearest, a young man who snapped to attention.
"Adrian," she said, sharp and cold. "I need everything you have on him."
The clerk hesitated for a second, then nodded, fingers flying across the console. Screens flickered to life, data scrolling fast—but none of it made sense.
"He has no records," the clerk said, scrolling through empty files. "No family history, no known associates—nothing."
Lue ground her teeth. This boy wasn't like any noble, any person she'd seen. Officially, he didn't exist. Her instincts screamed, but she forced herself to stay composed. There had to be an explanation.
"Rumors exist," the clerk continued, voice hesitant. "They say he's the odd son of one of the Wilbert matriarch's brothers. Supposedly set to inherit the house because the matriarch won't have children, but…"
"But what?" Lue's patience thinned.
"He doesn't interact with anyone. No noble kids, no staff. No friends, no social ties. People whisper he's some hidden oddball noble, a family secret kept away for years."
Lue's brows furrowed, eyes dark with concern. A boy with no past, no connections—nothing.
"What else?" she murmured, more to herself than him.
"Some say… he's not entirely gyn." The clerk's voice lowered, as if the words themselves were forbidden. Lue stiffened, suspicion sharpening her gaze.
"Is that all?" she asked, already knowing it wasn't.
The clerk checked one last time, his face paling. "No official origin, no real details. Just a trail of purchased web novels and enrollment in a magical academy. Those who get close… vanish."
Lue's grip on her cane tightened. No one had ever hidden so thoroughly. Not without a trace. But Adrian? He was a void in history, a riddle with no answer.
She spun on her heel and left the bureau, mind racing. Whatever Adrian was, whatever he represented, it was beyond her understanding—and that terrified her more than she wanted to admit.
Her steps echoed through the hall, cold air pressing against her chest. She had seen strange things in her long life—beings beyond comprehension, powers that defied logic—but Adrian… he was a puzzle with no solution.
No records, no past, no real connections. Rumors whispered he wasn't fully gyn. He disappeared from history, and those who drew near disappeared as well.
This wasn't chance. Whoever—or whatever—he was, someone wanted him buried in the shadows.
She walked with purpose toward her quarters, mind spinning, planning, thinking… but one question gnawed at her since leaving the bureau.
…
Sue and Eloise stood in the intelligence bureau.
"You're sure the Thorne name was completely erased?" Sue asked an agent.
"Yes, ma'am. Why?"
" Adrian?" Sue murmured, chin in thought.
"Adrian Wilbert?" the agent asked.
"Yes. You know him?" Sue pressed.
"The matriarch came by earlier demanding info on him."