Adam left the Council building with weak steps. His wrists still felt sore from the bindings. His head felt heavy from the long questioning. The guards who escorted him outside did not speak to him. They only pointed toward the open street and watched him closely.
He walked out of the courtyard and tried to breathe in fresh air, but his chest remained tight. He looked at the crowded streets of Scholar's Town. The people moved fast. None of them seemed to notice him. None of them cared that he had spent the whole night in a holding room without sleep. He felt small in the busy road filled with robed students, traders, and travelers.
He whispered a short prayer. He needed strength.
He wanted to go straight to the Study Hall, but he felt lightheaded. His thoughts spun. He needed time to sit and think. He walked until the tall buildings changed into smaller houses. The sound of footsteps and carts grew softer. Soon he reached the edge of the town where the stone roads turned into dirt paths.
The guards stopped following him once he passed the last stone arch. They remained by the gate. They kept their eyes on him but did not leave their post. Adam understood enough. They would track him, but they would not interfere unless he caused trouble.
He walked along the dirt road until he reached an open field. Tall grass swayed slightly. A small stream ran along the edge of the area. The place felt quiet. After everything that happened since morning, he needed this silence.
He sat under a tree and pressed his hands together. They were no longer warm, but he remembered the sensation clearly. The light from the crystal. The shock on the robed man's face. The way the runes glowed.
The council leader's words repeated in his mind.
"Not dangerous. Just different."
Different. He tried to understand it. He knew he had no mana training. He had never cast any spell. Yet something reacted to his touch. The reaction surprised even the council leader, and that man carried authority. Adam could sense it from his posture and the way others deferred to him.
Adam rubbed his face. Fatigue made it hard to think. He forced himself to recall what happened with the collapsed man on the street. He had not tried to use anything. He only acted on instinct. He placed his hand. He prayed. Something answered.
He knew prayer. That was familiar. That belonged to his old world. But the result did not fit his old world. The warm pulse was real. The stabilization of the reddish glow around the man's chest was visible. After a few minutes, he stood up and walked to the stream. He washed his face with cold water. It made him more alert.
He looked toward the Study Hall at the far side. The tall building stood out even from here. The large dome reflected sunlight. It looked solid and calm. He knew that place held knowledge, but he did not know how to reach that knowledge. He needed books, yet he could not read their language well. He could speak only in short, halting phrases. He understood only fragments.
He walked toward the road back into town. The guards still watched him, but their stance seemed less tense than before. They did not stop him. They only followed from a distance once he entered the town limits.
Adam walked toward the Study Hall. He needed to start reading. He needed to search for knowledge about the strange reaction he caused. He wanted to understand why the world responded to him differently.
Ramon's words echoed again.
"Borrowed… not reincarnated."
He did not know the full meaning. But he knew this:
He must understand what he was borrowing.
He must understand why he was here.
He must learn what this world expected from him.
He stepped inside the Study Hall.
Adam stayed in Study Hall for hours after his release. He walked from hall to hall and tried to read anything that looked familiar. He forced himself to follow conversations, even when he understood only fragments. He searched for symbols, maps, stories, or anything that hinted at Earth. Every attempt led nowhere.
He read basic tomes about mana. He read records of travelers from other regions. He found nothing related to his world. The guards kept their distance but watched him. Their presence reminded him that he was not free to act as he wished.
Near noon, Adam sat alone in the public section of study hall. His hands rested on a closed book about elemental theory. He had no strength left to try reading it again. Ramon's words returned in his mind.
"Borrowed… not reincarnated."
He questioned the meaning. His memory was clear. He knew he had accident in Jakarta. He knew nothing about magic or mana. He knew prayer was the only thing he understood. The council leader said he was not dangerous, only different. That conclusion raised more questions than answers.
He left the hall. The guards followed him for a moment, then stopped when he walked toward the town gate. They did not restrain him. They only observed. Adam understood the message. He was not a prisoner, but he was not a normal visitor.
He looked at the buildings one last time. He recognized their order and their discipline, but he felt no connection to the place. He whispered a short prayer and stepped outside the gate.
He returned to the road that led to Angkara Village, getting the ride from another Merchant that want to go there. The travel took quite some time. The night air grew colder. They kept pushing through the night. When he reached the village entrance, the lamps were still lit. Ernand had ordered the villagers to keep them burning until Adam returned.
Ernand stood near village entrance. Lorna waited beside him. Both looked relieved when they saw Adam. Adam lowered his head slightly.
"Learn… nothing…" he said slowly.
Ernand placed a hand on his shoulder. "Rest… tomorrow… think…"
Adam nodded. Lorna guided him to her house so Adam could take some rest. But before Adam rest, she placed warm food on the table. He ate in silence and went to sleep early.
The next morning, Adam woke before sunrise. After praying, he sat outside the house and recited every verse of the Quran he still remembered. He repeated them until his voice steadied. He accepted that answers might not come from books. He accepted he might need to wait. He accepted that he might not return to his world soon.
He helped around the village. He carried water, repaired fences, and sorted herbs with Lorna. The villagers approached him carefully at first. They heard rumors from the merchant. They heard whispers about the incident in Scholar's Town.
On the third day, a woman brought her child to him. The child had been coughing for several days. She asked for help. Adam understood her request even with broken words.
"Help… please… heal… child…"
Adam hesitated. He remembered the glowing mana in Scholar's Town. He did not want to repeat it. But the child looked weak. He placed his palm on the child's back and recited prayer quietly. He prayed for the child's health. A soft warmth passed through his hand again. It lasted for a moment and then faded.
The child's breathing eased. The coughing softened. The mother thanked him repeatedly.
Word spread quickly. Villagers began to call his prayer "Barakah." They said it felt gentle. They said it was not like mana. People compared it with healing spells used by trained menders. Those spells created sharp energy. Adam's touch produced a calm sensation.
Adam did not claim anything. He corrected them when they used the word "magic." He repeated one explanation.
"Not magic… Pray… Barakah…."
The villagers respected his request. They asked for help only when needed. Adam responded without hesitation. He did not rely on mana or techniques. He prayed. That was all he knew.
Ernand observed everything. He kept a logical view. He knew villagers could exaggerate. He tested the claims himself. He asked Adam to pray for a man with joint pain. The man improved. Ernand asked Adam to pray for an elderly woman who could not sleep. Her rest improved that night.
Ernand remained cautious. He told Adam honestly.
"Your… Barakah… not… Mana… but help… real…"
Adam accepted the statement. He did not chase explanations anymore. He lived quietly and kept a routine. Work in the morning. Prayer for people who in needs in the afternoon. Reflection at night.
But even with his acceptance, the question remained inside him. He still remembered the hermit's words. He still wanted to know why he was here and why his touch affected mana differently.
The villagers admired him. Adam stayed still. He waited for the next step to reveal itself. He knew the answers would not come quickly. He knew patience was his only choice.
The days passed slowly. Yet the peace he gained felt real.