Magister Insanity

Moments later, I found myself striding through the towering shelves of the library in search of the book the librarian had recommended.

Meanwhile, the casually dressed Oni received directions for the volumes she sought and soon departed, heading off on her own. My gaze lingered on her retreating figure for a moment before I forced myself to refocus.

What was the first thing one should do upon arriving in a foreign land?

The answer was obvious: acquire information. The more you understood about your surroundings, the more deftly you could maneuver and the slimmer the chances of stumbling into an unpleasant surprise. That was exactly what I intended to avoid at all costs.

Brynlee had raised an eyebrow when the word "geography" left my lips. But once she listened to my explanation, her eyes softened with understanding.

With a knowing nod, she directed me toward the general location of a volume titled [Boundaries of the Silver Void].

Apparently, the book was housed in the Cartography Wing, a secluded section buried deep within the eastern arc of the library. The problem was immediately apparent, the sheer number of tomes here was overwhelming. Row upon row stretched into the distance, and I couldn't imagine how I was supposed to find a single volume in this maze.

'Do I really have to comb through the entire place?'

As I walked, my shadow stirred restlessly beneath me, writhing as if to tug at my attention. I tilted my head, whispering under my breath.

"What is it?"

In response, the shadow slipped free from its stillness, slithering ahead through the aisles. It weaved left, darted right, paused, then darted again, like a hound on the trail of some invisible scent.

At last, it halted before a tall shelf on my right and raised a dark limb to point.

'Ah… I'd forgotten it could do that.'

From my observations, this enigmatic companion possessed more than mere reflexes; it had a mind of its own. At times, it would detach itself from me entirely, prowling the edges of the environment as if cataloging threats or hidden curiosities. Other times, it acted almost mischievously, peeking where it shouldn't.. like under a girl's skirt, for instance.

A mystery draped in darkness.

Perverse, yes, but also unnervingly perceptive. It seemed capable of instincts I lacked, sensing danger or secrets in ways I could neither see nor explain. Whether it was truly intelligent or simply driven by primal impulses remained unclear, but one thing was certain: it was far more than just a shadow.

'Shadow of the Dream God, was it?' I found myself wondering what sort of existence that entity was.

Intrigued, I stepped closer to investigate. The shelf towered above me, its upper reaches fading into the haze of shifting light that crowned the library. Ancient bindings lined the rows in neat succession, each etched with unfamiliar symbols that seemed to shimmer under my eyes.

The shadow remained fixed, pointing its outstretched limb unwaveringly toward a single spine wedged between two massive tomes.

Curious, I reached out and slid the old volume free.

Etched across its spine was the title: [Boundaries of the Silver Void].

"..." I blinked, momentarily at a loss.

So the shadow had actually managed to track down the exact book I needed. That in itself was surprising enough, but the implication was even more unsettling. If it could identify the correct title among thousands, didn't that mean it could read?

A chilling thought, yet oddly reassuring at the same time.

If it could read, or at least recognize the written word, then its usefulness went beyond skulking and spying. Still, that realization pressed a strange unease into my chest. If the shadow was truly capable of reading, then how much else could it do that I hadn't discovered yet?

I brushed the thought aside for now and focused on the weight in my hands. The book's leather binding was cracked with age, the edges of its pages tinged a faint silver. However, something else within could also be felt.

The moment I pulled it free, the air around the shelf shifted. The runes carved into the wood flared briefly, acknowledging the removal before dimming again.

So… it seemed the library itself was aware of every book taken from its shelves. Whether that was amazing or creepy, I couldn't decide right away.

The shadow, seemingly satisfied, slipped back into place beneath my feet, curling into its usual stillness as though nothing unusual had occurred.

"…Good job," I muttered under my breath.

In response, the shadow puffed itself up, chest jutting out in a mock display of pride. If it had a face, I was certain it would be wearing a smug grin.

Carrying the encyclopedia carefully, I made my way back toward one of the reading alcoves tucked beneath the glowing orbs. The alcove's table was wide, polished obsidian, and the chair molded itself subtly to my posture as I sat. Comfortable, perhaps intentionally so.

Just like that, I sat down on the chair and began to read.

† †

I closed the encyclopedia and leaned back, letting the words sink in.

This is insane.

According to the encyclopedia, the Soul Realm — also known as the Silver Void — was a vast expanse that dwarfed the material worlds. To fully comprehend its scale, imagine a material world as a bubble. That bubble could exist inside a far greater one, yet remain unable to interact with it directly, limited by its three-dimensionality. The greater bubble was the Silver Void, a boundless domain that linked countless material worlds together, not bound by natural laws.

It consisted of four main regions: Luminous Verge, Mirror Sanctum, Heart of Dreams and Outer Lands.

The Luminous Verge was the borderland of the Silver Void, where worlds first bled into the greater expanse. Misted in silver light, it was a place of thresholds and fleeting connections, a realm both beautiful and treacherous. Upon conquering the First Phase, the Spire would cast wanderers here. In the past, its proximity to the Eldergrove, a territory dominated by monsters of all levels, meant that travelers often fell prey to attacks and invasions by demonic beasts.

For this reason, the races built fortresses throughout the Luminous Verge. The elves claimed the east, establishing the Kingdom of Spirits; the lycanthropes and beastfolk took the south, founding the Kingdom of Beasts; humans and Crossbloods settled the north, forming the Kingdom of Crown. To the west lay the Eldergrove: teeming with countless demonic beasts, yet also holding wondrous treasures of long-forgotten origin, accessible only to those daring enough to seek them. Many blasphemers and wanderers chronicled the great Echoes they acquired by slaying the Great Demons, powerful artifacts so potent they could turn even the most devout soul into a greedy, scheming devil.

Niflheim was a fortress within the Kingdom of Crown. Though the Kingdom of Crown was among the most densely populated regions of the continent and ruled by the Great Imperial Clan — the house of Snows — many wanderers, both human and from other races of the Void, often migrated to Niflheim. Its appeal lay in its advanced technologies and formidable defenses: teleportation circles allowed for rapid travel, while a perpetual grey fog enveloped the fortress, warding off demonic beasts and keeping intruders at bay.

The City of Fog. Nonetheless, it was the starting point for all Sleepless who seeked to challenge the Spire.

As for the other regions of the Silver Void, the details were far more elusive. The Mirror Sanctum was described as a labyrinth of reflections and illusions. Wanderers who entered often found their memories, fears, and desires manifesting as phantoms around them. Some emerged enlightened, having glimpsed hidden truths of themselves and the Void, while others never returned, lost to the endless corridors of mirrored shadows. Scholars believed the Sanctum served both as a testing ground and a repository of knowledge, designed by the Murmur.

Then there was the Heart of Dreams, said to be the very core of the Silver Void, though information about the region was scarce. Most accounts were fragmented, leaving its true nature shrouded in mystery.

Finally, the Outer Lands were described as a 'death zone.' The density of reishi was so extreme that even wandering souls risked succumbing to Spirit Poisoning if they lingered too long or lacked an appropriate Echo to protect themselves. Occasionally, travelers claimed to glimpse the colossal corpse of slain gods drifting among the wastes, but upon investigation, nothing of note could be found. One cautionary note, highlighted in crimson at the bottom of the page, bluntly warned against venturing there.

It was just that dangerous.

"Don't wander there, it says? With my luck, I wouldn't be surprised if I got teleported straight into the belly of some damn abomination."

A wry remark formed on my lips but faded before it could escape.

Haven't I doomed myself like this? The thought hit, and I clicked my tongue in frustration.

'Curses!'

Well… there was nothing to do but cling to hope. Surely my luck couldn't be that atrocious.

I sighed and let my gaze wander across the library, taking in the endless rows of tomes.

'There's still time before the library closes, and so much to learn. It won't hurt to linger a little longer.'

With that in mind, upon approaching a shelf and picking up another book, I settled back into the quiet corner and opened the tome, slowly drifting away.