Magister Insanity

[Your shadow have consumed a dormant soul: nameless.]

[Your shadow has extracted the sequence ability: Mirror Body.]

[Your shadow's craving is satiated.]

Mirror Body?

I see. So that was first sequence ability tied to the Doppelgänger Legacy.

Seemingly satisfied, the shadow returned to its rightful position beneath my feet. What a strange fellow.

The deed is done. I have killed again.

Unlike Ezra, whom I slew in self-defense, Zephyr and Kael were sacrificed for no reason other than to sate the shadow.

That wasn't something a moral, sane human would do.

My emotions should have been in turmoil… yet all I felt was a hollow disquiet.

Perhaps the shadow could be fed with monsters instead. But Eldritch creatures were said to lack souls. The chance of finding one with a soul was barely one percent, and even then, it would likely be a high-ranked nightmare.

What was I supposed to do, fight a Great Leviathan as a Sleepless?

Hell no.

In the end, only the living remained as prey.

「 What's wrong? Why can't you be honest with yourself? 」

Keep quiet.

「 There's nobody here so there is no need to pretend. 」

Shut up.

「 You killed them because it was easy, you hypocrite! 」

I shook my head, forcing the mocking inner voice back into silence. The last thing I needed was to be hunted by my own subconscious.

Damn it. I really am losing my head, aren't I?

There is no need to stay here anymore. It would be best to leave before that fellow comes back.

I glanced at the door one last time, then turned toward the window.

Third floor. A normal person would hesitate, but hesitation wasn't a luxury I could afford. I pushed the frame open, letting the cold night air wash over me.

The dormitory grounds below were quiet, shadows stretching long beneath the pale moonlight.

My eyes swept the area, no one seemed to be in view.

Without a sound, I swung one leg over the ledge, then the other. My body tensed as I gripped the frame, gauging the drop.

...Tch.

There was no use stalling.

I released my hold.

The wind whipped past as I fell, the impact jarred my legs, but I rolled with the landing, dispersing the force across my body. Even then, pain rippled faintly through my knees and shoulders, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.

Thankfully, my body was far stronger than that of an ordinary human, and the pain faded almost instantly. All things considered, I was unharmed.

A mystery worthy of a Blasphemer.

Straightening my body, I cast one last look at the window I'd just leapt from. A silent, ghostly square of light against the building's dark facade.

Hidden emotion stirred briefly.

Then, without lingering, I slipped into the shadows of the courtyard and vanished into the night.

After circling around the male dormitory, I climbed back through the window and slipped into my room. Fortunately, it was on the ground floor, sparing me from scaling the walls a second time.

For some reason, the earlycomers had all chosen rooms on the upper floors. I didn't understand why, but their decision worked in my favor.

Collapsing onto my bed, I dismissed the Philosopher's Mask.

"Ugh… how tiring. Being a killer isn't easy at all."

The shadow, however, seemed in high spirits, drifting restlessly as if in celebration. Considering it had just devoured a soul, its sudden excitement was understandable.

Speaking of souls…

The Murmur's message resurfaced in my mind. I sat up, tracing the runes to summon my information:

First Sequence Ability: [Soul Eater]

Ability Description: [You can freely control the Soul Devouring Shadow and wield it as both a blade and a shield. Consuming a soul carries a chance to acquire its individual abilities.]

Souls Consumed: [2/3]

†

First Soul Ability: [Skyweave]

Ability Description: [A hereditary Legacy of the Sky Wind Clan, granting mastery over the currents of the air. At its heights, the wielder may tread upon clouds and glide across water as if it were solid ground. Through the touch of Black Solace, the constraints that bound its original bearer are lifted, and the Legacy flows freely, unbound and limitless.]

†

Second Soul Ability: [Mirror Body]

Ability Description: [A sequence power born of a rare and extinct Legacy. The wielder may summon flawless reflections of themselves, bearing all their attributes. As the Master grows, the number of reflections that can be called forth grows. Blessed by the influence of Black Solace, this power flows without end, a shadowed echo of the self made eternal.]

Mirror Bond: [0/1]

Upon reading the runes, my understanding about the Doppelgänger Legacy deepened. It seems the sequence ability allowed the user to create a perfect copy of themselves. And from what I was seeing, it was possible that the number of clones I could create would increase.

That, at least, seemed to be the essence of its power.

"Well, let's see and try it out."

Closing my eyes, I sank my consciousness deep into my Mind Body.

Darkness stretched endlessly, pierced by points of luminous light. Not one star, but two now. There were twin fires burning in the void.

Having experienced this once before, I was better prepared for what came next.

Steeling my resolve, I reached out toward one of the stars; the second one.

The moment my hand made contact, the star erupted in a blinding radiance. Fragments of light surged into me, flooding every corner of my being with an alien, intoxicating power…

...And with it came the memories of the fallen.

"Ack!"

A scream tore from my throat. No matter how much I had prepared, the flood of memories was simply unbearable. Powerless, I thrashed on the bed as foreign recollections poured in, twisting and colliding within my mind.

Moments later, my body stilled. The chaos in my mind gradually settled into a strange rhythm.

I opened my eyes, sweat clinging to my brow, and stared at the faint glimmer of light in the room.

My vision swam with fragments of faces, places, and sensations that were not mine, yet now lived within me.

The shadow shifted towards me and gestured restlessly. It seemed to be asking if I was alright.

Forcing a faint smile, I spoke with a reassuring voice:

"Don't worry about me. Just a slight headache, that's all."

In response, the shadow simply fixed its gaze on my face, its inky form pooling on the ground. It said nothing, perhaps sensing my determination and deeming words unnecessary.

Well… it couldn't speak.

After all, it was a shadow, and shadows could only gesture.

Wait, maybe that wasn't quite right.

Shadows are nothing more than reflections of objects cast in the presence of light. Without light, there would be no shadows at all.

Only darkness would remain.

Most people confuse "darkness" with "shadow," as if they were the same thing, but in truth; a shadow was simply the mark left when light is blocked, a distortion of what exists. Darkness, by contrast, was a void that needs nothing.

Shadows cannot exist without light, but darkness needs no form.

But my shadow was different. It moved with intention, obeyed yet hungered. It was part of me, yet not entirely mine.

A shadow in the natural world follows the rules of light and shape; mine followed instinct and desire, bound to my soul yet separate.

I let out a tired sigh.

The line between shadow and darkness had blurred. Understanding that was the first step to mastering what I had become.

For that matter, the line between reality and fiction had long since vanished.

At this point, it wouldn't be surprising if I couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't.

"Ugh… this is exhausting. Can I just log out already?"

Of course, this wasn't a game. There was no log-out interface.

Craving the taste of ice cream that didn't exist in this hateful world, I let out another sigh and pushed myself off the comfortable bed. I settled onto the floor, crossing my legs.

It was time for the next step.

"Here goes nothing."

Taking a steadying breath, I braced myself and activated the sequence power within my mind.

As expected, a sharp, agonizing pain tore through my consciousness in the next instant.