Magister Insanity

Ability? My mirror bond... awakened an ability?

Shocked beyond belief, I could only stare at the air in complete astonishment.

Perhaps I misheard but there was nothing wrong with my heard. The Murmur had truly whispered into my ear. Even if I was in doubt or believed it was delusion, the runes would never lie.

Hurriedly, I summoned the runes to confirm my suspicions.

Mirror Bond Name: Starfallen

Bond Rank: Dormant

Bond Class: Fiend

Bond Attributes: [Photographic Memory], [Divinity], [Starless], [Crown of Indifference].

Bond Ability: [Song of Requiem]

Ah... So it really is true. My mirror bond actually awakened an ability. And it now has four attributes?!

How was this possible just from giving a lowly clone a name? Wasn't it supposed to be identical to me?

Even without fully understanding, I continued reading the new line of runes.

Song of Requiem Description: [An ancient, forgotten form of swordsmanship once wielded by a sword priestess. In the end, consumed by despair, she transformed into a sword demon.]

The runes were as straightforward as could be. Simply naming the Bond had somehow granted it the ability to wield a sword.

Mind you, this was something even I was incapable of!

What the heck? How was this even fair?!

It was late at night, maybe even the early hours of morning, and screaming would certainly wake the others. Otherwise, I might have shouted from sheer disbelief at how absurd this was.

Some of you might wonder why I'd be upset in this situation.

Naturally, I was thrilled that my Mirror Bond had gained such an ability and an additional attribute as well. Who wouldn't be? But what frustrated me the most was that I had gained thrm indirectly, rather than unlocking it myself.

If I had awakened that ability from the start… would I have needed to kill Kael and Zephyr?

Probably not.

Then again, what use would that ability have been on the Forbidden Isle? From what I could tell, it required wielding a blade or a proper sword. How was I supposed to slay monsters with just a paring knife? At least I was lucky I wasn't alone… though, of course, everything still went wrong.

Damnit. Don't think about that time!

Gritting my teeth, I pushed aside the negative thoughts and turned my gaze to the newly created clone.

Starfallen regarded me with a curious expression. Physically, he was indistinguishable from myself, every feature a perfect mirror. However, something in the air around him had changed. It carried a quiet strength, the kind of presence a samurai exudes when standing before his shogun.

It was reminiscent of the dominance Gundric often radiated, but far deeper and more profound.

The aura he gave off was hard to put into words, but it lingered somewhere along those lines.

I was suddenly hit with a question. Just how was I going to test the ability of my created reflection?

Of course, that was simple. I just had to head to the training grounds!

With that thought, I turned to Starfallen, a smile tugging at my lips.

"On your feet. Let's see what you can really do."

But as my gaze drifted downward, my smile faltered into a frown.

"…Though first, we'd better find you something to wear."

† †

The walk to the training grounds was short and uneventful. In the early hours of morning, few were awake, which meant the Mirror Bond and I could move freely without fear of being seen. As I stepped inside, the vast, familiar expanse of the training hall spread out before me.

Come to think of it, this was my first time visiting at such an hour. Normally, I wouldn't come here at all except for that one occasion when I tested the shadow's abilities.

This time, however, I had a different purpose: not to test myself, but to test someone else.

Despite being only an awakened Legacy, Doppelgänger was a rare and unheard-of Mystery that allowed its wielder to create reflections of themselves and make them fight in their stead. Within the academy, only one person was known to possess this ability and that was naturally Kael. If anyone were to see Mirror Bond and notice Kael's sudden absence, the suspicion would be inevitable.

That kind of trouble was the last thing I needed. Right now, I wasn't nearly strong enough to deal with the so-called "big dogs."

After all, I could only move one step at a time.

Hmm. What should I test first? His strength or his ability?

From Kael's memories, his Mirror Bond carried only half of his overall strength. The key difference between his and mine, however, was that my Mirror Bond bore a "name."

Even so, I still needed to confirm whether it shared the same flaw.

My eyes swept the room until they landed on the strength-measuring machine. I turned back to the Mirror Bond and pointed toward it.

"Hey, be a good boy and hit that machine with everything you've got, alright?"

Starfallen narrowed his eyes at me briefly but didn't say a word. Instead, he strode toward the machine with a calm, measured gait.

Stopping before the device, he placed his palm lightly against the panel as if to gauge it. Then, without a shred of hesitation, he entered a punching stance and in the next moment, drove his knuckles forward, delivering a devastating blow to the machine.

BANG!

The machine groaned under the force, with the screen flickering before spitting out a number.

[11.2]

...Well, that certainly solved one mystery.

Unlike Kael's Mirror Bond, which had only half of its master's power, Starfallen hadn't inherited the same limitation. He withdrew his hand without so much as a scratch, while the dented surface of the machine screamed the truth.

Wait a second… wasn't his result slightly higher than mine? By a whole point, no less!

No. That couldn't mean the Mirror Bond was stronger than me. It had to be a matter of technique. If it weren't, the machine would've shown something drastic like fifteen instead of eleven.

There was no reason to get worked up. No reason to feel jealous.

Still, why did this guy look rather smug? He must be proud of himself.

I clicked my tongue once.

Whatever. In any case, it seems my theory was right. The Soul Devouring Shadow really can consume the flaws of Sequence Abilities. Isn't this basically stealing someone's idea just to churn out an improved, edited version? What a vile, thieving devil… hehe.

Suppressing the twisted grin that tugged at my lips, I tore my gaze away from Starfallen and scanned the rows of racks lining the training hall. Weapons of varying lengths and designs gleamed ominously, practically whispering to be chosen.

Now, now. No need to weep. Daddy will make good use of at least one of you.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe… which one shall it be today? ♪

Ah, this one!

My fingers hovered over the variety of weapons before finally settling on a simple training blade. The sword had no ornate, only possessing a balanced edge. It was perfect for testing.

I narrowed my eyes at the runes etched into the blade.

Echo Name: Executioner's Blade

Echo Rank: Dormant

Echo Star: II

Echo Type: Weapon

Echo Description: [Once wielded by an executioner whose name has long been forgotten. For reasons unknown, it has taken the form of a mere training blade.]

Enchantment: [Decapitation]

Enchantment Description: [This sword has severed countless heads, both guilty and innocent. Acquainted with the taste of blood, it has developed an insatiable craving for more.]

After reading the runes, I tilted my head in disbelief.

Surely, I was imagining it because who in their right mind would place an Executioner's Blade in a training hall for Sleepless? And more importantly, why in the world did it look like an ordinary practice sword?!

Don't question it. If you question it, you'll only drop your sanity points!

Muttering that inwardly, I hefted the blade once, testing its weight, before turning and tossing it toward Starfallen.

"Catch."

The Mirror Bond caught the sword with ease, his expression hardening as he studied the weapon.

"Alright then, show me what you can do. Strike those dummies over there."

I pointed toward the humanoid training figures, and Starfallen strode forward without hesitation.

He stopped at a comfortable distance, his gaze locking onto the target with unwavering focus. Gripping the Executioner's Blade with both hands, he positioned into a Chūdan sword stance.

"...?"

The atmosphere shifted in an instant. A suffocating wave of murderous intent flooded the training hall. Its source was Starfallen, now immersed in a concentration so profound it felt as though he had stepped beyond this reality.

Perhaps he had. Perhaps it was a world only he could see.

At last, after what felt like an eternity, the Mirror Bond stirred. In a blur of motion, he lunged forward, his blade flashing with a speed I had never witnessed, cleaving into the target.

When the strike was done, Starfallen withdrew, returning to his initial stance. His gaze fixed on the target patiently, as though awaiting a response.

And soon enough, it came.

"..."

The silence cracked with a faint 'click.'

Then, with an eerie delay, thin lines spread across the wooden dummy's frame like an artist's brushstrokes laid upon canvas.

A breath later, the dummy collapsed into seven neat pieces, scattering across the floor with dull thuds that echoed in the vast hall.