Magister Insanity

"Hey, what do you think about vampires?"

At Lancer's sudden question, Gundric froze mid-bite and gave him a puzzled look. Even Sonny's attention flicked over.

Gundric frowned.

"What are you on about? You do realize they're just a myth, right?"

Lancer shook his head.

"Isn't that a bit arrogant to say? There are countless unknown creatures out there, especially in the Soul Realm. Can you really claim the chance of them existing is zero?"

Gundric sighed.

"Perhaps there are many strange things in the world. That much is true. But I refuse to believe such things could exist at this point in history."

Sonny leaned back, watching them quietly. His expression was one of indifference, though inwardly he wasn't nearly as detached as he looked.

It was always like this with them.

Every now and then, the two would join him in the cafeteria after their morning lessons. More often than not, Lancer would spark up some meaningless conversation, and Gundric would brush him off with a curt or indifferent reply. But every so often, Gundric engaged like now.

The truth, however, was that "Sonny" wasn't really there at all. The one sitting with them was Starfallen. His true body was asleep back in the male dormitory, while his consciousness had been transferred into his mirror bond.

None of them suspected anything was out of place.

If the Mirror Bond was actually operating on its own, it wouldn't say anything and remain silent. Though it was not like he needed to speak. But it would be difficult to fool the instructors like Waking Joel or Professor Irene, considering those two were bound to ask questions. Being the more experienced, there was a possibility that they would able to tell if he was behaving strange or differently.

There was still no word on Zephyr's or Kael's disappearance. Most likely, the academy officials were doing everything they could to keep it quiet.

I shouldn't worry too much. As long as nothing can be traced back to me, I'll be fine.

Strange… the shadow's hunger has slowed considerably. Is it because I've already consumed two souls out of three? If so, I might be able to last a while without needing to kill again.

Yes. No one else has to die.

Sonny closed his eyes.

Guilt still lingered in his heart. The faces of his victims would never leave him even if he tried to discard those memories. This was the power of his mind or rather, his photographic memory.

When he opened his eyes again, his mask of indifference returned. Even so, his brow arched slightly.

What's this sudden interest about Vampires? Aren't they simply the descendants of Cain?

Even someone living under a rock would have heard of vampires at least once. Countless novels and TV shows had romanticized them; Vampire Diaries being among the most popular, and Dracula Tepes the most iconic of all.

But what role did they hold within the Silver Void?

Curiosity stirred within him, and Sonny chose to break the silence with a question.

"What's with this sudden interest about Vampires? Are they any relevant?"

Looking surprised, Lancer turned toward him and asked,

"Don't tell me you don't know anything about vampires? Ah, right... I forgot, you're not from around here, so I guess it's natural you wouldn't understand. But still… you've never heard of vampires, even in the human domain?"

"I've heard of them. I just don't understand their significance here."

"Oh, is that so? Then this should be easy enough to explain. The question is… where should I begin? Tell me, are you familiar with the Ancient God Supreme?"

"He's the god who created humanity, correct?"

"Exactly. Then you must also know your domain's own history, the tale of Cain and Abel. Vampires, at their core, are the descendants of Cain."

The legend of vampires, at least in popular culture, traced its roots back to Christianity. Games and manga often depicted them as creatures that feared crosses and sunlight, perished when staked through the heart, turned to dust upon death, and spread their curse through a single bite.

For most people, that was the extent of their knowledge and Sonny was no different. He had never bothered to dig deeper into the true origins of vampires.

"What are you trying to say? Do these vampires actually exist?"

"Now this is the tricky part," Lancer wore a complicated expression. "No one has ever seen a vampire. Nobody knows how strong they are, how many there might be, or where they could be found. No one knows… no one knows… no one knows. Perhaps they existed in the era of the Old Emperor, or even earlier, but the records hold no proof. To put it simply, there's no evidence they exist at all."

Raising an eyebrow, Sonny asked,

"Then how did the term vampire come to be if no one have seen them?"

Gathering his thoughts for a brief moment, Lancer answered in a relaxed, almost nonchalant tone.

"Well, it's not a complicated matter. Are you familiar with Kabbalah?"

"Somewhat, I think."

"Since you said so, I'll keep it brief. Kabbalah represents the soul-level of God: angels, mortals, and so forth. It means that one can ascend the ladder by cultivating the path of supremacy. But eventually, they'll reach a wall they cannot climb."

"Why are you saying it like that? Are you treating me like an idiot?"

"Did I hurt your pride? Forgive this old man and let it pass, will you? Anyway, what I mean is… there are bridges mortals can never cross, no matter how hard they try. But it is natural for mortals to reach for greater things, especially what lies beyond their grasp. Sorcery was born from the desire to surpass said limitations, defying the order of the world, and turning mortals into Blasphemers."

"At present, the amount of Sorcery one could wield is heavily constrained, and these limitations only grew harsher the higher one advanced through the sequences. Yet the records showed that sorcerers of the past did not share this burden. More than that, their path of progression appeared to diverge greatly from ours. This is why the sorcerers of the old era were called Old Sequence Blasphemers and we, New Sequence Blasphemers."

Sonny tilted his head.

"Huh? The amount of Sorcery one can wield is restricted? What is the reason behind this?"

Lancer's eyebrow twitched.

"This fellow… have you not been listening at all? Sorcery was born from the desperation of the untalented who sought to bypass the restrictions binding them. For people like us, gifted yet tainted by the Dreadspire, it is only natural that wielding it so freely would come with a price. Which brings us to the real question… how does one truly break past this barrier?"

His expression twisted as if he could tear his own sneer apart.

"It's actually quite simple. You only need to borrow power from something beyond the individuality of "I", or obtain a body that operates beyond the mortal territory. That is where the term 'vampire' comes from. Such beings cannot be killed by stabbing the heart or severing the head. Even if their souls are destroyed, they can survive like an echo of memory. The question of authenticity is meaningless. Scholars will chase even the faintest possibility."

In other words, whether vampires truly existed did not matter. What mattered was that some believed in them and belief was enough to stir conflict. If one person set the fire, another would be forced to confront the flames.

That was the heart of the matter.

Narrowing his eyes, Sonny finally voiced the question on his mind.

"What about the Immortal Demon Tribe? Aren't they technically immortal?"

Lancer scowled.

"By the goddess, of course not! If they were truly immortal, wouldn't every race be hunting them down, desperate to uncover their secrets?!"

Sonny fell silent.

Around them, the cafeteria bustled with life and activity. Sleepless moved back and forth, voices overlapping in laughter and chatter, creating a lively atmosphere. This only made their conversation feel more out of place.

It was as if the three of them had slipped into a world apart.

Catching Sonny's confused frown, Lancer sighed and began to explain further.

"Some time ago, I spoke about the mysteries of the immortal demonic species, yes… But they are not truly immortal as their name suggests. If they lose a limb or two or an internal organ, it will grow back within a few days. Such wounds would cripple an ordinary person, yet for them it is little more than an inconvenience. That is what sets them apart, their accelerated regeneration that no other has."

With a pause, he continued.

"But they should never be mistaken for true immortals. Stab their hearts, sever their heads, even destroy their souls, and they will die like any other wretch. So far, the only existence close to immortality are the T̷̢͈̞̙̗͔̦̖̙̏̈́̑͜͝r̴̛̹̼̞̱͎͌̓̒̌̚͝a̸̲͇͎̎͌͛̍͝ǹ̴̩͙̅̎̃́͂͝s̴̛̹͍̩̤͇̈́̀͂c̵͙͖͙̼͖͔̟̊̅̒̈́̑̅͊̈́͘̚e̷̡͓͇̤̯͍͕̜̽̌͋̔̇̇̚͝n̷̠͍̰̅́̈́͂̌̌̎̓d̴̡̛̝̩̖̮̿̆́̏e̶̖̖͔̹͕͑̐͛̒͌͐̈́͝n̴̨̛͇̟̹̼͚̟͊̆̽̈́̿̍͘̕c̶̡̡̝̜̟̅͂̊̃̌̅̋ẻ̴͖̤̤̤͈͕͕̳͓͊̍͑͒̀̒̚͝ ̴̥͈̱̔̅̋͒̅̐͌̐ͅG̶̛͓̠̫͈̀͑͊͊̄̌͠o̸̱̰̅̉͌̆͐͘͘d̷̛̠̤̑͗͒͆͒͆͘͝s̶̥̪̙̦̟̱̬͓͗̒̀͆."

His voice fractured mid-sentence, breaking into a glitch.

"Huh? What was that...?" Sonny blinked in confusion.

It sounded almost like an audio distortion, but it was something more insidious. An unseen force had twisted his words, erasing the last part as though it were a forbidden truth that should never be spoken.

Realizing what had happened, Lancer's eyes widened in horror while Gundric glared at him.

As if to save face, he cleared his throat and suddenly backtracked.

"...Nothing. I said nothing at all."