Magister Insanity

After a brief wait, someone finally appeared.

As before, Instructor Sonic climbed onto the podium and swept his gaze across the hall. He hadn't changed much since the first time they'd seen him, but the atmosphere surrounding him felt heavier, his expression unusually serious, though he attempted to mask it behind a calm facade.

Everyone fell silent, patiently waiting for him to speak.

The head instructor cleared his throat before beginning.

"Good day, Sleepless. I trust you made the most of your afternoon. My apologies for summoning you on such short notice, but a matter of concern has come to our attention."

He paused briefly, gathering his thoughts before speaking.

"One among you has been declared missing. His name is Kael. In truth, he disappeared several days ago, but despite our efforts, we have been unable to trace his whereabouts."

Inevitably, murmurs rippled through the crowd of Sleepless. Sonic regarded them with a quiet sigh before continuing.

"That is the reason you've all been summoned. The power of Enlightenment and Divination is great and all, but it is not infallible. We, mortals, are prone to making mistakes, and mistakes can be made in any investigation. That is why we require your cooperation. So, one by one, you will be called into the Administrative Wing to answer a series of questions. Is that understood?"

From the back of the hall, a hand hesitantly rose. It belonged to a thin boy with dark circles under his eyes. His voice trembled as he asked,

"Head Instructor… are you saying Kael's disappearance is connected to us?"

The hall seemed to constrict around the question. Some students averted their eyes nervously, while others narrowed theirs in suspicion.

If the boy was right, then that would mean...

However, Sonic laughed.

"What nonsense. Kael is missing, yes, but not dead. Most likely, he left the academy grounds for his own reasons and failed to return. Such things are not unheard of. Still, we must confirm his exact whereabouts. After all, the time for your departure is fast approaching."

At those words, the heavy atmosphere seemed to dissipate, and a few Sleepless even looked relieved. But not everyone was convinced.

What a load of bullshit. If Kael were merely missing, you wouldn't have bothered to summon us all here. A simple Spell of Divination would have sufficed. Sonny reflected to himself, completely certain now that the Instructor was holding something back.

He already knew Kael was dead, because he was the one who had murdered the young man.

More importantly, the Instructor's claim that Divination wasn't infallible, while true, glossed over the real reason. The Path of Spells largely revolved around the principle of Imitation, where the idol of an object could influence the original, and vice versa. Through this, one could trace the location of something by working through its idol.

There was also an alternative method: a branch of Divination known as "Necromancy," which summoned a Spirit to gather fragments of information from the environment or surroundings and relay them to the caster.

But none of these methods were ever completely accurate.

For example, using an Idol to trace an object marked as the original would always fail if that object had been destroyed or split into parts and hidden in different locations, causing the spell to point in conflicting directions. In this case, however, the original was a living being. To track him, one of his personal effects would be required — fortunately, he had left several belongings behind in his room.

Unfortunately, they wouldn't find anything still because Kael did not die a normal death as well. His whole body was devoured by the shadow.

In other words, attempting to locate him with such methods could only lead to complications such as the Spell failing midway or, worse, pointing toward a mere "shadow."

But was it even possible for the shadow to be tracked through Divination?

Sonny had wrestled with this question for a long time. After further consideration, however, he concluded there was no need to worry.

It was impossible to track a shadow.

Shadows existed everywhere, whether in the Soul Realm, the Human Domain, or beyond. They were omnipresent. So trying to pinpoint a single shadow among their uncountable numbers would be like searching for a single grain of rice in a pack of them.

To succeed, the caster would need to grasp infinity and possess a limitless understanding. And such a being did not exist.

For this reason, the Instructors would be left uncertain, thrown into disarray. Under mounting pressure from the Imperial Clans, the academy could not afford to appear incompetent; they would be forced to hunt down the one responsible at any cost.

Thus, they had no choice but to consider every possibility, even suspecting the very Sleepless they were meant to prepare for their First Fragment of Darkness.

By the time Sonny arrived at this conclusion, the Instructors in the area were already directing the Sleepless toward the Administrative Wing.

† †

Some time later, after a brief wait, Sonny's turn finally came. He stepped into the office of the administrative officer, only to find that she was not alone.

The head instructor stood there, along with another unfamiliar figure beside the woman he already knew.

How quaint.

Sonny's gaze lingered on the stranger. He was tall, lean, and dressed in a muted black uniform, much like the one worn by the head instructor. Two stars gleamed on the right side of his chest, marking him as an Enlightened.

His expression was unreadable but his eyes had been fixed on Sonny from the moment he entered.

The administrative officer's gaze lingered on him for a moment, hesitant, before she gestured toward the chair opposite her desk.

"Take a seat, Sleepless Crow."

Sonny complied without a word. Clearing his throat, the head instructor spoke.

"Sleepless Crow, do you know why you've been summoned here?"

Sonny's brow flared upward.

"This is about Kael's disappearance, isn't it?"

The instructor gave a short nod.

"Correct. There's no need to feel anxious. The questions will be simple, and you should have no trouble answering them. All we ask is that you respond truthfully. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." A thin smile touched the instructor's lips. "Before we begin the questioning, however, I want to show you something."

"…Alright."

Noticing his compliance, Instructor Sonic gestured toward the bell resting on the table. At first glance, it resembled an old-fashioned alarm bell, though its surface gleamed with polished gold.

"This is an Echo," he explained casually. "Its name isn't important, but its function is. It detects lies. If you attempt to deceive us, it will ring. And before you object, know that every Sleepless before you has been subjected to the same test."

"Don't worry, I understand."

"Oh? You do?"

"Yes. Was there supposed to be a problem? It's not that I have any reason to lie, yes?"

For a moment, Sonic looked puzzled. Perhaps he had expected resistance. Instead, Sonny offered none at all. In fact, he was completely compliant.

Very much so.

Sonic felt a bit uneasy but he decided to ignore it.

"Very well. If the conversation flows smoothly, there's no issue. Tell me, how well do you know Kael?"

Sonny hesitated, as though weighing the question, then scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I can't say I knew him personally. In fact, we weren't even in the same course."

Sonic narrowed his eyes. "What's your current curriculum?"

"I mainly attend Runic Study and Ways of Survival."

Sonic rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I see. Kael was enrolled in Combat Training. Those classes are far from your own, meaning you had little chance to encounter him. Is my assessment correct?"

"Yes, sir."

Sonic leaned back slightly, but his eyes never left Sonny.

"Then let me ask you this, did you notice anything unusual about him? Strange behavior, odd habits, or anything that stood out to you?"

Sonny pretended to think for a moment, his expression carefully blank.

"Not particularly. I saw him in passing once or twice, but that's about it. He didn't strike me as the talkative type."

The bell on the table remained silent.

Sonic's eyes lingered briefly before he raised another question. This time, it was more direct.

"Where were you five days ago?"

Tilting his head, Sonny regarded the head instructor as if questioning the relevance of the inquiry. Nevertheless, he answered:

"That's simple, Instructor. I was in my room."

"You didn't go anywhere at all?"

"Well… not exactly. Actually, I have something to cofesss. How should I put this?"

Sonny scratched his cheek, feigning embarrassment, and let his gaze wander as though flustered. Then he muttered like a shy high-school girl,

"I... I usually sneak out to the training grounds."

*....*