The optical illusion was strong...
Standard mana perception would have failed to pierce the veil, primarily because the mirage did not merely deceive the eyes; it manipulated the ambient ether, fabricating hyper-realistic energy signatures to populate the empty cavern with very authentic phantoms.
However, Mooshito possessed a newly reinforced network. It was not a flawless countermeasure, yet it proved sufficient. The symbiotic mushroom filtered out the overwhelming sensory noise just enough for Ren to pinpoint the minute movements of the original small girl attempting to hide among the clones.
She remained the singular anchor where the ethereal weight truly settled amidst dozens of weightless ghosts.
