"Status"
[Walker of Illusion: Error
Name: Crow Morvane
Bloodline: Error (11%)
Body: C-
Mind: B+
Inherited mana: Error
Runes: Deceit, Confusion, Divinity
Skills:
•Disillusioned
•Erratic Body]
The level of progress I achieved in a little over two months since being linked to the system was outstanding, but it also made complete sense.
I was also made aware that progress in the early stages of each path was way easier than later on, but I didn't really mind. Putting in the effort did not scare me at all.
However the most important thing was to go and check my biggest project.
That's why I was running and laughing towards the training grounds. Today there were no doppelgängers around the estate, nor physical lessons in schedule.
Today I needed all my focus on the Singular Reflection.
People were already waiting for me around a cube no bigger than a fist.
My dad, the duke himself was standing tall and proud with an entourage of craftsmen that were eagerly discussing the genius behind the project and the 12 heirs, well, 11 since Cael was running with me, were all trembling with anticipation.
"Goodmorning everyone! Do you have your mental defences ready?"
When they all nodded, I infused the cube with my mana to bind it to me and activate the enchantment.
With the sound of shattering glass, we all found ourselves in a room packed with mirrors that were continuously shifting positions and reflections.
The runes of [illusion] in every mirror started to pulse with mana and I was enchanted.
There was a wicked beauty in the reflections that started exhibiting abnormal behaviours, how some started laughing, dancing or even crying.
The chaos was unraveling and I saw the heirs already clutching their mental protection artefacts.
"How do we go about this? What did you plan?" -Cael
"This is really… something else." -Aurelia
I looked at the heirs that were already struggling and then at my father that only showed an intrigued look in his eyes.
"Well, I personally will start slowly disabling my mental defences. My purpose is to be able to find myself in the midst of all these mirages and not lose track of myself."
"That seems easy enough…" -Cael
"Hold on to that thought."
I started walking between the mirrors, slowly reducing my resistance to illusions and repeating my name. It echoed in the room, like my illusions were talking back to me.
I kept walking.
I kept talking.
And the illusions were getting stronger, louder. They started mimicking me perfectly and when my walls went down another notch, I sensed my consciousness split with the illusions.
My point of view changed, my thoughts slowed down, but I kept walking, I kept talking.
I focused on my sense of self, on my mana. I started using it to create threads and knit them together. The illusions mimicked me perfectly.
While I was hyper focused on my meditation, I didn't notice nor gave a fuck about the others.
Not that I could even if I wanted to, there simply was no way I could divide my attention to anything other than me.
My brain was already starting to get foggy, so I immediately stopped reducing my natural defences and tried to get back to myself.
It was harder than I anticipated.
The illusions were powerful, more than I expected and I could feel danger creep up to me.
That's when something clicked and I clung to that feeling. The peril, the risk of losing myself in fakery, the fright of not being sure of what was real and what wasn't.
I embraced it, run towards it and at that moment, I was finally able to find myself in the sea of false reality.
Time started to lose meaning and I kept drifting in the madness that was the meditation I created.
Slowly but surely, I was beginning to feel myself anchoring more and more into the fragile tapestry that was reality. I could feel myself clearer than ever.
It was a beautiful feeling, something I didn't know was possible to begin with.
When I came out of the Hall of Illusion, that's how I decided to name the artefact, people were watching me with disbelief and discomfort.
I also immediately realised that my presence was somewhat imposing, a collateral effect of the meditation, but what surprised me the most, was that even my dad was looking at me curiously.
"How long was I inside the artefact?"
"Eight hours…" -Dionen
"And what about you all?"
"Well… Seraph was the first out after 20 minutes, Yom was the last of the youngsters after an hour and a half. I left because I thought there was no longer a point since you were in a trance."
I nodded thoughtfully and tried to focus on how my presence had expanded beyond my person and tried to reel it in, uselessly.
"Dad…"
"Yes, focus on your sea of consciousness, circulate your mana through your brain and keep the image of your body in mind at all times."
I followed his instructions, well, changing the sea for the spark, and soon enough I could feel my existence reeling back within me.
It did take me a few minutes, but I was able to lock myself in and finally exhaled in exhaustion.
"A genius of magic indeed…" -Cael
"Forget about it, can we go eat? I'm starving."
With a clear general consensus, we all moved to eat something, the toll from mental strain was really something else.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing and resting, myself excluded, everyone else was a wreck of nerves and flickering confusion.
I didn't really know what to do. I thought that using my spells to aide them would be counterproductive, and if they wanted to grow stronger from this experience, they needed to face the consequences of the training on their own.
Dad also said that since my spells worked directly on the brain it would be better to avoid my magic on them for sometime.
That night Cael couldn't let go of me, even though I had finished the crafting of mirrors, I still had things to study, especially the creation of a martial art specifically designed for me.
"Cael, you're starting to get on my nerves. What is happening?"
"How can you be so fine? I'm still confused from what we saw there! And you stayed inside for 8 fucking hours!"
I pitied the boy, and all the other guys for that matter. This was a meditation specifically created by me for me, it was obvious other people would suffer because of it.
I moved Cael on my lap and put his face in front of mine. I didn't even know why he was clinging to my body so stubbornly, but I conceded at least this.
"Focus on me Cael."
His cloudy blue eyes were starring at me with what seemed like desperation.
"That hall, was create by me, for me, with my specific needs in mind. My field of studies is dangerous and I really need to have a perfect sense of self, of course I'd be able to stand it longer than you all. Could you even imagine what it means to share your consciousness with 9 doppelgängers at basically all times?"
"Is that why you pass out when you dismiss them all at the same time?"
I cringed a little at my weakness, but eventually nodded.
"Yes, I've been training my mental strength from the moment of the link."
I started caressing his frown trying to relax it, that expression really didn't suit him.
"That's my specific path Cael, of course Yom would have the advantage on everyone else, but even he couldn't resist as much as I did. Can you think of a reason?"
He couldn't and just shook his head while leaning into the touch.
"It's because even if I explained it to you, nobody really knows themselves."
"But you managed to resist 8 hours!!!"
"Cael, I enchanted every mirror myself, I knew what was going to happen beforehand."
"Even still…"
I tried to pull him out of that self destructive thought, but it seemed I failed miserably and I was starting to get impatient. Those martial arts and sword arts wouldn't write themselves down on their own.
"Cael, I really cannot do anything for your self esteem. You clearly are the strongest of us all, you even beat me in regular sparring daily. Why are you still clinging to my body if you resent me?"
"Do you dislike me that much?"
Oh you want to play that game?
"If I disliked you, wouldn't I just throw you out of my room? Your mind is unstable at the moment. A single spell and your gone."
He shuddered a little and leaned closer, our foreheads now touching.
"Please, it's just that you're so steady… I feel like I'm getting better just standing close…"
I was starting to get the feeling that tonight I wouldn't be able to be productive in anyway.
The boy was clearly experiencing some kind of trauma.
I stood up lifting him with my body and although he was still heavy and big, I was able to carry our bodies to the bed.
He burrowed himself on my chest and moved my hands to his hair on his own.
"Fine, what did you see that made you like this? The mirrors should only show yourself, nothing that can impact you so much."