A grating voice scraped against Vinny’s eardrums. He turned reflexively, only to find a cracked full-length floor mirror floating behind him.

The human-height mirror was framed in black, its border covered in strange patterns. The designs were symmetrical, except at the very top: one side bore a complete wing like that of an angel, while the other had a ragged, batlike wing reminiscent of Satan’s. Every other pattern was identical, yet they gave entirely different impressions. One side seemed much more three-dimensional, while the other looked strikingly flat.

Eight cracks ran across the mirror’s surface. Apart from that, the glass was uneven, and its reflection was blurred and distorted.

As Vinny turned around, his reflection appeared in the mirror. What should have been a hazy image gradually became clearer.

Why did this mirror feel so familiar??

Right. Wasn’t one of the fragments in that crazy old man’s possession an almost perfect match for one of the pieces missing from this mirror??

Could this mirror be...??

To his astonishment, the mirror, which should have been flat, began to give off an increasingly solid impression. The unevenness of its surface grew clearer and clearer.

Gradually, it changed from a flat plane into a three-dimensional shape.

From two dimensions into three.

And the figure reflected within was none other than himself.

Except the reflected Vinny wore a dark, brooding expression utterly unlike his own. Vinny was dressed in his school uniform, while the other Vinny wore a black robe, the hood’s shadow concealing half his face.

Horror filled Vinny’s eyes.

The Vinny before him did not feel like a fake, much less a puppet construct created through some trick. He felt more like a living, breathing person.

Why did he feel that way?

Because this Vinny gave him a powerful sense of déjà vu, as though he had seen a Vinny like this somewhere before.

‘This is the Vinny who was meant to exist in this world. He is the original.’

That piercing voice stabbed into Vinny’s ears like a sharpened thorn.

‘And you are merely a scrap of soul residue, a soul that has forgotten even its own name, with nowhere to return to and nowhere to go. You do not belong here.’

‘Everyone believes you are not a true Facilis. That you are an impostor. Yet deep down, you believe you are not an impostor at all. How hypocritical. You deceived everyone here, yet still think of yourself as the genuine article, having completely forgotten how you came to this world in the first place.’

“I haven’t deceived anyone.”

‘Oh? Then do you dare insist that you are the original Vinny Facilis who belonged in this world?’ the voice demanded.

Vinny said nothing.

The truth was, even he did not understand exactly what had happened.

Vinny had never had an answer to that question. At first, he firmly believed that he was a transmigrator and not Vinny. But later, he discovered that he felt a profound resonance with Vinny’s memories, and then there were the things Selena had told him.

Even so, Vinny still had many doubts about whether he truly counted as the real Vinny. In the end, though, the matter remained unresolved.

The other party had struck directly at that uncertainty, leaving Vinny with a guilty, speechless feeling.

‘Don’t you think you’re hypocritical? After pretending for so long, did you really begin to believe you were descended from the Saintess? Wake up. Even the real Vinny could not become a good person. Do you honestly think you can?’

‘Stop using false goodness to deceive yourself. You merely found an excuse that allowed you to deceive yourself and those mortals with a clear conscience. Now that the genuine article has returned, that lie has naturally been exposed. Otherwise, why have you gone silent?’

‘I hope you have not forgotten this: you are not the real Vinny. Everything you enjoy now does not belong to you. You stole it.’

“What are you trying to do??”

‘You misunderstand. It is not about what I intend to do. It is about what the person whose identity you stole intends to do.’

The voice gave a series of mocking laughs, like an echo from something deep within the abyss.

“What did you say??”

Vinny abruptly looked ahead and found that the Vinny in the mirror had completely taken shape. At the same instant Vinny looked at him, the mirrored Vinny raised his gaze as well.

Bloodshot, hollow eyes, carrying a few chilling traces of obsession, snapped toward Vinny outside the mirror.

‘Then let us wait and see what becomes of someone who steals another person’s identity.’

‘Now, you will bear the suffering he endured.’

Vinny tried to move, only to realize that at some point, he had become unable to look away from the mirror.

His body would not move either.

What...?!

Vinny could only maintain his stunned expression as he watched the Vinny inside the mirror reach out and seize his shoulder.

That icy touch made him feel as though every vein in his body had frozen solid. Then came an immense pull.

His eyes widened as the mirror suddenly slammed into him!

*****

“!?”

In the dorm, Shicodale, who had been cleaning and tidying up, abruptly raised his head and looked toward the window.

After a long while, he withdrew his gaze and touched his chest.

His heart was beating so fast.

What had suddenly come over him?

Shicodale could not understand it. That sudden sense of palpitations had felt as though his whole heart had clenched in pain, and his gaze had instinctively turned toward an unknown direction.

Was there something special there—something worth caring about?

Clearly not.

No matter how hard Shicodale looked, he could not see anything worthy of concern.

His own reaction felt strange, yet he had no idea what had happened.

Had he forgotten something?

The dishes had been washed and put away. His homework was finished. Vinny’s room was clean, and so was his own.

So what, exactly, had he overlooked?

Shicodale thought it over and over but still could not understand.

The only issue was that it was getting late, and Vinny did not seem to have returned from the card room yet.

Puzzled, Shicodale went to the window and looked outside.

The weather was nice tonight. Other than that, there was nothing worth noticing. The night was as ordinary as ever.

“Tap.”

Mirexia stared at the document she had accidentally torn with the tip of her pen after pressing a little too hard. She sighed softly, wondering what was wrong with her today. Things like this kept happening.

Meanwhile—

“My, my. The quality barely passes. This really does not look like something you brewed, does it?”

A beautiful woman wearing a pointed mage’s hat mocked the silver-haired girl standing before the alchemy table.

“How rare. Our chief alchemist gets unsatisfactory results, too? This is the first time I’ve ever seen it.”

“I really ought to make the most of this chance and mock you properly. Opportunities like this do not come around often.”

Aesphyra looked at the poorly made potion in the alchemy crucible and, without hesitation, poured it out.

“Hey, hey? What a waste. You made that with your own hands, and you’re just pouring it out like that??” The woman’s expression immediately soured.

“Imperfect things are an eyesore even when they’re kept,” the silver-haired girl replied coolly.

“You really do not care at all, do you? Those were my ingredients, you know? Could you show a little respect??” the woman protested.

“Still as much of a perfectionist as ever. But what’s wrong with you today? Did you get your heart broken again? You’re in terrible shape. Didn’t you just get your heart broken not long ago? What, you found someone new already? Second time around?”

“Hey, hey, Little Aesphyra. Speaking as someone with experience, young people may be healthy, but they still need to show some restraint.”

“Bang.”

The alchemy crucible struck the table a little too hard, sending the herbs placed on it bouncing into the air.

“Hey, hey, be careful! What if you put a hole in my precious alchemy crucible??” the woman cried anxiously. “All right, all right, I’m done joking. Honestly, Little Aesphyra has no sense of humor. The moment you tease her, she gets upset and starts making trouble for people in subtle ways.”

“So petty.”

So petty.

Those words made Aesphyra think of Vinny. When they had emerged from the Secret Realm, he had said the exact same thing to her.

“Oh?” Aesphyra looked at the woman with a faint smile. “Since you know that, Aunt Christine, are you asking me to make things difficult for you?”

“No, no. I could not handle you making things difficult for me. And what do you mean, Aunt??” Christine knew that when Aesphyra started calling her that, it meant she no longer had the patience to keep talking.

“That is a little inappropriate, I suppose.” Aesphyra considered it. “Then should I call you Old Lady Christine from now on?”

“Just call me Aunt, then.” Christine sighed helplessly.

She could offend anyone but the little ancestor standing before her.

If she wanted to continue living the easygoing life of a slacker, she had to keep Aesphyra happy.

Sigh. The alchemy shop’s high-end products truly could not do without Aesphyra now. Slacking off was poison. Once you had tasted it, you never wanted to let it go.

“But seriously, you really are distracted today. What is it? Missing your little girlfriend, or missing your little boyfriend?”

Courting death was human nature. There was nothing she could do about it. She could never get the better of Aesphyra in an exchange of words, and now that she had an opportunity like this, she could not let it slip away.

“Mm. Yes. Better than certain people who have spent decades with no one to think about, even when they want to think of someone.”

This time, however, Aesphyra did not respond as Christine ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) had expected, with a tight smile and an indirect counterattack. Instead, she accepted the jab and struck directly at Christine’s weak point.

“You little brat!”

Whether Aesphyra had been provoked or not was unclear, but Christine certainly had. She slapped the table, sending the tea in the cup bouncing high into the air.

“Well then, see you tomorrow, Old Lady Christine.”

“Hey, didn’t we agree you would call me Aunt??” Christine gritted out. “And you’re leaving already? You haven’t met today’s quota. You didn’t finish a single item??”

“Didn’t you say I was in poor shape today? Then I’ll be going now.”

“You—!”

Watching the bell on the closing door sway and jingle, Christine decided she would not need dinner tonight.

She was already full of anger.

Honestly. Why had people been attacking her age and the fact that she had been single for decades so often lately??

The last person had been some blue-haired little brat.

Sigh. Forget it, forget it. They were just a bunch of children. What did they know? They only needed to sing the praises of their youth!

Christine sat down and let out a breath.

The next day.

It was the weekend, and Aesphyra woke early as always. It was a habit of hers.

Mirexia was an exceptionally disciplined person, and Aesphyra was the same.

She had always liked people who worked hard, which was precisely why she expected the same of herself.

Just as she finished breakfast and prepared to practice her swordsmanship, hurried knocking sounded outside her door.

“?”

Aesphyra could not understand who would come to see her at this hour, much less why they seemed so anxious.

“Do not rush. I’m coming,” Aesphyra called as she headed for the door.

When she opened it, she found Shicodale standing there, drenched in sweat, flushed bright red, and gasping for breath.

“Dale, what is it? Is there an emergency?”

Seeing him come to her in that state gave Aesphyra a bad feeling.

After all, Shicodale had never sought her out on his own. As far as she knew, he did not even know exactly where her dorm was.

For him to arrive so urgently, he must have asked people all over the place for her address before rushing here in a panic.

He would not have done that for no reason.

Something had to be wrong.

“Aesphyra, did Vinny come to see you last night??” Shicodale asked anxiously.

“No. He did not come to me last night. I have not seen him.”

At those words, Aesphyra’s heart sank.

Still, she did not panic.

This was Carillian Academy, after all.

“What happened?”

“Aesphyra, Vinny... Vinny did not come home all night!”

Shicodale swallowed and nearly choked on his own saliva.

“Do not panic. Have some water first.”

Aesphyra went inside, poured a glass of water, and handed it to Shicodale.

“Don’t panic. Have you checked the club Vinny belongs to? What about the friends he usually plays cards with? Did you ask them?” Aesphyra asked. “It was the weekend, and there are no classes today. Maybe he went to play cards with his friends all night and lost track of time.”

“But if Vinny were going to play cards all night, he would definitely tell me beforehand. He almost never stays out all night without saying a word.”

Aesphyra’s reassurance calmed Shicodale a little, but something still felt terribly wrong.

“Come on. I’ll go ask with you.”

By the time she spoke, Aesphyra had already changed into her shoes, closed the courtyard gate, and taken the lead.

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