Rayan Zu sat cross-legged on his bed, holding the scroll of Shadow Eye in both hands.
His expression was serious.
His posture was perfect.
His surroundings were quiet.
Everything was ready for him to master the second of his family's four shadow techniques.
He read the scroll again.
Then he read it a third time.
Then, just to make sure the words hadn't mysteriously changed, he read it a fourth time.
Finally, he lowered the scroll.
"That's it?"
According to the scroll, Shadow Eye was an extremely simple technique.
All he had to do was sense the connection between himself and his shadow, even when the shadow was separated from his body. Then, he needed to channel his mental energy through that connection.
Once the mental energy reached the shadow, he would be able to see through its eyes.
Simple.
Very simple.
So simple that Rayan began to suspect the scroll was mocking him.
"Sense the connection. Transfer mental energy. See through the shadow's eyes."
He repeated the instructions slowly.
"Even a child could understand this."
He paused.
Then he looked down at the shadow beneath his feet.
"All right, you little fellow. Let's see what you've got."
His shadow stretched across the floor.
Rayan concentrated, and a portion of it peeled away from his feet, rising into a vaguely human shape before standing in front of him.
He stared at it.
The shadow stared back.
Well, technically, it had no eyes.
But Rayan still felt as though it was judging him.
"Don't look at me like that. You're the one who's supposed to help."
The shadow remained silent.
Rayan closed his eyes and tried to sense the connection between them.
He could feel it.
The connection between himself and his shadow was familiar. It was something he had used countless times while practicing Shadow Space.
But the moment his shadow separated from his body, that familiar sensation became faint.
It was like trying to hear someone whispering from the other side of a thick wall.
He reached for the connection.
Nothing happened.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
After an hour, Rayan opened his eyes.
His shadow was still standing in front of him.
"How long are you planning to stand there?"
The shadow didn't answer.
"Fine. Stand there until your legs hurt."
Rayan returned to the scroll.
By late morning, Rayan had tried almost every method he could think of.
He concentrated while sitting.
He concentrated while standing.
He even tried concentrating while lying on his stomach, though that experiment ended when he nearly fell asleep.
He attempted to push his mental energy through the connection.
He attempted to pull the connection toward himself.
He attempted to imagine the connection as a rope.
At one point, he even imagined his mental energy as a group of tiny soldiers marching toward his shadow.
Unfortunately, the soldiers seemed to have deserted.
By noon, Rayan was exhausted.
His stomach growled.
He looked at the scroll.
Then he looked at the shadow.
Then he looked at the door.
"All right. We'll continue after lunch."
His shadow collapsed back beneath his feet.
Rayan immediately felt relieved.
At least someone had finally stopped working.
The academy cafeteria was already busy when Rayan arrived.
Students filled the tables, chatting about their upcoming classes, comparing their magical equipment, and occasionally arguing over who had the best innate ability.
Rayan scanned the room.
He quickly spotted Ran sitting with Liora at a table near the windows.
Ran was eating while Liora listened to her talk.
Rayan collected his food and joined them.
"You're late," Ran remarked.
"I was busy."
"Busy doing what?"
"Something important."
Liora tilted her head curiously. "What kind of important thing?" This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
Rayan sat down.
"Something so important that I can't discuss it."
Ran narrowed her eyes.
"Did you get into trouble?"
"No."
"Did you break something?"
"No."
"Did you lose your money?"
Rayan looked offended.
"Why would you assume that?"
"Because you look like someone who has been defeated by something."
Liora covered her mouth, laughing.
Rayan looked at Ran.
"Your ability to encourage people is truly extraordinary."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I know."
Liora laughed again.
Rayan had already begun to understand her personality.
Liora was friendly, easygoing, and surprisingly considerate. She had a way of making conversations feel natural, even when people had only met recently.
She laughed at jokes, encouraged others to speak, and seemed to enjoy helping people whenever she could.
However, she also possessed a peculiar talent.
Whenever Ran and Rayan started arguing, Liora would immediately intervene before their conversation could turn into a real disagreement.
It was as though she had appointed herself the official peacekeeper of their little group.
For example—
"Ran, you bought twenty-three books," Rayan said. "At this rate, you'll need a separate room just to store them."
"I'll simply buy more space rings."
"With what money?"
"Your money."
"Why would I pay for your books?"
"Because you'll be carrying them."
Rayan put down his spoon.
"That's not how financial responsibility works!"
Liora immediately smiled.
"All right, all right. How about this? Ran can buy the books, and Rayan can help carry them. Then everyone will be happy."
Rayan stared at her.
"How did that solve anything?"
"You're still helping carry the books, aren't you?"
"That's exactly the problem!"
Ran burst out laughing.
Liora smiled innocently.
Rayan slowly realized that Liora's peaceful personality didn't necessarily mean she was good at solving disputes.
Sometimes, she simply made sure everyone continued arguing in a friendly manner.
Perhaps that was her true talent.
A peacekeeper who could accidentally make a conflict worse.
A truly terrifying ability.
Still, Rayan couldn't help appreciating her presence.
Ran seemed comfortable around Liora, and the two of them had already become good friends.
That was reassuring.
Then Rayan remembered something from the previous day.
While they had been running around the island, he had noticed that Liora's physical strength was surprisingly impressive.
In fact, she seemed considerably stronger than Ran.
That was particularly strange because Ran had been training diligently for years.
Rayan glanced at Liora.
She was calmly cutting a piece of meat.
Could someone really be that strong without looking particularly muscular?
Perhaps she trained in a different way.
Or perhaps she simply possessed a natural talent for physical strength.
He decided not to ask.
He had enough problems with one mysterious technique. He didn't need to investigate the secrets of another person's muscles.
"So," Liora asked, bringing him back to the conversation, "what were you doing this morning?"
Rayan hesitated.
Then he sighed.
"I'm trying to master the second of my family's shadow techniques."
Ran immediately stopped eating.
"The second one?"
Rayan nodded.
"Shadow Eye."
"What does it do?"
"It allows me to see through my shadow's eyes."
Liora's eyes widened.
"That's amazing! You could use it to observe places without going there yourself."
"Exactly."
Ran thought for a moment.
Rayan stared at her.
"That is not the purpose of this technique."
"But it would be useful."
"That's not the point!"
Liora nodded thoughtfully.
"Actually, Ran has a point. You could also use it to check whether the cafeteria is crowded before going there."
Rayan looked between them.
He had spent years imagining himself becoming a powerful necromancer.
He had imagined using his abilities to explore dangerous ruins, uncover ancient secrets, and outsmart formidable enemies.
And these two were planning to use his family's secret technique to check the cafeteria's lunch schedule.
He lowered his head.
"Perhaps I should keep my discoveries to myself."
Ran patted his shoulder.
"Don't worry. We'll think of more uses."
"That is precisely what I'm worried about."
They continued eating, occasionally exchanging jokes until their plates were empty.
After lunch, Ran and Liora returned to their own activities, while Rayan headed back to his room.
He had rested enough.
Now it was time to get serious.
Rayan closed the door and sat cross-legged on the floor.
This time, he didn't immediately attempt to force mental energy through the connection.
Instead, he closed his eyes and concentrated on his shadow.
He let it emerge from beneath his feet.
The shadow slowly rose and stood in front of him.
Rayan took a deep breath.
He remembered the sensation he experienced whenever he used Shadow Space.
The shadow was not simply a dark shape attached to his body. Through his family's technique, it had become something he could manipulate, separate, and use.
There was a connection between them.
He had always known that.
But knowing something existed was different from understanding how to use it.
Rayan searched for that connection.
At first, he sensed nothing unusual.
Then, after a long period of concentration, he felt something faint.
It was there.
A thin, almost imperceptible link between himself and the shadow standing before him.
Rayan's heart quickened.
He tried to follow the sensation.
The moment he focused too strongly, it disappeared.
His eyebrows twitched.
"Again."
He relaxed his mind and searched for it once more.
The connection appeared.
He carefully followed it, refusing to rush.
Then he attempted to channel a tiny amount of mental energy through it.
For a moment, he felt something move.
His eyes opened.
Nothing happened.
The shadow remained motionless.
Rayan stared at it.
"...Was that progress?"
The shadow offered no answer.
He glanced toward the window.
The sunlight had begun to fade.
It was already dinner time.
Rayan leaned back against the bed, feeling as though someone had scooped out half of his brain.
His mental energy was nearly exhausted.
He could continue forcing himself to practice, but doing so now would be foolish. His mental strength needed time to recover.
He recalled Grandpa's training.
Mental strength wasn't something that could be developed through stubbornness alone.
Sometimes, continuing to push forward when exhausted would only make the process more difficult.
Rayan recalled the faint sensation he had felt.
He was closer than before.
He just needed to understand how to follow the connection and transfer his mental energy through it.
"All right," he murmured to his shadow. "We'll continue after dinner."
His shadow slipped back beneath his feet.
Rayan stood up and stretched.
"At least I made some progress."
Then his stomach growled.
He looked toward the door.
"Although I suspect my stomach has made more progress than I have."
With that depressing thought, Rayan Zu headed toward the cafeteria.
He had a long night ahead of him.
And somewhere on Gazan Island, the Witch of Death was probably enjoying her ice cream.
Rayan had a feeling that she was going to be a problem.
He just didn't know how much of a problem yet.