[…Callus…]

"Eris!"

No one else could see it in this darkness, unless they had an enlightenment or had mana that surpassed this vortex of darkness, they would never be able to see it.

The sight of my sister, who froze in fear.

I bit my lip hard until blood dripped from it.

I poured my mana into my staff, formulating the magic.

"Luxom!"

Nearly a quarter of my mana was drained, and a bomb of light flashed, pouring over the room. It washed away the darkness, leaving only the figures of two people on the platform.

One was my sister, Eris, who was bleeding from her eye, passed out on the floor.

The other was a boy.

I had seen him when his mask shattered, with black blots on his skin, and a ruined eye. Among the fragments of his mask on the floor was a broken frame and shattered glass. 

His remaining eye was glassy.

He slumped down to his knees and keeled over.

"What happened?"

"Is Eris down?"

"What happened to the leper?"

The judges, did they see what happened?

No, they didn't, they're just looking around and wondering what happened. They might have seen when Duri blocked out all light in this room, but they can't be certain. They also don't know what happened there.

"The test for Duri Noctum is uncertain, but although we don't know the means, it still stands that his proctor is unable to continue, thus we will assign a new proctor to replace her…"

They signal for the medical staff.

"…as this is the case, Duri Noctum will pass today's exam, regardless of what happened."

As they were being carried away, I could only wonder.

Duri Noctum, what are you?

[…]

Its feathers tickle my skin, but the beating of its wings is harsh, its sharp talons cut through my flesh. It doesn't compare at all to the twisting inside my eye, the drowning bird pecking in my brain.

"Father…"

My eyes snap open, greeted by the sunlight.

Beads of sweat roll down my body, and I feel relief. 

I'm so glad that it was just a dream.

"…"

But I'm sure that what happened before wasn't a dream, my body moved on its own and I fainted afterwards.

I don't know why, but if not for Eris hesitating and freezing up, then I would've never stood a chance, she would have seen the cracks in my soulless swordsmanship and cut right through it.

With that, I'm sure I passed the test, but what was that vision before then? If what I saw there was the original Duri's memories then that means he's still in there somewhere.

I knew it was strange, it was strange that I would deviate from my original plan. I would've never left the Dukedom on my own, and while I did want to save the Dukedom, I was also influenced by the original's emotions.

But if what I saw was true, then the Duke lied to me.

"I just want you to be happy."

That's what my father said, and when he said it, I felt an inexplicable sense of happiness. I was persuaded to go with just those simple words.

Was Duri a child that hungered for his parent's love? It's a love that won't ever be returned, it's a love that doesn't exist.

"I won't…"

I wrapped my hands around my shoulders, squeezing them.

"I won't die."

I don't want to be influenced by his feelings, his memories, or I might become something that isn't me.

I won't let it happen.

I recalled the memories he showed me, the words that were exchanged. The cruel actions of my father, and the suffering I'd gone through.

What is it that you fear?

Fear…the Noctum Swordsmanship is based on fear.

Crows…that's what Duri fears, but I don't fear crows. No, that's what Duri's trauma is.

Fear and Trauma.

I can fear something, but I can't force a trauma.

Let's start with that.

"Agh…!"

I tried to get up, but a singe of pains seared through my body. It feels like I was burned all over.

I took off my gloves and checked my hands. Around the black splotches, my usually pale skin was red.

"You're awake then."

I looked to my left and saw a woman with a professor's outfit, her hair only reached her shoulders, it was a darker color that seemed to blend into the shadows. Her eyes were especially sharp, giving her a threatening appearance.

"Professor."

"Alright, stop the groaning, your condition is something like a sunburn, a student used a light bomb spell to dispel the darkness in the testing room and you just happened to be in the middle of it."

Light bomb, the Luxom spell, takes a lot of mana to use. Some students might not even be able to cast it in full capacity, there are only three people who could've cast it.

The professor who resides in the hall of arches, the priestess, or the most likely person.

"Callus…"

I covered my mouth.

"Hm…? Say that again?"

"It's nothing."

"No, I mean why did you say Callus?"

I peered to the left and saw her face, her eyes were dangerous.

Putting her hand on my shoulder, she asked once more.

"How did you know it was Callus?"

"…I…thought he looked strong?"

"Haha, stop with the lies."

Chuckling, she strengthens her grip on my shoulder.

"Isn't this cruel to do to a patient?"

She drops the smile and releases her hand from my shoulder.

"Alright, it's not like I can force an answer out of a student."

She presses something onto my face.

"Wear this, I reconstructed it from the pieces on the floor."

My mask! 

"Thank you…"

She's undoubtedly strong, she used the law of regression spell. It returns items to their original shape, but in exchange, depending on the amount of time that passed and the item's condition and value, the mana expenditure is increased.

She must have used up nearly all her mana to restore this, even Callus can only reconstruct a magic item that had broken recently at best.

"Professor, what class do you teach?"

She was about to leave when I asked, pausing, she turned around again. She wore a stern face as she answered.

"I teach synthesis and restoration, the foundations of healing magic."

"Could leprosy be cured?"

"I don't know that, it's a rather rare disease here after all."

Then there's a chance.

"Thank you for your answer."

I'll learn healing magic.