The echo of three sets of footsteps resonated through a wide corridor.
It smelled slightly of dampness; there were prison cells, but by their condition, they had clearly never been used. Everything looked clean and "pleasant."
Kaede and Shizumi walked anxiously behind Shinka Kusaka.
It was clear that despite being the same age, he was stronger than they could handle.
'Dad said to be careful. He left the magic handcuffs' matrix unprotected to test this guy, so the possibility he could break free exists... Why is he being so lenient this time? Also, does he really think this kid is that spectacular?' Kaede couldn't help but question her progenitor.
For his part, Shinka was carefully analyzing the magic handcuffs that had been placed on his wrists.
Shinka's eyes turned a deep blue as he looked at them.
Certainly, it was impossible for him to use mana, but he had understood that the "Magical Inspection" skill wasn't inherently magic, but a skill mutated with the system.
'My mana is supposed to be sealed, so it would be impossible to use the skill, and yet, I'm using it... Perhaps that was to be expected. It had the same "visual theme" as the system when displaying data.'
Since Shinka had his head bowed, it was impossible for anyone to notice his face.
The magical inspection allowed him to see the magic matrix composing the handcuffs, and he studied it in detail.
'These things have a limit. If the prisoner surpasses the amount of mana they can seal, then the handcuffs will be invalidated.'
For him, it was clear.
Magic circles still existed. As long as all magic had magic circles, it was decipherable for him. Everything was based on knowledge of real sciences. That was his great advantage.
[Cuff Magic Lv.0]
Having understood the matrix behind the handcuffs, the magic was added to his repertoire.
He frowned slightly upon seeing the skill level.
'I guess that's normal. Skills that are added to my repertoire are always because I can use them. But I only analyzed the matrix. It won't level up until I use it once.' A spark ignited in Shinka's mind.
"We're here," said Kaede, pointing out a cell in the depths of the church to Shinka.
With a slight push, they put Shinka in the cell. Kaede and Shizumi also entered the room.
WHOOSH!
The cell door closed behind them.
"Time for the interrogation." A magic circle appeared on the cell floor, and the floor began to change.
Shinka discreetly looked at the floor, trying to understand the magic.
'It looks like physical transformation of matter. The matrix is very complex...!'
Two chairs and a table appeared out of nowhere, and the circle disappeared, leaving Shinka without learning the magic.
'If I concentrate enough, I think I can remember it well later...'
"Have a seat, Kusaka Shinka," said Shizumi, while she remained standing next to her sister, who had taken a seat.
'They both seem the same age, but Namikawa Shizumi seems much more submissive than Kaede.'
Shinka closed his eyes.
'I have a few seconds before they start interrogating me. Raymond isn't here. So I have some leeway.'
'Breaking free won't do me any good, but still...'
'The only way to get rid of the handcuffs is to increase my mana amount. Until now, I've done that using the Mana Meditation skill every night before falling asleep.'
Shinka reflected for a few moments.
'To use Mana Meditation, I need to be completely relaxed and thinking of nothing. Just exist, but since that's impossible for me right now, I need to find a way out.'
Shinka concentrated.
He had an idea circling his mind for a while.
But due to time constraints training other skills, he had never been able to address it fully.
[Hyper Concentration Lv.8]
'I need to forget...'
As if his brain chose to abandon his body to become part of a whole, his consciousness detached.
'The fact that I'm a prisoner...'
He worked better under pressure than ever.
This was his way of proving it.
[Hyper Concentration Lv.9]
'Being physically imprisoned doesn't mean I have to be mentally imprisoned.'
He could hear the sisters' voices entering his ears, but he forced himself as much as possible to avoid them.
'Shut up!'
[Hyper Concentration Lv.10]
He felt a drop of drool sliding from the corner of his mouth, but it was too late to do anything.
He already had what he wanted!
[Mind Palace Lv.MAX]
[Mind Palace: Allows the creation of a mental space created from the existing mana in the body. Its limitations are tied to this mana. No mana is spent for its creation, but mental energy is consumed upon activation.]
Now Shinka found himself in a completely dark place. Where nothing existed except himself.
"People always talk about the division of the mind, where there is the conscious mind and the subconscious," he said aloud, taking the opportunity to externalize his thoughts.
"The conscious is the one that allows me to take objective viewpoints, the one responsible for making decisions, planning, and storing short-term memories."
"And the other is the unconscious, where long-term memories, habits, behaviors, and beliefs are located. Humans normally can't access this part of the mind at will as such."
Shinka understood that this dark space was finite, limited only by the subconscious mind where it existed.
Shinka closed his eyes and thought of something.
A few seconds later, he opened them again and looked at what was supposed to be the sky of that mental world.
"I can see what my eyes see, from an observer's point of view, not in first person."
"Time passes normally out there, meaning I don't have an altered perception of the world. I don't have time to use Mana Meditation in this world."
'But that doesn't leave me without options.'
At that precise moment, an amorphous mass of flesh and bones began to appear beside Shinka.
Little by little, it began to take shape.
It had the same appearance as Shinka at that moment, but its expression seemed angry, as if it existed solely from rage.
The eyes of that other Shinka turned burning gold. Just for differentiation.
"Consciousness is the secondary part of the brain to a certain extent, because the subconscious contains the primary being, which is the human."
The other Shinka stared fixedly at his original self.
"Meditate." That was all the original Shinka said.
Several chains emerged from the black floor that composed that world and entangled the body of the primitive Shinka.
It was forced to kneel and remain immobile.
This one, far from seeming annoyed, had a pacified expression, and its eyes were closed, as if the surroundings didn't matter, nor the position it was in.
[Mana Meditation Lv.6]
[Divided Thought has evolved to Parallel Thought Chamber.]
[Parallel Thought Chamber and Mind Palace combine. Do you wish to continue?]
"Yes."
[New skill added to skill repertoire; Mental World.]
[Mental World Lv.MAX]
[Mental World: Unlike "Mind Palace," an increased state of concentration is not required to enter the plane. The skill becomes passive, consuming mental energy constantly.]
Shinka's expression seemed calmer than before.
'A bit of drowsiness? It's a price I'm willing to pay...'
"Before, I hadn't dared to delve so deeply into my mind. I only leveled up things I considered necessary and then stopped."
"I considered my mental abilities good enough for the moment to put them on pause and improve my physique, which would be the first thing any ordinary person with the system would have thought."
"My main concern was always that I would only focus on improving my intellect and that some other person with a special ability would have improved their physique enough to kill me with a single blow."
"In that hypothetical case, I wouldn't have been able to do anything. But right now, I see the need to adapt to the situation. I have no other choice but to venture into my mind, even though it wasn't what I had planned in the first place."
Shinka looked at the sky and observed Kaede's lips moving.
He understood the girl was talking to him, but since no one was controlling his conscious part, he was basically an empty shell.
'Is this how Aizen felt while planning? Who am I kidding... I'm overestimating myself with that comparison.'
"It's time to return." Shinka disappeared, but his other self stored in the subconscious remained there, using the skill to meditate and increase his mana reserve.
. . .
"Hey idiot, are you listening to me?!" Kaede approached Shinka's face while shouting.
The boy's eyes contracted, and he wiped the drool as soon as he felt it.
"S-Sorry."
'Ah, maybe I was too suspicious!'
"I fell asleep with my eyes open. I'm a bit tired," Shinka said, genuinely apologizing, although he used an excuse.
"Is that really possible? W-Well, I'll believe you." Kaede had a drop of sweat running down her cheek.
'This guy is too weird...' She thought.
"I was saying Dad is taking too long, so Shizumi and I will start the interrogation."
"I understand, go ahead," the boy said, nodding.
"Good." Kaede took a breath to start with the questions, but Shinka stopped her for a second.
"S-Sorry, but before you start with the questions, can I ask one?"
Kaede frowned and looked at her sister.
"I just want to know why you attacked me. I mean, you almost killed me, I think I have the right!"
Both sisters put on a complicated expression upon hearing the question.
"Hey, you almost killed us too!"
"W-Well, but I held back many times! You went all out from the start."
"Hmph! You're very arrogant now, Kusaka."
"But he deserves to hear it, sister."
"You tell him, if you want to talk so much..." Kaede turned, annoyed.
"I hope you can forgive her. She's not normally like this... Well, she is, but not this explosive."
Shinka just laughed nervously to appease her.
"Ahem! You see. We sensed quite a bit of diabolical energy coming from the warehouse, and since when we entered, we only saw you killing the demon. Not just anyone has magic to do something like that without having powerful backing. And since you're not from the Church..." Shizumi responded with an embarrassed expression.
"We knew you weren't using demonic energy when you could take the holy sword without complications, but since we didn't know if you were an enemy, we could only fight you."
"So it was simply too late to regret it?"
"W-Well, it wasn't that simple!" Kaede tried to fix it. "And you make it sound like a whim!" She ignited in fury, clenching her fist comically, while veins appeared on her forehead.
"Damn girl, it clearly was a whim!" Shinka got equally worked up.
"P-Please, don't fight." Shizumi tried to mediate.
"Ahem... Well, if that was your question, I'll continue."
Kaede seemed to cough a little to reaffirm her authority and looked Shinka in the eyes.
"So, speak. What is your Sacred Gear?" Kaede asked directly, giving the boy a determined look.
Shinka's expression remained comically impassive, with Ditto's face: "Do you think I can answer that?"
"Don't tell me you don't even know something so basic?" After a while, Kaede finally felt superior to Shinka.
"It's your special ability, kid. The reason why earlier today you had zero knowledge of fencing and now you had a low-intermediate level."
"Ah, I understand now. I guess you're talking about my ability then... Describing it is difficult. Just keep in mind that my Sacred Gear's ability allows me to increase abstract concepts like intelligence and more literal ones like strength."
Kaede seemed thoughtful for a few moments.
"And... I suppose your Sacred Gears are similar to mine, right?" Shinka asked.
The sisters looked at the boy surprised, only to look at each other and burst into laughter.
"BWAHAHAHAHA! I-I'm sorry, it's just that was a good joke." Kaede seemed to wipe away a tear after laughing so much.
Shinka simply looked at them; he was somewhat confused about the two girls' laughter.
'I feel like I'm missing something...' A drop of sweat ran down his cheek.
"Of course you don't know, but Sacred Gears were bestowed by God, for humans, but not all humans have Sacred Gears," said Shizumi.
"So, you're telling me I have to believe you are that strong without a Sacred Gear?"
"That's a compliment. This amount of strength we have acquired with rigorous training."
Shinka raised an eyebrow.
Shizumi seemed to be an attention addict, so she kept talking.
"All humans have a limit thanks to the race we are, but when that limit is reached, it can be broken thanks to mana and the eccentric training of exorcists."
When those words reached Shinka's ears, he was surprised.
His heart stirred slightly.
"So, can any person use mana and do magic?" Shinka looked directly at Shizumi.
"Strictly speaking, there are few humans who can do magic like supernatural beings without having backing. Although we don't fully understand how it works, diabolical magic is based on imagination, but human magic is entirely real sciences. So unless you're very smart, it's complicated to use it without help."
'Now I understand... From the beginning, I had the advantage with magic. That's why it's so natural for me. It's because I have extensive knowledge. Great! It means if I want to improve, I must study more!'
He hid his smile with acting.
"And for example, if the human practicing it doesn't have a Sacred Gear, then they must be trained from a young age so their body uses magic, but if an adult tries to do it, then it would be impossible, unless they make a contract with a demon to use diabolical energy."
Shinka reflected for a few moments.
"That's really interesting. So, what types of Sacred Gears exist?"
Kaede seemed to look at the ceiling, trying to remember something, while Shizumi began to respond quickly.
"There are several types of Sacred Gears, and they have their own power scale. The strongest are the Longinus. They are the most powerful Sacred Gears, which can even kill the creator of the Sacred Gears themselves."
'A Sacred Gear with the ability to kill God...' Undoubtedly, that would be a statement to make anyone pale.
"In that classification, there's even a Sacred Gear with the ability to create other Sacred Gears. Annihilation Maker. There are Sacred Gears that create an avatar or creature that are obedient to you, others that are sealed and use you as a container in exchange for lending you their strength."
Shinka's eye contracted. He felt as if his subconscious self tried to become one again upon hearing such a statement.
He understood at that instant.
Sacred Gears were ambiguous in themselves.
"So, all Sacred Gears are objects?" Shinka swallowed.
"That's right."
"There aren't any that are like an abstract element? Like a video game?" The answer Shinka so eagerly awaited.
"That... I don't know. Even Annihilation Maker couldn't make a Sacred Gear as an abstract concept about something. At least, I think so." Kaede was the one to speak this time.
Shizumi seemed thoughtful and agreed with her sister.
Shinka froze for a few seconds.
"So, only humans have Sacred Gears, right? Demons and angels have their own power."
"That's right. The only way a demon can obtain a Sacred Gear is only if the demon was human before." Shizumi reflected.
"For angels too. The angel must have been a human born with a Sacred Gear, and I think the only way for a fallen angel to have one is if they were human, then converted into an angel, and then, having sinned, converted into a fallen angel."
'So it's true. Demons, angels, and fallen angels... How blind, stupid, and hasty I was.'
"You said that for a demon or an angel to have a Sacred Gear, they must have been human. How is it possible to change species? Earlier you also mentioned that my sister was reincarnated as a demon, but it doesn't make sense if I take it literally."
"W-Well, I don't have much idea about that, but from what I know, demons convert humans with special pieces. And only a human chosen by angels can be transformed into one with an unknown method." Shizumi doubted her knowledge; the boy noticed.
Shinka closed his eyes for a few moments, reflecting on all the information obtained.
'So, maybe my system isn't a Sacred Gear. And if it is, then it's one that has never been cataloged. If I understood their words correctly, then these are cataloged after several generations of people using them.'
'Which means if the system is a Sacred Gear, I am the first person to bear it...'
'Even so... Should I believe everything they say? This was too easy. As if they were here on purpose to answer my questions.'
WHOOSH!
The cell door suddenly opened.
"Idiots, he's interrogating you!" Raymond's voice made Shinka open his eyes again.
"You two go home. I'll take care of Kusaka." Raymond said while looking at his daughters with a furrowed brow.
"W-What? But we didn't even get to ask him anything!" Kaede refuted.
Her father just gave her an annoyed look, and she was forced to leave with her sister.
Kaede, while leaving the cell, gave Shinka a malicious look.
She moved her lips but made no sound. Still, Shinka could understand what she said.
'Bastard.'
He just stuck out his tongue at her as he watched her leave.
"I hope you enjoyed yourself. I left you that little space because I wanted you to have some context about the hidden world. But I can see you're still a bit lost. Now the real interrogation begins."