Another day passed with me confined to bed.
That meant only five days remained until the academy opened.
Now, however, I was finally standing again.
The bandages that had once covered my body were gone.
My black hair was carefully tied back, neat and orderly. My silver eyes remained cold, yet there was now a trace of maturity within them.
I wore a black coat I had asked Marcus to bring me, since my old one had been badly damaged.
"My heart..."
I thought of the money Marcus had taken from me and instinctively clutched my chest before letting out a sigh.
"Anyway... it's time to leave."
I placed my usual mask over my face. Though, truthfully, it was useless around Marcus and Marcella.
"Time to go."
I walked toward the door and closed it behind me.
The tavern was nearly empty, perhaps because it was still early morning.
After saying goodbye to Marcus and Marcella, I stepped outside.
Warm sunlight fell over my mask.
I lifted my head slightly toward the sky before continuing on my way.
About half an hour later, I stood before the apartment building I had not visited for quite some time.
As usual, I entered, took the elevator, and rode it to my floor.
When the doors opened, I headed toward my room.
A faint smile touched my lips.
"Home."
There was no place better to return to.
I opened the door and stepped inside.
The familiar air.
The room.
The scent.
All of it made my smile widen.
"Hmm?"
My nose twitched slightly as I caught a faint smell coming from myself.
"First... I need a shower."
I headed straight for the bathroom.
Half an hour later, I came out dressed in clean clothes and lay down on my bed, holding a dusty notebook in my hand.
It was the notebook I had found beside the ring and the Eye of Truth.
I brushed the dust from the cover with my fingers.
"The Sorcerer's Journal."
I was disappointed in myself.
My abilities were powerful.
Because of my talent, I had already stepped beyond the level of ordinary people.
And yet...
I had nearly died so easily, as if I were nothing more than dust.
I had a serious flaw.
I was not cautious enough.
I was not afraid enough.
I had been arrogant.
After entering so many rifts recently, and despite never expecting that place to be a Gate rather than a Rift...
I had been a fool.
I sighed as I lost myself in thought.
I needed to fix the way I thought.
I needed to fix the weakness inside me.
"I survived for only two reasons."
The first was my skills—Eye of Truth and my talent for perception.
The second...
My ring.
"Ring."
I looked at the black ring that I was finally able to use again.
It was strange.
The novel had never explained it properly.
How could it change shape?
Why did it obey me?
Because of that, suspicion had begun to grow inside me.
And the answers were right before my eyes.
"The Sorcerer's Journal."
My gaze deepened as I looked at the cover once more, then opened it.
"My greetings from this old sorcerer to the new generations."
That was the first sentence written on the opening page.
"I do not know whether you have heard of me or not, but I was one of the great sorcerers after the First War... I was known as the Metal Sorcerer."
The old man went on to describe parts of his life and past, and I read with interest.
After a few more pages, I finally reached what I wanted.
"The Eye of Truth."
"I do not know if I can truly call it by such a name... for I do not know whether truth should be associated with demons."
"Huh? Wait."
I reread the line several times, then closed and opened my eyes.
The Eye of Truth came from demons?
What did that mean?.
"I assume one of you will inherit my skills after my death, for strange abilities such as this eye return to the world once their owner dies."
"As for its origin... yes, it was once one of a demon's eyes."
"I faced many humans, monsters... and even demons throughout my life."
"Together with two companions, I once fought a demon known as the Demon of Truth."
"It was not an S-Rank demon. In fact, it was only A-Rank."
"But despite all three of us being A-Rank as well... we could not defeat it in battle."
I stared deeply at those words.
The Eye of Truth was powerful, but..
"It could see our thoughts and our attacks."
"It was fast, avoiding everything as though it had already seen the future."
"After a long struggle, and after the sacrifice of one of my friends, we finally killed it."
"Then both I and the last surviving companion collapsed."
"We lost consciousness for hours."
"When I awoke first, I saw a golden light emerging from the demon's corpse."
"Curiosity drove me closer... and there I found an eye."
"The Eye of Truth."
I read in silence.
Even though my mind ached from overthinking, I continued.
My curiosity had only grown stronger.
If the Eye of Truth had once belonged to a demon...
Then what was the ring?
"The black ring... no."
"It had a name."
"The Formless."
"Yes, I believe that whoever reads this journal can already guess its true origin."
"It was a demon as well."
"Are you kidding me?"
I pressed a hand to my forehead in irritation and cursed under my breath.
"Years after obtaining the Eye of Truth, I grew stronger... very strong."
"I reached S-Rank and continued hunting demons."
"Then I encountered another one."
"This demon could disguise itself as a human."
"Its hands transformed into weapons, and its body shifted constantly."
"I killed it... but I did not survive that battle unharmed."
"I was dying afterward."
"It severed the source of my vitality."
"This time, unlike the Demon of Truth, I watched the demon transform into a black ring."
"A demon? Are you seri—"
I looked at the ring on my finger in alarm.
"Come off."
I tried to tear it away by force.
It did not move.
Not even slightly.
"That damned bastard never mentioned this."
I cursed the unreliable author.
Somewhere in the world, a beautiful young woman suddenly sneezed.
I continued trying to remove the ring, but every attempt failed.
So instead—
"Transform."
The ring shifted into a dagger in my hand.
I stared at it, then threw it away.
"Huh?"
A faint chill ran down my spine.
After a few seconds, the dagger slowly changed shape.
It became a bird.
A raven.
A black raven with dark eyes as black as its feathers.
It tilted its head toward me.
Then—
With a violent flap of its wings, it shot forward.
Before I could even move my head, I felt something familiar on my finger.
The raven had returned.
And once more, it became a ring.
"I'm cursed."
That was the only thought in my mind as cold sweat covered my body.
I ignored everything else, returned to the bed, picked up the journal, and continued turning the pages.
The sorcerer described the many weapons the ring could become, as well as the method of its evolution.
I already knew that part.
It only needed to consume metals or special weapons.
Eventually, I reached the blank pages and closed the journal.
Which meant the sorcerer had died.
After offering him a silent moment of respect, I lay back on the bed.
New problems.
A new life.
A demon and a demon's eye.
And only two days remained until the academy.
I was cursed.