The Mysterious Black Magician

Everyone around him was trying to cheer him up. Yman felt it from his sister and Almina. It was good that someone other than his sister treat him nicely.

Rea, on the other hand, was barely talking, even though she was always there beside him. Could it be that she was worried about him? She wasn't even mentioning their situation. The situation about him as her bodyguard. Whenever he tried to converse with her about it, she would look away and only made a sad expression on her face.

It was weird.

Her response towards him, whenever he opted for a conversation, was always reserved with only yes or no. It seemed like she didn't know how to make a conversation with him. Oddly, he felt so foreign towards her.

Although he tried to converse with her, the only voice that came out his mouth was inaudible. So maybe it was also the reason that she put away his advance for a conversation.

However, he could not get rid of the feeling that she wasn't on her usual self. It was his honest feeling at the moment.

He was gazing outside looking at the people flying everywhere on their transport bird, some were alone and some with pairs.

In truth.

Every night and day, Almina and his sister would come to visit him, telling him about the competition.

7 days had passed, his situation had never become better and worse and his stamina was always so low. It seemed like the time had stopped specially for him.

This day was the championship of the competition. However, he had no news about it lately. His sister and Almina seemed like they were avoiding mentioning it.

Whenever he tried to ask about it, they would drift the topic away.

Weird.

The first time he noticed that something wasn't right was after his sister asked to join the competition in his stead.

After that, he felt excluded. And although he felt weak, his mind was very active. 

It seemed like his illness was only in his body and his mind wasn't affected by it.

Isn't it weird? He thought. His instincts were screaming that something wasn't right in the current situation he was with.

Yet, another three days had passed. The sky had started to dim once again. He wondered if his sister also felt the same way he felt right now when she was in this kind of situation. For some other reason, their situation had reversed. 

He wanted to go out and do things he usually does. In fact, there were many things he wanted to do but… in his current situation, those things were impossible now huh.

"Brother, good night," said Yana.

"Mhm!" He could only nod.

After his nod, she turned off the light in the room.

Tonight, there was only him again in this hospital room.

Although he was currently lying on the bed, his eyes were gazing at the dim sky through the glass window curtained by a thin white cloth. So even if there was a curtain, he could still see the tiny twinkling stars in the skies.

Those stars are the same stars he was gazing with the other night. 

Well, it wasn't like stars would run away right? Wait!

Wait, wait, wait, isn't it weird? Those stars are in the same position as yesterday and the other days.

And also, he noticed something out of ordinary!

These past days, there were only stars in the skies. If he wasn't wrong, there should be Transport Birds going everywhere this time around. But why the hell they only showed in the daytime? And in the nighttime, not even one!

Since he was frequently gazing from the window the first time they arrived in this city, the first thing he noticed whenever he was gazing through it was that around this time several transport birds would pass by from time to time. People tend to travel this time of the night.

And yet, he could not even spot even one. It was easy to notice a transport bird as they were tied with blinking lights whenever they flew at night.

It was also why I liked gazing at them at night. They were like passing fireflies in the sky.

'It can't be…' he thought.

Yman pulled himself upward and sat on the bed. He gazed at his hand.

Now that he thought about it. In the morning, he occasionally heard the conversation of Yana, Almina, Rea, and the doctor. But never even once that he saw his doctor's face.

Also, it was impossible that Miss Pai did not come to visit him. 

C-could it be…?

Yman while gazing at his hand, he tried to summon his Crimson mana. A moment later his hands glowed in crimson.

He was right!

He was right!

He was right!

There was something amiss in his current situation! He was under some kind of interference.

To further confirm his suspicion, he opted to activate his black mana. Yman was sweating profusely while thinking about it. Even his chest could not settle. After all, if his notion was wrong, there was a high possibility that it backfired to him. Either the mana would end up eating his soul and turn him into a ruthless demon, or he would die on the spot. Since he already canceled his contract with Sistela in this world of illusion. It also meant that he had no more blessing from his deity. And because of no blessing from his deity, it would certainly be a dangerous move to take. Well, there was also the possibility that he would be fine. Since he had the demon's karma. After all, he had unusually high physical and mental attributes.

Regardless, he had to do it! And also he had a strong feeling that all these things weren't right! What was currently happening to him was too absurd. In fact, even if contracting the demon had a backlash on him, it should never like this.

In any case, he resolved himself and activated his black mana.

….. yet, after a couple of tries, nothing happened. His black miasma did not activate…..

And because it did not activate, it also meant that his suspicion was right.

He was under a strong spell! 

The possible explanation that his black miasma did not activate, was because his body was in good state. And this current situation was just an illusion! Right, he was under a strong illusion.

Yman could not remember when he was being attacked. Could it be from those youngsters from another academy? Or could it be from that monster he fought within the riverside?

There was no way Bruno was the cause of it!

Yman was in deep contemplation. He tried to remember the cause of his current predicament. Whoever it was, it was a super-strong illusion that could interfere directly with the target's physical body.

His mind was still able to think clearly so he assumed that this illusion wasn't able to interfere with his mind. Maybe because of his high resistance to mental interference.

At his current state, it could also be considered that he was under the illusion of someone capable of interfering with his five senses.

Such a strong spell! He shuddered in fright. The first time that he felt a chill running down his spine after he contracted the demon.

So, the question is… who was the caster?

Who was the illusionist?

There was one person he knew that was capable of such a high ranking illusion. But he wondered if she would use it against him. And if ever she did, for what reason though.

Hmm….. Yman went silent once again as he was trying to figure out something. Uhhhhh! No! It was impossible to be her. In fact, she could not use her illusion unless the target was inside her domain.

Well, since I couldn't tell if who is the caster, it's better to see for myself. And the heck! I'm so bored being under this illusion! I couldn't talk normally to Rea! Almina was acting weird and fake! My sister is…

Yman stopped when he realized something. No way! He thought. 

Currently his situation was still no better. Yman, who was currently sitting on his cross legged, closed his eyes and concentrated. The next time he opened his eyes, "Hey, Kid? What are you doing here?" The Demon of Possession asked in surprise. Did not expect to see a visitor in this domain.

"I want to ask you something…"

The demon narrowed his eyes towards him.

"What do you mean?"

"Let me use 70% of your power!"

"Are you kidding me?!"

The demon howled.

"..."

Yet he noticed the soul in front of him did not falter. 

Seeing the resolute soul, he sighed. "Okay… but don't come blaming me if something wrong will happen," he agreed.

"I won't!"

"Thank you, Mr. Demon!"

He then broke one of the Soulchains that was binding the soul of the demon.

After it, a strong burst of crimson mana enveloped his body that seemed like trying to explode the whole building. Then a moment later, he heard a sound similar to a broken glass.

Yman slowly opened his eyes, then a familiar ceiling greeted him. But this time, it was different. The pain that he was feeling recently was already gone.

He summoned the Cyber Screen and checked the time and the current date.

"10 hours only!?"

He was surprised to know that it had only been 10 hours since he passed out in the arena.

Looks like one day in that illusion was equivalent to 1 hour in real life.

Then he heard a soft snoring sound.