The Sorcerer's Handbook

Hiss, hiss, hiss!

Before anyone could react, invisible spider threads had already coiled around Sonya and Dia. The webbing clinging to them looked dull and viscous, like tongues rising from a swamp or barbed hooks from a demon. Within seconds, the threads piled thicker and thicker, trapping them inside a decaying cage.

Dia shrieked and jumped up, frantically trying to tear the webbing away. ”Ah! It’s so filthy!”

The threads, however, felt half-real and half-illusory. Not only was she unable to remove them, but her struggling only made them denser. Already mottled with grime, she now looked completely bedraggled. As she thrashed on her chair, one of its legs suddenly snapped with a sharp crack, sending her crashing to the floor with a heavy thud.

Sonya’s eyes sharpened. ”You!”

She drew her sword and charged at Denzel, but in the next instant, her toe caught on nothing but air. She stumbled violently, slammed onto the wooden floor, and her sword skittered out of her hand.

The power of Weaving was truly terrifying. Without even breaking a sweat, Denzel had neutralized both opponents.

Ashe stood frozen, stunned by the sudden violence. When he finally snapped back to his senses, he turned toward Denzel. ”Mistress, isn’t this a bit much? We don’t even have our memories yet. Maybe—”

Denzel leaned in close, her face brushing against his. ”There are no ’maybes.’”

Her indigo lips pressed lightly against the corner of his mouth. ”As you said, personality shapes memory. I know very well what kind of person I am. If I truly love someone, my heart will hold only that person. In return, I would demand that no reflection but mine appears in their eyes.

”If you really are my lover... if I really am your mistress... Then I will not let you leave me, and I will not allow anyone else to come near you. Love means being each other’s only one. Love means mutual possession.”

Denzel spoke without the slightest tremor in her voice, as if she were simply explaining why there was no pudding for breakfast. ”I don’t know why my past self didn’t get rid of those two pests by your side, but I’m certain my future self will thank me for what I’m doing now.”

Ashe had not expected the harmonious ”crystal palace” he had painstakingly built to backfire so spectacularly.

When he had deduced their relationships earlier, it would have been a lie to say he had no selfish motives. By positioning himself at the center of everyone’s connections, he had naturally hoped to gain their attention and favor.

At first, the results had been promising. The younger sister, Dia, listened to him. The lover, Sonya, remained wary but had begun to open up, while the mistress, Denzel, seemed quiet and reserved. Everything had been under control. Under his careful guidance, no violent conflict had broken out in the cabin.

However, Denzel had remained silent not because she accepted his logic, but because she hadn’t believed a word of it. She had simply let him talk nonsense. Only after Ashe used the phantoms, Phantom Denzel in particular, to prove that she really was his mistress did Denzel reveal a sliver of her true nature. The monster lurking beneath the calm sea had finally awakened.

Seeing their real selves suddenly began to fight, Phantom Sonya narrowed her eyes slightly. Her fingertip brushed the ruby hilt of her sword.

A chilling gaze pierced through the phantom’s body. Phantom Sonya tilted her head slightly, finding Phantom Ashe smiling at her. ◉‿◉

After a brief, heavy silence, she withdrew her hand from her hilt. Only then did Phantom Ashe look away.

Phantom Dia watched the brawl with rapt interest. Only Phantom Denzel noticed the interaction between the two phantoms. A flicker of confusion crossed her eyes.

Noticing Ashe attempting to break free, Denzel tightened her embrace. ”Don’t move. Let me handle this. It will all be over soon. I don’t want to hurt you...”

In that moment, Ashe suddenly twisted around and forcefully pulled Denzel into his own arms. She froze for a heartbeat, then obediently buried herself against his chest.

Even without my memories, this feeling... it doesn’t seem so bad...

Ashe whispered into her ear, ”You are a dangerous woman. You are brilliant and dazzling, breathtakingly beautiful, yet your emotions run so deep, so extreme. I can see why I’d be completely captivated, even to the point of ruining my life without regret. I’m even starting to think... maybe the reason we came here was to lure those two into a trap and deal with them, so we could spend the rest of our lives together without a care in the world.”

Dia, still struggling against the webbing, froze. She lay on the ground, staring blankly at Ashe’s back. Sonya had just tried to push herself up when she stumbled and fell again. This time, the impact hurt far more than the last, and tears nearly welled in her eyes.

For the first time, a hint of joy touched Denzel’s usually stoic face. ”I am glad you understand my decision.”

Ashe tightened his grip. ”But that is absolutely impossible. Because... I know very well that I am not the kind of man who could ever be that ruthless.”

For reasons unknown, a soft chuckle escaped Phantom Dia, but no one paid her any mind, because...

Fwoosh!

Blue flames erupted around Ashe. Denzel tried to break free, only to realize that even with the enhancement of her unique form, his strength completely suppressed hers. It wasn’t just his power. The four layers of armor protecting her felt like thin air, effortlessly bypassed by his touch. It was as if she stood defenseless in his grasp.

The blue flames pierced her armor with ease. It was an ability that ignored defenses entirely. The flames condensed and solidified, forming a suit of armor over Ashe’s body, equipping him as a warrior of the stars.

Star Hall · Starshot Warrior!

Ashe bent his knees, drove his hips back, and hauled Denzel with him as he arched backward. He unleashed a devastating suplex.

Bang!

A heavy, resonant impact shook the entire cabin. The surrounding furniture rattled as if cheering for the strike.

Denzel felt the world spin. By the time her vision cleared, Ashe was already straddling her, pinning her down. He pressed his elbow firmly against her neck and said, ”Undo the Weaving. Now.”

”Kill me.”

”Hm?”

”If you insist on protecting them, then kill me,” Denzel said, her voice remaining eerily calm. ”I won’t regret it, and I won’t change my mind. Right now, you are my lover, and they are my enemies. That means only one side can live. Now, I hand that choice to you.”

”We don’t even have our memories right now. Can’t we—”

Denzel interrupted, ”Are you truly that reliant on such rigid, worn-out clichés? If we have truly lost our memories and can only start from this moment, then tell me. Would you choose to be with me and abandon them in this cabin?”

Ashe fell silent. Even with the blindfold covering her eyes, Denzel seemed to have already seen through him. A trace of disappointment crept into her voice. ”It seems you’ve made your choice.”

Ashe spoke up suddenly, ”Actually, I’m not finished with my deduction yet. While it’s likely we are all close, that doesn’t necessarily mean all of you are connected to me.

”Mistress, didn’t you notice? You only remembered your ability, Seeker of Secrets, after seeing that painting. That question belongs to you.”

Denzel paused. ”You mean...”

Ashe glanced at Dia behind him. ”The person you love most might not be me. It could also be her. If we lose all our memories after leaving this cabin, then slaughtering them now might not bring you regret. But what if you kill them, only to realize later that the one you truly loved is already dead? Wouldn’t you regret it then?”

Denzel fell into a heavy silence.

Ashe let out a quiet breath of relief and pressed his advantage. ”Look at it this way. Killing someone here might lead to irreversible losses, but helping someone only brings gains. Even if you help the wrong person, you can settle the score once you regain your memories. There’s no need for us to be at each other’s throats.”

Denzel asked, ”What about the lover? The knight and the sister both appeared in my question, but the lover didn’t. If I kill her, there should be no risk at all, right?”

Ashe paused for a moment, then nodded. ”Yes.”

Sonya froze. She didn’t try to stand, nor did she shout or beg. Like a small girl beneath a tree, she lowered her head and stared at the wood grain on the floor, stubbornly refusing to make any move that might sway Ashe’s decision.

Ashe said seriously, ”But she is my lover right now, and I am her knight. Can you give me some face?”

”Why not just kill me instead?”

Ashe tilted his head slightly. ”Because you are my mistress right now. And... I don’t want to do something I’d regret either.”

Through the thin barrier of the blindfold, Denzel met his gaze. After three long breaths, she gave a faint nod. ”Fine. But you owe me.”

”I’ll repay it.”

As Ashe pulled Denzel to her feet, the spiderwebs binding Sonya and Dia quietly dissolved.

The four of them looked at one another. Still disheveled from her miserable struggle against the silk, Sonya wore a dark, simmering expression. Even Dia sneaked a few glares at Denzel. Meanwhile, Denzel’s face remained unchanged, showing no intention of apologizing.

Ashe sighed, wondering if he had made a mistake constructing such a fragile balance. He stepped between them and spoke with a weary tone. ”Can we answer the question first?”

Hearing the plea in his voice, Sonya shot him a sharp glare before reluctantly sitting down. Dia grabbed his hand and bit it hard, then blew on it gently to show she was still angry. Only then did she finally take her seat beside Sonya.

Phantom Dia sounded somewhat disappointed. ”Huh? Is it over already? Then let’s begin answering.”

The three of them turned toward Denzel. Ashe asked, ”Can you figure out the answer to this question?”

Denzel nodded and activated her Peering ability. The patterns on her spiderweb blindfold glowed with a faint purple light. ”My answer is... her.”

***

At the Sennheiser Family District in Vanmura.

Upon his return, Pankey reported, ”It’s already three. Ashe’s connection to the Virtual World is stable. It looks like the Blissful Peace Agency didn’t make a move tonight.”

”Or maybe they already failed and withdrew,” Annan said, lying on her bed with a facial mask. ”Underestimating Ashe usually ends poorly.”

”But Mr. Heath hasn’t appeared on any of the rankings...”

”He did. First place,” Annan responded with her eyes closed. ”You don’t seriously think I was the one behind the number-one spot on the Art Ranking, do you?”

”But that could still be the result of your arrangements, Miss...”

Annan countered, ”If it were, then why didn’t Iger and the others make the list? Since the Gospel chose Ashe, it means he possesses something exceptional that we don’t yet understand. Check the news tomorrow morning. He might have a surprise for us.”

She adjusted herself slightly. ”You should go get some rest. I’m about to enter the Virtual World as well.”

Pankey nodded and quietly closed the door behind him. Annan lay still for a moment, but she did not summon her spirits to open the Gate of Truth. Instead, she called forth the Book of Gospel.

”I should confirm the plan one more time...” she murmured softly. With a light tap on the Book, the remaining points in her account began to drain at an astonishing rate.

As they vanished, a spiderweb blindfold materialized over her eyes. This was the greatest secret of the Dolan family, and also the treasure the Sennheiser family could never obtain. It was Annan’s trump card to desecrate the gods.

[Account: Denzel Dolan]

[Password: Denzel·Miller·Clement·Joseph... Leix·Annan]

[Verification successful. Welcome back, Your Majesty.]

Annan’s voice grew distant and cold, as though another soul had spoken through her lips, ”Burn the name of Dolan and illuminate the web of the Gospel! Let me see a farther future.”