The Sorcerer's Handbook

Something felt off, but Denzel knew that in her amnesiac state, the truth was beyond her reach. She set the matter aside. Even if there truly was a problem, the Incarnation of Secrets was now in Ashe’s possession, which brought her a strange sense of peace.

After all, even if they were not lovers, Denzel felt they were quite compatible. They were companions who could explore the Amnesia Cabin together. Even if they weren’t lovers now, the future remained open. Of course, that depended on whether her restored memories revealed a pre-existing love.

If the Incarnation of Secrets proved vital, Denzel believed that, given their rapport, Ashe would part with it for the right price. And if it turned out she was already his lover, she might even obtain it for free.

Having settled their gains, Ashe, Denzel, Sonya, and even Phantom Denzel turned their gaze toward Phantom Ashe.

Phantom Ashe smiled. ”Why are you all looking at me? Empress, it is still your turn to pose a question.”

Phantom Denzel voiced the collective thought. ”You don’t plan to set the question with me? I have no desire to be interrupted by a ’wait’ in between every few sentences. I’ve developed a literal allergy to that word.”

Phantom Ashe chuckled. ”It seems our Empress is picky. But fret not. My next question differs from yours. It is a custom-made trial for us men. It is quite unsuitable for a lady’s participation.”

Ashe’s eyes lit up. ”A custom question for men? In that case, there’s no point in you two staying. Once the Mistress finishes her answer, you can leave the cabin—”

Sonya cut him off firmly. ”No way! I need to see exactly how sinful and filthy your inner world is. Only then, when I regain my memories and break up with you, can I truly say I’ve turned over a new leaf.”

”And if the question proves my inner self is pure, loyal, and upright?” Ashe countered, frowning. ”If I possess every virtue in the world, will you devote yourself to me then?”

Sonya paused, considering it. ”You’re not that kind of person. So, we’re still breaking up.”

”How can you be so sure? You’ve lost your memories. How can you judge my nature?”

Sonya said with a look of pure disdain. ”My nature hasn’t changed. Anyone who ends up as my lover couldn’t possibly be a ’good person.’ Birds of a feather flock together. Don’t you understand that?”

She spoke with such conviction that Ashe actually began to wonder if he had a criminal record.

Denzel added, ”I want to see your question too. You kept your promise and helped me analyze my answer. I’ll return the favor.”

Ashe, however, caught the faint hint of calculation in her tone. ”You wouldn’t normally justify yourself like that. You’re lying. What’s your real goal?”

Denzel didn’t blink. ”I want to understand you better. I want to know every secret—your likes, your shames, your nightmares. That information will serve as the foundation for my plans.”

Ashe’s eyelid twitched. ”Wonderful. Are you preparing entertainment plans for when we sneak around together?”

Denzel smiled, then turned back to her phantom counterpart. ”Let us begin my third question.”

”The third question still concerns this painting,” Phantom Denzel said, gesturing to the blindfolded girl in the album. ”The question is simple. What did you once do to this person?”

”Option one. You served her. In spirit, you were her follower; in action, her practitioner; in function, her servant.

”Option two. You possessed her. In spirit, you were her lover; in action, her knight; in function, her emperor.

Phantom Denzel raised three fingers. ”Option three. You desecrated her. You slaughtered her followers. You twisted and corrupted her glory. You distorted her teachings and shattered her commandments until the world forgot her Gospel. You became her only believer, and she became a deity belonging to you alone.”

Silence filled the cabin like a rising tide.

Sonya focused intently on Dia, refusing to let her gaze wander for even a second, as if Dia might suddenly wake up and strangle her. Ashe, meanwhile, sought refuge in a state of zen-like detachment. Suddenly struck by the wisdom of Total Emptiness[1], he attempted a mental jailbreak, trying to transcend the cabin through the sheer force of his imagination.

Denzel spoke softly. ”Knight, I’m sorry.”

”Huh? What?” Ashe’s voice trembled uncontrollably, afraid he might be the next one to be ”desecrated.”

With her eyes locked onto the Blindfolded Girl, Denzel said with a sharp smile, ”It seems I’m not your mistress after all. What a pity. I was quite looking forward to our... compatibility.”

She gave her answer without a shred of hesitation. ”I choose the third option. And there is no need to state the wager. I won’t be wrong.”

It wasn’t just Denzel. Even Ashe and Sonya knew it was the only possible truth. In this cabin, no one possessed a personality more ’simple’ than Denzel’s. It wasn’t simplicity born of kindness, but a terrifying lack of clutter.

She hid nothing. Every desire was printed on her soul as clearly as black ink on white paper, without a single stain, edit, or attempt at concealment. In contrast, Ashe and Sonya were like messy drafts. At first glance, their words seemed full of righteous logic, but the smudged ink between the lines, the hidden acrostics at the beginning and end of sentences, and the marks left from repeated erasures all revealed the truth. They were merely fantasists with guilty thoughts but not the courage to act.

So when the question involved Denzel’s personal actions, there was no need for deep analysis. One only had to start from her personality. Whichever option best matched something she would do was the most likely answer.

Yes, ”Serving” in option one and ”possessing” in option two were both possible, but option three, ”desecrating,” felt almost tailor-made for her.

To use an imperfect analogy, option one was like holding hands, option two was like kissing, and option three was the real thing. Someone like Denzel, who pursued intensity, would never stop at holding hands or kissing. She would go all the way.

In a sense, the three options formed a progression, testing the respondent’s level of obsession. Denzel was clearly a full-score candidate.

Phantom Denzel said, ”You answered correctly. The treasure you wagered for this question was your Expert-Level Tactics, and your reward is the equivalent Expert-Level Defense.”

Two streams of light surged into Denzel’s body, yet she paid no attention to her new strength. Her eyes shone with a predatory brightness as she stared at the unconscious Dia. Sensing the shift, Sonya stepped protectively in front of the girl, bracing herself to flee the cabin at a moment’s notice.

Denzel’s reaction was easy to understand. From the question, she had deduced that the Blindfolded Girl was the one she loved so deeply that she would share both bed and grave with her. But that girl was not here. In her place was only Dia, the one before them, bearing the exact same face.

With no additional information, Dia reached the inevitable conclusion. Ashe was not her lover. Dia was, or at the very least, she was the vessel for that affection and a substitute for the girl in the painting.

Ashe and Sonya reached the same conclusion.

On the surface, this simplified things. The cabin now held two couples. The exploration had shifted from a tense, deceptive game of survival into something resembling a social outing between two pairs. It sounded almost normal.

However, after witnessing this side of Denzel, Sonya’s conscience, limited as it was, flared up. She would never dare hand Dia over to her so easily.

***

Watching the warmth blooming in her original’s eyes, Phantom Denzel felt a trace of nostalgic sorrow flicker across her face.

”Do you ever think that a life like this might be a good outcome for them? They could live with their lost memories and simply maintain these current ties.”

Phantom Denzel looked at Phantom Ashe in surprise, but she soon realized that the originals had not noticed those revealing words at all.

A new rule had silently manifested in the cabin. The phantoms could now communicate privately, without the originals noticing.

This was clearly a newly formed rule. After all, this was the first time since the cabin’s creation that enough phantoms had gathered to allow for such interaction.

Phantom Denzel had almost grown used to the cabin constantly rewriting its own rules.

”Of course not,” Phantom Sonya, long sidelined, said coldly. ”This kind of shallow, pretentious affection makes me sick.”

Phantom Dia leaned closer to her. ”Really? Wait a moment, I’ll call out a sister. She’d definitely enjoy tasting the liquid gold that spills from a death-mad one—”

”I don’t think so either.”

Phantom Denzel looked at the Phantom Ashe. ”Whether in life, after death, or now, Denzel’s fate has always come from the deep love tied to the Gospel. She does not need a false substitute. She has not broken free from that web of love. Don’t keep her here.”

”I was only asking,” Phantom Ashe said with a smile. ”There’s no need to be so tense. We’re just phantoms. We don’t have any special abilities.”

Phantom Denzel finally understood. Among the four of them, three were already traitors. But when everyone around you seemed like a traitor, perhaps it was time to reconsider your own assumptions.

***

Ashe grabbed Denzel’s wrist, ”You just promised that you would wait until I finish answering before leaving.”

Denzel finally pulled her burning gaze away and slipped her wrist free. ”As long as she doesn’t leave early, I won’t either.”

Ashe had no idea how to resolve the situation after leaving the cabin, but for now, he could only continue answering questions to keep things stable.

”So it’s finally our turn?”

Phantom Ashe sat down in front of Ashe and smiled kindly. ”No need to be so nervous. I’m the phantom that carries your memories. Do you really think I would harm you?”

Ashe thought for a moment, then nodded. ”That makes sense. I should be a good person, so you probably aren’t that bad either.”

”Pfft.”

”Ahem.”

Phanom Denzel suddenly heard two ill-timed laughs in the private channel. She turned her head in confusion. Did the Watcher and Ashe just say something funny?

”Listening to my own self-praise is quite a strange experience...” Phantom Ashe lowered his gaze. ”Now then, let’s begin the second question.”

”There’s no need for an image this time. The question is simple. What’s the reason for your rebirth?”

Everyone froze. Rebirth?

”First, you willingly became a pawn of the Four Pillars Deities. You arranged a ritual to sacrifice the world, using countless lives as the price to gain a second chance.”

”Second, you collected countless Sorcerer’s Handbooks and, with the power of innumerable wishes, spent a thousand years to create a miracle that could overturn the world.”

”Third,” Phantom Ashe blinked, ”you don’t know why either.”

1. Total Emptiness originates from the ancient Buddhist concept of 四大皆空 (sì dà jiē kōng), which teaches that the physical world is composed of four shifting elements—Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. It means that nothing possesses a permanent, independent ”self,” rendering all worldly troubles as insubstantial and fleeting as a reflection in a mirror. In Ashe’s specific case, Total Emptiness serves as a desperate mental shield. Since he is terrified of the consequences of the question and the judgment of the women around him, his mind retreats into this philosophy to survive. ☜