Abyss Draconis

But even then, there were still unsure thoughts in his mind, as the memories of the previous day became clearer, and Ryuk just had a question.

"How? How did I end up back on my bed?"

"I could remember soaring into the sky for whatever reason, but then... that's all there is to the memory. The part where I landed back from the sky and got to my bed isn't clear."

"So it must have been someone who brought me back? Just who? High Scholar Emeris?" Ryuk wondered to himself.

"Also, the breakthrough must have caused quite the phenomenon. I wonder if the news already spread that it was me, or if whoever or whatever was responsible is still being looked for." He frowned but shrugged his shoulders as he rose up from his bed and made it properly.

"There's not much I can do, save for keeping quiet and attending the day like normal. And now, it is closing in quickly—the time to go to class..." he muttered before moving into the bathroom.

______

"Cultivation at the Psymancer stage comes with a significant change."

"All through the previous cultivation levels—which are the Lucid Spark and the Thoughtweaver stage—all you have been capable of possessing is none other than absorbing Aether and trying to solidify the Mind Realm and create the Mind Core."

"But once the Mind Core has been fully created and well protected within the realm, it comes with access into something special," the words rang out through the green garden, where the various Royalty Children were seated, listening attentively to Instructor Kiyana in front of the group.

Amongst them, sitting silently and also listening attentively, was none other than Ryuk, who couldn't help but notice a couple of things.

One: the stares from the students had reduced compared to yesterday.

It was like some of them had eyes on him through the entirety of the class yesterday, but that had lessened a lot—a sign of being used to his presence.

And secondly, was about Instructor Kiyana.

The piercing looks in her eyes had somehow reduced compared to the previous day.

The previous day, she looked at him with a gaze that seemed to want to burrow into him, but now, her eyes were softer looking at him, almost the same expression as anyone sitting in the class.

It was a significant change, which Ryuk wasn't at all against.

"The birth of the capability of expanding consciousness..."

"Your Mind Palace, which also houses your Mind Core, begins to expand into a Mental Realm."

"Within a Mental Realm, you gain more access to your own known knowledge and memories."

"You can choose to 'erase' out some memories from your conscious brain, turning them into light constructs to be kept in your Mind Place and be read if you need them."

"Not only that, but you also begin to feel the power of Mental Projection—a natural effect of a Psymancer that allows them to influence not just senses, but also other minds."

"In this realm are those who are truly beloved by Aether revealed."

"Some of you will gain the ability to faintly see through thoughts, and some will even find a way to whisper into those thoughts, in a way that the one who is thinking about them will never understand you're the one who implanted the thought into them," she said—a word that made the eyes of some of the students gleam and reminded Ryuk of the Half-Fallen Ones instead.

She was able to read his mind. Something that he could now see was strongly more Aetheris-focused than Apex Energy-focused.

"And I am pretty sure there are just a couple amongst you who can do this—and are secretly doing this—no?" Instructor Kiyana said with a sly smile, as the students all quieted down, looking at each other as if suspecting themselves, but none made a comment.

"Just know that it's fine if you can read minds and even alter them. Power is power and not really to be feared. How it is used is what counts."

"We have very powerful mind readers and alterers among the Guardians, who are also capable of reading minds and entering them, and they can see directly through your minds or even see what you use them to do in the past."

"So if you use your ability to do bad… sooner or later, you'll be discovered by them and then be gravely punished."

"Those who can read and alter minds are treated like the Heavens' Sons and held in the highest regard in our Royalty Home, but their punishments are also the worst—since they can commit sins as grievous as that of the Devils Incarnate."

"Apart from being able to see and control thoughts, there are also other capabilities like being able to alter perception."

"Some of you here can expand your Mental Energy and make it seem like a patch of sea is present in the middle of this garden," she said.

And Ryuk's eyes flashed as he looked beneath him and found a small puddle of water suddenly leaking out, staining his cloth.

"What the hell!?" he said out loud, resulting in a loud laughter of mockery filling the air as his eyebrow furrowed when he touched his clothes and saw it wasn't wet—but the water puddle was there, but not for long.

In short, it was an illusion.

Turning his gaze to the side, he sighted the one who was responsible for doing it, and it was none other than the white-skinned Princess Eliana, who was chuckling mischievously along with some of the girls.

'Tch, kids!'

"As much as it is easy to cast an illusion, you must also be careful and know your limits."

"Let's take, for example, the illusion that was cast now by Eliana. It seems good, no? And Ryuk himself was fooled for a few seconds."

"But then, he was able to identify it was an illusion by touching his clothes and seeing it wasn't wet."

"That shows that the illusions crafted are not always perfect. There're always loopholes—although these loopholes are easier to fix once a Psymancer progresses in his or her understanding."

"Also, it must be noted that illusions will work harder on those who don't cultivate Aether than those who do."

"Those who do can see through it faster, while those who are just starting Aetheris cultivation or have never practiced it will most likely fall for it."

"This is one of the superpowers of the Psymancer Stage—The Captivating Power of Illusion."