Salvatore opened his bloodshot eyes.
He hadn’t had enough sleep... but he couldn’t sleep any longer.
Black, web-like cracks had already crept out from the bronze necklace around his collar, silently covering his collarbones and throat.
And after Salvatore woke up, they began to retract at a visible rate, gradually withdrawing into the necklace.
"...It’s almost enough."
Salvatore muttered, "I need to find someone to knock me out... My body can’t take much more of this."
Only when he passed out suddenly, the Curse Binding would not react in time.
At the Heath Tower of Black, Salvatore would often seek a Soul Reaping wizard when he was overly exhausted, to strip away his consciousness and put himself to sleep.
Because it wasn’t "Salvatore" who was sleeping.
That way the Curse Binding could be circumvented.
Like all Transcendents.
The power Salvatore derived from his Curse Binding was also related to its nature—
"Can’t hold on any longer? I smell the scent of nightmares being purified, Saul."
A deep voice with a tinge of mad reverberations rose from the depths of his heart, "Tan Juan is truly remarkable, much stronger than you, the failure."
Salvatore was somewhat surprised, "Has he entered into a nightmare?"
He wasn’t surprised by the voice that was always putting him down.
Many people thought that Salvatore’s Curse Binding enabled him to do things in dreams—like studying or memorizing things in his sleep. That’s why his strength grew so swiftly, why he seemed to remember everything...
But only Salvatore knew that they were all wrong.
Few people knew what Salvatore’s true Curse Binding was...
Salvatore’s Curse Binding was called "Reflection of the Tireless".
It had the same memories as Salvatore, but a completely opposite personality; in most talents, it was far superior to Salvatore—because it was Salvatore’s reflection.
The areas Salvatore was least skilled in, the reflection excelled.
And it also meant that Salvatore could engage in dual thinking.
Indeed, the secret to his quick mastery of new skills lay in the fact that he and his shadow started learning simultaneously.
Usually, Salvatore was slower than his shadow.
Therefore, only Salvatore knew... he was no genius. On the contrary, he was a rare fool.
Otherwise, why would his reflection be superior to him in every way?
But he was also grateful to his reflection.
It was under the relentless mockery of the reflection that Salvatore’s mindset and emotions remained so stable;
And it was referencing the reflection that he knew what he needed to do, what kind of person he should become...
"You should demand some advantages from Tan Juan, Saul. You can get them."
The shadow whispered in his heart, "He owes you much."
"Alright, then it’s clear to me."
Salvatore nodded in understanding, deciding as usual to do the exact opposite of his shadow’s suggestion: "That is to say... I should go pay a visit to Tan Juan."
"Heh... go ahead, failure."
The shadow did not oppose his decision.
It merely mocked in a low whisper, "Today you almost didn’t wake up.
"—You’ll eventually fall asleep, you’re about to give in."
The shadow’s voice was like that of a hungry wolf, hoarse with layers of echo, "And then hand over your body to me."
"You’re wrong, I won’t..."
Salvatore covered his eyes with both hands, his eyes closed and face expressionless.
Even within the Black Tower, only his mentor Benjamin knew of Salvatore’s true Curse Binding. This is also why Salvatore suspected that Benjamin had not died.
Because his Curse Binding hadn’t gone out of control.
This means there must be another secret keeper...
According to Benjamin’s speculation, the correct usage of this "Curse Binding" should be for two selves who have completely different ways of thinking and areas of expertise to switch places at any time, learning and working simultaneously, while taking turns to rest.
But the problem is... Benjamin told Salvatore that because Salvatore’s own personality is very good, his "shadow self" is exactly the opposite and absolutely not trustworthy.
Therefore, Benjamin specifically set up a dual seal for this Curse Binding.
It uses the world at six in the morning, when Mr. Radiance sprinkles down the light of purification, as an anchor point and spans three hours on each side. That means the starting position is at three o’clock and the ending position is at nine o’clock, which is triple three.
—"Three" is a number that holds magic power in this world.
As the Lady of Silence who is opposed to the God of Darkness, she is the guardian deity of the third month, which is why all rituals involving seals must incorporate the number "three." Many wizards believe that in rituals of the same caliber, the more elements related to "three" there are, the more power they can borrow, and the better the effect of the ritual.
In other words, it is not that Salvatore can only sleep during the time period "between three in the morning and nine in the morning."
But only in this time period can he sleep without losing control of his body...
In other circumstances, as soon as he deliberately falls asleep, the shadow will crawl out from the necklace, gradually expanding. When the black mark spreads to his forehead, it signifies that the other Salvatore has come out.
To have him go back in—Salvatore must fall asleep once more.
"Tan Juan is here, Saul."
Just then, the shadow suddenly spoke up to remind him, "There’s a very scary person following him... I can’t smell his scent."
"...A very scary person?"
Salvatore was somewhat puzzled, slightly opening his eyes.
Was it scary for himself... or for the shadow?
"Senior, did you sleep well?"
Annan lightly knocked on the door, asking softly, "Are you awake?"
Salvatore’s gentle voice sounded, "I’ve been awake for a while now."
Annan walked in with a smile, followed by Bishop Daryl.
Seeing Bishop Daryl, Salvatore was visibly taken aback.
"Yes, Bishop Daryl," Annan answered earnestly, "With his assistance and guidance, I’ve almost completely purified Gerald’s nightmares."
Bishop Daryl merely nodded his head with a smile.
That plump face bore a benign smile devoid of any scheming.
"May you also be loved by the Silver Baron today, respected Tower’s Child... and our respected Lord."
As Bishop Daryl spoke, he bowed respectively to Salvatore and Annan, his portly body making the gesture seem somewhat comical.
Just as he was drawing out his words, Salvatore could distinctly feel his heart shiver.
"Ask him if he can see me," urged the shadow’s low and rough voice, excitedly ringing within Salvatore’s mind.
But Salvatore, choosing to err on the side of caution, decided to remain silent.
"It seems you have something to discuss."
Bishop Daryl spoke with a chuckle, "Then I, this old fellow, won’t disturb you.
"Lord, I will take the body of The Lord Viscount to the police station and wait for you. You can come find me once everything is taken care of."
"Thank you, Bishop," said Annan, nodding earnestly, his voice clear and crisp.
Soon after, Daryl closed the door and left.
"Tsk tsk, such an adorable child."
The shadow chuckled secretly within Salvatore’s mind, "But he’s too cunning... Being too cunning won’t help him grow tall.
"He’s acting, Saul. Why don’t you ask him who you really are? I guarantee you could scare the truth out of him."
—Keep talking, if I believe a single lie you tell, then I’ve lost.
As always, Salvatore completely ignored all of the shadow’s conventional advice.
From this perspective, he was also very grateful for his shadow.
It was undoubtedly a mirror for himself... It served to constantly alert him not to forget gratitude, to maintain moral standards at all times, and to avoid hastily suspecting others.
This stubbornness to never change was also a trait opposed by the shadow—belonging solely to Salvatore himself.