The cold steel pressed intimately against my throat, the skin giving way as I applied slow, steady pressure.

  Should I do it? I wondered, staring into the mirror. Should I slice my throat open? Maybe then I would be reincarnated again. Perhaps this time, I’d be cursed with three sets of memories instead of two. I tested the edge against my skin, watching my reflection.

  "Pfft... Haha.. ha."

  I pulled the knife away, letting it clatter onto the wooden desk. A thin, red line wept a single drop of blood down my collarbone.

  "Pitiful," I scoffed, staring into my own dead eyes in the glass.

  I was broken.. there was no denying that. The dissonance of two lives fighting for dominance inside one skull was agonizing. It was a chaotic storm of fragmented pasts and foreign feelings…

  An amalgamation I was forced to subjugate, before it tore me apart completely.

  I knew I needed to do something about this quickly before the chaos inside me consumed me.

  There was one variable Viper had failed to calculate upon awakening in Seraphina’s skin and it’s the sheer, raw intensity of a teenage girl's hormone.

  I was a weapon born in a test tube, a lab rat whose emotions were cauterized. I had no natural defense against this. Trying to govern the hysteria of this new body was like trying to hold back a tidal wave with my bare hands.

  Maybe I could synthesize a suppressant, I thought desperately. To recreate the serum that lobotomized my limbic system.

  But this unknown world possessed properties beyond the recognition of Earth's science. Synthesizing it would be a-

  Wait.

  Right... Why didn't I think of that earlier?

  Magic.

  A sharp, malicious grin twisted my lips. Magic, magic, magic! That's right. I had been so busy playing the role of Seraphina back at the manor that I hadn't found a single moment to test this world's most potent tool.

  But now that I was living on my own, I was finally free.

  I bolted out of the room. First things first, I thought. I need to scout the academy, memorize its layout, and find the best route to sneak out.

  However, as I hurried down the corridor, I noticed something unsettling. It was eerily quiet. Aside from a few staff members, the halls were basically empty.

  I slowed my pace, approaching a lone maid who was polishing a window frame.

  "Hello, umm, excuse me. Do you perhaps know where the other students are?" I asked politely.

  The maid turned, looking a bit bewildered and confused. "Oh, I... I-uh... A-I uh, well yo- you see... s-students t-typically, you know? Arrive earlier." (she meant to say arrive later)

  I stared at her for a second, my expression blank. "Okay."

  I turned and jogged away immediately. What was that? I wondered, feeling a strange surge of joy bubbling up inside me. The way the maid had stuttered like a blithering idiot was actually... funny.

  Slap.

  I struck my own cheek, hard, stopping the chuckle in my throat.

  "Get a grip," I muttered.

  That burst of sadistic joy was the girl's hormones mixing with my own darker nature. It was a distraction. I needed to stabilize this mind before I did something reckless. I forced my focus outward, memorizing the architectural blueprints of the dormitory with every step I took.

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  After exiting the dormitory, I hurried toward the main academy building, slowing my pace only as I approached the front entrance.

  Another grand structure, I noted. It wasn't as towering as the skyscrapers or as sprawling as the mega-malls of my old world, but for a school, it was undeniably impressive.

  Stepping inside, I was immediately greeted by a large fountain. At its center stood a statue of the Goddess Dyssia, holding a chalice that poured an endless stream of water into the pool below.

  "Tch."

  I pressed a hand against my temple, a phantom headache pulsing the moment I looked at the statue.

  The Rite. The mere memory of it was repulsive. I forced the thought from my mind and scanned the front hall. It was a central hub, with several corridors branching off in different directions.

  As I looked around, I spotted a bulletin board cluttered with announcements, and right next to it. is exactly what I needed, a map.

  [Insert map here when you finish the layout]

  I hurried over to the bulletin board to examine the notices pinned there.

  The first was a simple warning: Keep familiars off the hallways.

  The second was much more aggressive. It angrily reminded students not to clutter the board with their own "nonsensical messages" without permission. It stated that if anyone wanted a flyer pinned up, they were required to submit a formal request to the Student Council first.

  Right next to the angry notice, I spotted a strange addition. It appeared to be a crude illustration of one of the male teachers, depicted as pregnant.

  I ignored the crude illustration pinned on the notice and traced my fingers on the layout of the school map. My finger stopped at the library. The scale of it was impressive.

  If the map is accurate, their collection must be vast.

  I decided to prioritize the magic tomes and theory section. As history, politics, and religion would undoubtedly be filled with propaganda.

  This was the Kingdom's main academy, after all. But magic was a law of nature. They wouldn't mess that up now, would they?

  Turning away from the board, I headed toward the library with purpose, scanning the halls as I walked. Teachers and upperclassmen were already wandering the corridors. I could feel their eyes tracking me. Whispers stopped abruptly as I passed, followed by looks of disdain.

  It seemed my infamy had spread faster than I expected.

  Not that it mattered. I couldn't care less what they thought. I was never built for infiltration or blending in. That was why they created Wolf.

  I finally reached the library and stepped inside slowly. Inside were halls of shelves stretching all the way up to an open mezzanine. At the center seemed to be the hub, as tables and chairs were haphazard and unorganized. On top of it was a massive chandelier lighting up the room.

  I scanned the library floor. It was nearly empty, save for two students. One was scouring the shelves up on the mezzanine, while the other was slumped over the main desk in the center, fast asleep. Judging by her position, she was likely the student librarian.

  Usually, the most efficient move would be to wake her and ask for the texts I needed. But after the hostile stares I attracted outside, I wasn't eager to draw more attention. It was better to stay under the radar.

  I made a beeline for the Magic and Theories section. I pulled a volume from the shelf and began to scan the text.

  Just as I suspected.

  My ability to process information rapidly has diminished. Whatever that ritual did to me, it has definitely dulled the sharp mental reflexes I possessed as Viper.

  I flipped through the pages, straining to speed-read and absorb the data, but the mental load was too heavy. Defeated, I sighed and snapped the book shut. Glancing around, my eyes landed on the open windows.

  Maybe that could work.

  I quickly gathered a stack of books, grabbing The Laws of Arcanum, A Novice’s Guide to Ether, and Principles of Spirit Contracting. With the stack in hand, I headed straight for the open window.

  If my brain can no longer process data at a supernatural pace, then I will fall back on the only methodology that actually matters.

  I hugged the stack of books to my chest, taking a slow, calculated step backward. In a split second, I coiled my muscles and sprinted for the open casement, sailing through the open window frame. I hit the ground with grace, landing perfectly on the lush green grass outside.

  Practical application.