Zael did not create Zane in a moment of impulse.
He prepared for it like a craftsman preparing a masterpiece.
The room was sealed with layered concealment arrays, every surface etched with faint blue runes that distorted mana perception. Even if someone stood outside the door, they would feel nothing more than a quiet, empty space.
Zael stood at the center of the room and raised his hand.
A pale interface shimmered into existence.
[Mythical Talent: Twin Manifestation — Active]
Light gathered.
It was not explosive or dramatic. It flowed like ink in water, shaping itself with deliberate precision. A silhouette formed first—same height, same build. Then features sharpened: black hair, calm expression, and those unmistakable blue eyes that seemed to hold depth far beyond their surface.
Zane opened his eyes.
They were identical.
Not just in face.
In presence.
Zael felt the familiar tug inside his chest—the synchronization link settling into place.
[Link Established]
[Level Synchronization: Active]
[Shared Growth State: Enabled]
If one of them gained a level, the other would follow.
If one advanced, the other could not lag behind.
Zane flexed his fingers, testing his body.
"So this is me," Zane said, voice steady.
Zael nodded. "This is the version of me the world can see."
Zane's lips curved faintly. "And you?"
"I stay out of sight."
Zael handed him a prepared cloak and academy uniform—tailored to fit perfectly. The illusion was complete. Anyone who saw Zane would see a talented student. A promising awakener. A future star.
Not a clone.
Not a decoy.
Not a shield.
Zael dismissed the interface and stepped back.
"Remember," he said, calm but firm, "you're not reckless. You're impressive, but controlled. You win cleanly. You don't expose anything beyond what I allow."
Zane inclined his head. "Understood."
---
The Awakener Guild was already busy when they arrived.
Zael did not walk beside Zane.
He followed from a distance.
Hood up.
Mask secured.
Mana signature suppressed.
To the world, Zane was alone.
Inside the grand hall, crystal counters lined the walls, each attended by a uniformed clerk. Awakener banners hung from the ceiling, and glowing boards listed available missions, rankings, and registration announcements.
Zane approached the nearest counter.
"I'd like to register," he said.
The clerk glanced up. "Name?"
"Zane."
A crystal panel rose from the desk.
"Place your hand here."
Zane complied.
Light flowed over his palm.
[Identity Registered]
[Level: Synced]
[Profession: Combat Scholar]
[Talent Detected: Unique]
The clerk's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Unique talent?" she murmured, then smiled professionally. "Congratulations. You'll receive an advanced card."
She handed him a dark-edged awakener card.
Zael watched from the far side of the hall, expression unreadable.
No connection detected.
No trace leading back to him.
Perfect.
---
Money came next.
Zael sold everything he had gathered from the wilderness through a masked broker: the Venom Gland, reinforced plates, hardened hides, refined cores. He kept only what he needed and converted the rest into clean, traceable funds.
Then he went shopping.
Skill books were arranged behind glass cases, separated by grade and function.
Common skills were cheap.
Rare skills were guarded.
Legendary skills were sealed behind mana locks.
Zael stood before the middle tier and selected carefully.
Not power.
Persona.
He bought:
• A high-grade movement technique
• A weapon mastery skill
• A perception-enhancing combat art
• A defensive reinforcement method
Gold grade.
Strong enough to be respected.
Weak enough to be believable.
Back in the sealed room, he laid the books out before him.
And raised his hand again.
[Supreme Blessing — Target: Skill Book]
Light descended.
The first book trembled.
Gold turned to blazing crimson.
[Movement Art → Legendary: Phantom Step]
The second followed.
[Weapon Mastery → Legendary: Sovereign Blade]
The third.
[Perception Skill → Legendary: Combat Clairvoyance]
The fourth.
[Defense Art → Legendary: Adamant Guard]
Four skills.
Four pillars.
Enough to craft a genius.
Zane stood silently as Zael embedded the skills into him.
Power settled into his frame without resistance.
His aura sharpened.
Refined.
Distinct.
Zael stepped back and studied him.
"Good," he said. "This is what they'll see."
Zane tilted his head. "And the mythical one?"
Zael's eyes darkened slightly.
He activated the final interface.
[Upgraded Talent: Battle God]
He did not bind it as a skill.
He bound it as Zane's talent.
To the system.
To the world.
Zane's sheet now read:
[Talent: Ascendant Echo— Mythical Grade]
No one would question it.
A rare prodigy with a mythical-grade talent.
A perfect explanation for impossible efficiency.
A perfect mask.
Zael exhaled slowly.
"From now on, you're the miracle."
"And you?" Zane asked.
"I'm the shadow behind it."
---
They tested synchronization in silence.
Zael struck a training construct.
Experience flowed.
[Level Increased]
Zane's aura pulsed.
[Synchronization Complete]
They both felt the shift.
The same.
Instant.
Seamless.
Zael's lips curved slightly.
"So if you level…" he said.
"…you level," Zane finished.
They shared a quiet understanding.
Neither would grow alone.
---
That night, Zane left openly.
Zael did not.
Zane walked into the city lights, registered and visible.
Zael watched from the rooftop above the guild.
"Go," he murmured.
Zane disappeared into the crowd.
By morning, rumors would start.
A new awakener.
Unique talent.
Legendary skills.
A genius in the making.
And Zael…
Zael turned away.
He had finished building the face the world would recognize.
Now he could move freely where it did not look.
And with the university entrance exams approaching, the stage was set.
One would shine.
One would hide.
Both would rise.
Together.
---
Morning light slipped through the narrow window of Zael's rented room.
He opened his eyes without moving.
There it was again.
That second heartbeat.
Not in his chest… but somewhere beside his existence.
Zane.
Zael focused inward.
[Synchronization Stable]
[Shared Level: 12]
[Shared EXP Pool: Active]
A faint sensation answered him—awareness from another body standing somewhere else in the city.
"So you're already awake too…"
Zael rose, dressed, and fastened his half-mask. His movements were lazy, almost careless, but his mind was precise.
Zane would be seen.
Zael would not.
That was the rule.
He stepped into the street while, at the same time, Zane entered the Awakener Guild.
---
Awakener Guild — Zane
Eyes followed him immediately.
Whispers trailed behind his steps.
"That's him…" "The mythical talent…" "So young…"
Zane ignored them and touched the mission crystal.
[Mission Accepted: Subjugation — Horned Fangwolves (Fringe Zone)]
Zael felt the confirmation echo through the link.
Vision overlapped.
Grasslands replaced stone streets.
---
Movement in the brush.
Three shapes emerged.
Before they attacked, information unfolded.
[Horned Fangwolf]
Level: 15
Strength: Low
Agility: Moderate
Endurance: Low
Threat Level: Low
Zane drew his blade.
The first wolf lunged.
One step forward.
One cut.
Its head rolled free.
[Kill Confirmed]
[EXP Gained: 120]
The second came from the right.
[Horned Fangwolf]
Level: 14
Strength: Low
Agility: Moderate
Zane ducked and stabbed upward.
Heart pierced.
[Kill Confirmed]
[EXP Gained: 110]
The third hesitated.
Stats appeared.
[Horned Fangwolf]
Level: 16
Strength: Low
Agility: Moderate
Zane sprinted and ended it.
[Kill Confirmed]
[EXP Gained: 140]
A pulse of warmth spread through both bodies.
Zael paused beside a street vendor in the city.
His vision flickered briefly.
[EXP: 3,870 / 4,500]
"…Fast," he muttered.
---
Later.
A massive shape burst from behind a ridge.
[Rockhide Boar]
Level: 23
Strength: High
Endurance: High
Agility: Low
Threat Level: Moderate
It charged.
Zane slid aside and slashed behind its leg.
The tendon snapped.
The boar collapsed.
One thrust through the skull.
[Kill Confirmed]
[EXP Gained: 420]
The EXP bar surged.
[LEVEL UP]
Level: 13
Zael nearly choked on his fried skewer.
He stopped walking.
Heat surged through his limbs.
His vision dimmed for half a second.
Then—
[Status Updated]
Name: Zael
Level: 13
EXP: 0 / 5,200
Strength: 24 → 26
Agility: 28 → 30
Endurance: 22 → 24
Perception: 31 → 33
Mana: 35 → 38
Zael stared.
"…So even passively, I grow."
In the wilderness, Zane flexed his fingers.
The same increase.
-----
Near a ravine, something hissed.
[Venom Spine Lizard]
Level: 31
Strength: Moderate
Agility: High
Endurance: Moderate
Threat Level: High
Acid sprayed.
Zane dodged.
Closed the distance.
Blade entered beneath its jaw.
[Kill Confirmed]
[EXP Gained: 680]
The bar rose again.
[EXP: 680 / 5,200]
Zael felt it from the city.
A slow, steady pull upward.
Not explosive.
Not unstable.
Controlled.
---
Evening
By the time Zane returned to the guild, his cloak was dusty with travel and monster blood.
Rumors had already begun.
"He's farming like it's nothing…" "He killed a Rockhide alone…" "That talent is cheating…"
Zael listened from afar, seated on a rooftop.
Perfect.
Let them see Zane.
Not him.
---
Night — Zael's Room
Zael locked the door and activated his concealment array.
Only then did he open his full status.
[Status Window]
Name: Zael
Level: 13
EXP: 680 / 5,200
Strength: 26
Agility: 30
Endurance: 24
Perception: 33
Mana: 38
Talents:
• Supreme Blessing (Mythical)
• Ascendant Echo (Mythical)
He shifted his focus to the second talent.
[Ascendant Echo— Mythical Grade]
— Creates autonomous clones
— Synchronizes level and EXP
— Shares sensory input
— Masks true identity
— Can assign false talent profile
Zael leaned back against the wall.
"So when Zane fights…"
"…I level."
"And when I level…"
"…he does too."
Two existences.
One growth.
One shadow.
Outside, lanterns lit the streets.
Somewhere, Zane was preparing for another mission.
Somewhere else, students were preparing for university entrance exams.
And far away, a white-haired girl with Eyes of the Future had not yet heard his name.
But soon…
She would.
And when she did, the world would start watching the wrong person.