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Chapter 27 - Chapter 26 – Flames in the Mirror

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A Memory That Burns

The dream began the same way it always did.

A child stood before a mirror, his body bloodied, his reflection broken.

Around him, the mansion blazed. Crimson flames licked the sky. Servants screamed. Guards fell.

And above it all stood a man cloaked in divine light—his face hidden, but his voice unforgettable.

> "You were never meant to exist."

The child reached for something—anything.

But all he could grasp was a piece of a shattered sword.

The memory ended with a scream.

And Harvey woke with fire in his lungs.

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The System's Voice

> [Corrupted Fragment Recovered: 2/7]

[New Trait Progressing – 'Ashborne']

[Warning: Soul Stability Falling]

Harvey sat on the edge of his bed, sweat trailing down his neck.

The system was accelerating.

Every duel, every unlocked memory—it was all pushing him closer to the person he used to be.

> "If I go too far," he whispered, "I won't come back."

But he wasn't planning on coming back anyway.

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The Class That Changed Everything

That morning, Harvey entered Professor Kaleid's Advanced Arcana Class, where spell engineers and theoretical mages gathered to learn magic creation.

No one expected him to be there.

Not even the professor.

> "Mr. Everhart?" Kaleid blinked. "This class is only for rank S and above."

> "Then consider this my entrance test."

The professor hesitated. But before he could refuse, the classroom door burst open again.

And in walked Liora Crestfallen.

> "I'll vouch for him," she said simply.

The class went silent.

Liora? Vouching for someone?

Kaleid blinked twice, then nodded. "So be it. Design a working spell array. You have ten minutes."

Harvey didn't even need five.

He knelt, used his own blood as ink, and etched a runic structure the class had never seen.

A hybrid of fire, shadow, and soul energy.

When he activated it, a mirror formed.

Not a reflection—but a gate.

A door to his sealed memories.

> "What… is that?" one student gasped.

> "That," Harvey said coldly, "is what you call a warning."

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The Spellbreaker's Rise

Later that night, Professor Kaleid stood before the faculty board.

His voice was tight. His hands trembled.

> "This boy—Harvey Everhart—he's not just a mage."

> "He's a living contradiction."

> "His magic shouldn't exist."

Across the board, one name was spoken for the first time in ten years.

A name the Empire had buried.

A name that made archmages fall silent.

> "Spellbreaker."

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