The word east stayed with me.
Not dramatic. Not ominous.
Just… directional.
So I went east.
The eastern wing of the Skill Repository was quieter. Fewer footsteps. Fewer eyes. The shelves here were lighter in brightness, but the arrays felt denser, the tablets spaced with deliberate gaps—as if the family expected fewer heirs to wander this far.
Good.
After my encounter with Patricia Ironcreed, one fact had reasserted itself very clearly:
I needed a way to speak with Nova without looking like a lunatic, talking to myself.
Mental waves.
Mine were loud. Undisciplined. Emotional.
Nova had been blunt.
Unmasked. Broadcasted. Traceable.
I began looking for disguise-type skills.
Masking (C)
Presence Blur (A)
Hide Signature (B)
Total Facade (S)
Unlimited Disguise (SS)
I stopped at that last one.
Unlimited Disguise (SS)
The tablet pulsed faintly behind a silver barrier. The description shimmered.
---
Unlimited Disguise (SS)
Allows full alteration of appearance, voice, aura signature, and surface-level system identifiers. Can replicate known individuals or construct fabricated personas within Authority limits. Does not grant unowned abilities. Detection difficulty scales with INT and Authority.
> Identity is adjustable.
---
That was… appealing.
I imagined walking past family arrays as someone else entirely.
Then I imagined Elder Steve's black card dissolving uselessly against an SS barrier.
I exhaled.
A-rank is the limit.
Fine.
I moved on.
Most disguise skills focused on appearance. Some altered aura signatures. A few suppressed presences. Useful—but not what I needed.
I didn't want to hide my face.
I wanted to hide my mind.
I circled deeper into the eastern arc.
Spirit Intuition brushed faintly against something.
Not pressure.
Not danger.
Just attractive.
I followed it.
At the edge of a narrower ring floated a single crystal tablet, matte rather than luminous, its inscription almost understated.
Falsification (A)
I stepped closer.
The description unfolded.
---
Falsification (A)
Falsifies perceivable information within range. Alters interpretation, distorts recognition, and overlays alternative data onto targets, objects, or environments. Does not change physical reality. Strength scales with INT and Authority.
>Perception is malleable.
---
I read it twice.
Then a third time.
Perceivable information.
Mental waves… carry information.
Intent. Emotion. Fluctuation. Signature.
If someone perceived my mental waves—
And try reading info within—
Then I could falsify what they read.
Or at least… attempt to.
"Better to lie than to remain silent," I murmured.
Silence invites scrutiny.
Lies invite miscalculation.
I raised the black A-rank card Elder Steve had given me.
The tablet responded immediately, arrays parting with a soft hum.
The card dissolved into silver light and merged with the crystal.
The tablet drifted lower.
When I touched it, a clear prompt formed in my mind.
---
> Register Skill: Falsification (A)
> Confirmation: Yes / No
---
"Yes."
The world dipped for half a second.
No pain.
No surge.
Just a subtle expansion in perception—like adding a second layer behind the first.
The tablet dimmed completely, then disappeared.
I returned to the central platform and reported my selection.
"Falsification," I said calmly.
Elder Steve raised an eyebrow.
"Deception-type?"
"Information control," I corrected.
He studied me briefly, then nodded.
"Interesting choice. Utility-focused."
"That was the advice."
He smiled.
"See that you use it well," he said.
I inclined my head and left.
...
After I returned to my residence.
I went directly underground.
The training hall closed behind me with layered sigils sliding into place.
Dense air. Reinforced floor. No witnesses.
Perfect.
I stood still and activated the skill lightly.
Nothing flashy.
Just awareness.
Information became textured.
Edges sharpened.
Subtle distortions—like faint ripples in water—became noticeable.
Nova's voice returned.
[Should I call you a genius… or an idiot?]
I didn't bat an eye.
"Why, idiot?"
[Did you read the skill description properly?]
"Yes."
[You can falsify information you perceive.]
"Correct."
[Can you perceive mental waves?]
I opened one eye.
"…I can try."
[Just trying is not enough to perceive structured information.]
Silence.
Nova continued mercilessly.
[Even if someone reads your mental waves, you would need to perceive the content they read in order to falsify it. Can you read the info within the mental waves?]
I gave the empty air a flat look.
Nova paused.
[…You cannot.]
I exhaled slowly.
"Maybe not."
[Then this was premature.]
I closed both eyes again.
"Or maybe," I said calmly, "I have something that can."
Silence.
I continued.
"I may not be able to read mental waves on my own."
"But I have a lens that can not only show them… it can interpret them."
Nova did not respond.
"If I perceive mental waves and their contents through you," I continued, "and continuously falsify them using this skill…"
"Then over time, I'll learn to perceive their presence and structure myself."
The air felt very still.
"…You plan to use me as a detection & translator tool."
"As a training partner," I corrected.
A longer pause this time.
Then—
[…I retract 'idiot.']
A faint smirk tugged at my lips.
"So. Why genius?"
Nova's tone shifted—cooler. Sharper.
[Because skills aligned with the Law of Falsehood possess great potential.]
"What do you mean?"
[Reality functions on Laws as Laws are the absolute truths.]
The training hall seemed heavier as it spoke.
[They can grow. They can bend. They can adapt. But they do not change.]
I listened.
[However, the Law of Falsehood does not directly oppose a Law. It circumvents perception of it.]
I frowned slightly.
"In simpler terms?"
[For example, Magic.]
I nodded slowly.
[Mages, wizards, sorcerers—whatever your terminology—invoke the world's truths to shape mana.]
"Yes."
[They operate within the system of Laws.]
Nova continued.
[But Magicians—those who specialize in trickery—do not merely invoke truth.]
"They distort it."
[They alter interpretation.]
[For a brief moment, they make reality misread itself.]
That sentence lingered.
"But people don't prefer Magician classes," I said. "They prefer Mages, wizards, sorcerers."
[Because in early stages, when Rules and Laws play minimal roles, Magician classes are simply weaker magic with theatrics.]
Ahh... That made sense.
[But in higher stages, when Law comprehension becomes central, Magicians become dangerous.]
"Why?"
[Because they are not bound by chains of truth.]
[They do not play by the Laws.]
[They trick them.]
A faint chill ran down my spine.
Nova continued.
[The best example is the Devil race.]
I stilled.
[Their race composition is overwhelmingly Magician & Trickster-based.]
[With a few exceptions.]
"There's a reason for that," I murmured.
[Yes.]
Devils aren't just known for their brute magical supremacy.
They were known more for contracts.
Loopholes.
Interpretation.
Exploiting wording.
Exploiting perception.
Even cosmic agreements.
I let out a slow breath.
"So this isn't just about hiding mental waves."
[No.]
"This is about learning how to mislead perception itself."
[Correct.]
I flexed my fingers, activating Falsification lightly again.
The world felt… a little editable.
Not rewritten.
Just… misdirectable.
A small grin spread across my face.
"Looks like I picked up something good."
Nova didn't disagree.
Which, from it, was high praise.