Mio and Ayaka stood frozen in the doorway, their eyes darting between the three identical Neros.
The air inside the dojo was thick with the scent of ink and burnt wax, evidence of nights spent pushing magical theory past its limits.
The room itself was a disaster.
Scrolls and parchment teetered in haphazard stacks, talismans half-formed and scattered across the floor.
Flickering seals lined the walls, pulsing erratically as if refusing to settle into a stable state.
Every inch of space seemed to scream: madness happened here.
But none of that compared to the three versions of Nero currently staring back at them, each wearing the same infuriating smirk.
Ayaka was the first to break the silence. "…What. The. Hell."
Mio blinked, her mind still buffering. "Is this a prank?"
The Neros exchanged glances, then the one in the center, presumably the original, grinned. "Oh hey. You're just in time."
Ayaka's eye twitched. "In time for what? Losing our minds?"
The Neros responded in unison, smug and eerily synchronized.
"To admire the brilliance of my genius, of course."
Silence.
Mio finally found her voice. "Did… did you clone yourself? Like Uncle Mu and Zen?"
"Sort of," said the clone on the left, arms crossed.
"Technically, we are some kind of Shikigami," added the one on the right, adjusting his collar.
"But with far more complexity."
The real Nero stepped forward, hands behind his back. "And if I say anything more than that…"
He paused, tone dropping dramatically. "I'm afraid I'll have to silence you."
A beat.
"Forever."
Ayaka's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't dare."
"Try me," Nero said sweetly.
"I will unravel every seal in this room until I find out what you're hiding," Ayaka warned, already stepping forward.
Nero tilted his head, entirely unfazed. A smirk tugged at his lips.
"I admire the persistence, but I am afraid I will have to refuse, even for you, Ayaka."
Ayaka's composure cracked.
"Do you have any idea how much we worried about you?" she blurted.
Then, quickly crossing her arms, she looked away, cheeks flushed. "Idiot."
A beat passed.
"Alright, alright, enough kids." Zen drawled, strolling in with his hands casually tucked behind his head.
"Before Ayaka starts blowing up a dojo over a curiosity tantrum, let me offer some friendly advice."
He stopped near the doorway and gave Ayaka and Mio a lazy, knowing grin.
"Every wizard has secrets," he said.
"Best not to snoop too deep unless you're ready for what you might find. Sometimes…" he turned slightly, eyes glinting"…it's also for your own good not to know."
Ayaka frowned, but after a beat, let out a huff and crossed her arms. "Fine."
Mio huffed. "There's the pouty face."
Ayaka glared. "It's not a pout."
"Sure it isn't."
Zen clapped his hands. "Alright, let's give Nero a bit of breathing room. Come on, let's get dinner ready. And if you're not out of here in thirty minutes," he added, glancing over his shoulder at Nero, "we're dragging you by the collar."
"Duly noted," Nero replied. "I'll wrap up soon."
The door slid shut behind them, leaving Nero and his clones alone in the soft glow of magical seals and candlelight.
The real Nero leaned over a nearby scroll, reviewing a diagram etched in elegant ink. "Status report?"
The left clone stepped forward. "Leyline synchronization model is stable. Sealing array integration needs more refinement, but we're close."
"Compiled and cross-validated," added the right clone. "Also, I improved the layer indexing on the elemental feedback matrix."
The real Nero smirked. "Excellent."
He stepped back and looked between them.
"You know," he said, "the best part is that you don't just copy me. You think like me. Refine like me. One Nero working on a problem is great. But three Neros? That's a revolution."
The right clone adjusted his cuffs. "We are the future of magical progress."
"An extension of Ravenclaw philosophy," added the left. "Knowledge will best all."
Nero gave a soft laugh. "Alright. Time to wrap this up gentlemen."
He raised a hand. "Synchronize."
IIn that instant, the two clones dissolved into a flurry of glowing paper, their essence flowing back into Nero in a rush of pure knowledge transfer.
His eyes flashed. His breath hitched.
Refined patterns, improved models… all instantly understood.
He exhaled.
"Perfect."
———————————————————
Later that evening, with the sun long set and dinner concluded, the dojo had fallen into silence. Mio and Ayaka had gone home, still half-grumbling about Nero's eccentricity.
Now, only candlelight remained, casting long, flickering shadows across the scroll-strewn floor.
Nero sat alone, at the center of it all, surrounded by traces of talisman fragments, lingering energy, quill in hand, lost in calculation.
The door slid open with a faint rustle.
Mu stepped in first, calm as always.
Zen followed with hands tucked behind his back, a relaxed sharpness in his stride.
They said nothing at first. Only watched.
Finally, Mu spoke, his voice low.
"Earlier, we felt you brush against the leylines… But this? This is something else entirely."
Nero offered a small nod, as his quill kept writing.
Mu stepped further into the room, gaze sweeping the fading seals on the walls, the scattered arrays, the eerie calm still lingering in the air.
"You were right not to explain the result of your research to Ayaka and Mio," he said softly.
Nero glanced up.
Mu's expression remained steady, but there was weight behind his words.
"Knowledge in unprepared hands can be just as dangerous as ignorance. Some truths demand readiness."
He paused, then added, "And sufficient power. Their minds could be targeted, simply for holding what they're not equipped to protect."
Nero gave a faint nod. "This was also what I had in mind. I don't want to put them under unnecessary danger because of me."
Mu gave a slight nod in return, as if the two had reached an unspoken understanding.
Zen let out a short breath and walked over to the nearest wall, eyeing the faint glow still radiating from a paper talisman.
"You know, I've seen plenty of so-called prodigies go mad trying to make magic obey ideas it wasn't meant to hold."
He turned, studying Nero now.
"But you're not chasing a wild dream. You're carving a path, one step at a time."
Mu glanced at him. "And that makes all the difference."
Mu examined the lingering magic in the air. "We can roughly understand what you are trying to create." he said. "Your intent, not the details."
"This technique has… unfathomable potential. If developed further, it could redefine how we understand magic."
Mu looked back to Nero, his tone softening.
"But don't forget Nero…you're still young. There's no need to rush to the summit alone.
You have time, and you have us. When you need support… we will be there."
For a moment, Nero said nothing.
He simply sat there, the candlelight catching the edge of his smirk.
But then, something gentler passed through his eyes.
His chest felt warm, steadied by the weight of those words.
"…I won't hesitate," he said quietly, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"And… Thank you. Both of you."
Zen gave a small snort, though there was approval in his eyes.
"Just don't make ten of yourself next time."
Nero chuckled. "No promises."
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