That night, Theo sat on his bed in his old room.
His eyes were closed and his breathing was calm.
Inside his body, deep blue and bright yellow mana threads flowed to his core's walls.
Each time a thread touched the wall, a speck of bronze was replaced with silver.
The majority of his core had already turned silver throughout the weeks, leaving just a few bronze gaps here and there.
'Just a few more days,' he thought.
With that, he let out a quiet sigh and opened his eyes.
''What a shame,'' he muttered, stretching. ''If the competition had been a little later, I would've actually had my next affinity.''
For a moment, he fell silent.
His gaze slowly drifted out the window, falling on the familiar city below.
The faint uneasy feeling slowly crept back in.
He reached for his chest, feeling his heart pound.
'What… exactly is going on?'
For a few seconds, he didn't move.
His eyes remained fixed on the city, scanning the distant streets.
Everything looked the same.
