As Ivel gazed at the sky toward the setting sun, a wave of euphoria washed over him.
"Was that the first time it actually worked?" he wondered, then raised his fist toward the glowing horizon and clenched it tightly, feeling a surge of pride.
As his fist rose, he caught sight of his insignia. Though it was rare for insignias to appear as a result of adaptation, it did happen—and at first, Ivel thought nothing of it. But as he stared longer, an idea—or rather, an urge—sprang into his mind.
I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a closer look, he thought.
The insignia looked strange: two triangles crashing into each other, and at the top, an eye.
Wait—an eye?
"What the hell is an eye doing there?" he muttered.
The eye seemed to move, strangely alive, and it was looking right at him. Startled, Ivel jumped back, forgetting the eye was on his hand.
Why the hell do I have an eye on my hand!?
Shock rippled through him as he felt every subtle movement of the strange eye. Oddly enough, it resembled the eyes he had—just... on his hand. That familiarity brought a slight sense of ease.
"Something tells me you're friendly, so could you please close up? You kind of creep me out," he said.
The eye rolled itself with a hint of arrogance but eventually closed.
Ivel sighed in relief, grateful it was just another quality of his adaptation.
"I guess there are still things I haven't discovered."
He paused, trying to remember his next step.
"Now, what was I going to do again?"
He looked at the insignia again and felt that familiar urge. Sitting up, he crossed his legs and focused on his core.
Shaping the circle inside his body had been difficult, but thankfully, at the genesis stage, it was still malleable. He began molding it into a triangle, then flipped it upside down so the tip pointed downward.
But there was a problem: his insignia had two triangles, and his core had only one.
"What the hell am I supposed to do now?" he muttered, dumbfounded, scratching the back of his head.
"I'll think about it tomorrow. It's getting late anyway."
Yet, even as he prepared to rest, a thought struck him.
Maybe Leom knows something.
He ran as fast as he could and barged into the house.
Leom was reading a book and looked up, startled by Ivel's panicked expression as he swung the door open.
"Is something the matter, Ivel?" he asked, concern in his voice.
Catching his breath, Ivel said, "Leom, could you help me with shaping my core?"
He explained what he was trying to do to match the insignia.
Leom laughed.
"Well, that certainly is an intriguing idea."
He pondered for a moment.
"It isn't impossible. In fact, it's quite common to add new shapes to your core besides the first one, but at the genesis stage, it can be quite difficult."
"So what you're telling me is there's a way?" Ivel asked eagerly.
Leom sighed.
"Yes, I've heard of people doing it, but only a few manage it—and for good reason."
"How did they do it?" Ivel pressed.
"You have to use your quality to make connections in your nexus by creating tiny traces of mana, little by little, to form your shape. From what I've heard, the process is like painting—but without a brush."
"What do I need a brush for?" Ivel said, confused.
Leom shook his head and laughed.
"You'll see soon enough. Just try it."
Ivel crossed his legs again and studied his insignia to form a mental image. Then he focused on his nexus.
The shape remained the same as he left it: an upside-down triangle waiting to connect with something.
Thankfully, his mana reserves had replenished, so he was free to experiment without worry.
He activated his quality, feeling a slight tingle throughout his body.
Concentrating on his core, suddenly lightning shot from within, illuminating the space.
One by one, he traced thin lines of the second triangle, connected by fragile yet tangible strings of lightning.
It took time, but he succeeded in shaping his core to match his insignia.
Now came the most exhausting part.
He poured all his mana into the outline, hoping to fill the remaining gaps.
The mana surged violently into the shape.
Then, in a miraculous moment, the boy's nexus core was finally shaped.
The flow of mana coursed through his body more efficiently—and with slightly greater power.