The tremor died down, but its resonance lingered in the silence that came after.
Dust drifted down from the jagged ceiling of the room, looking like powdered ash, and a low vibration—nearly silent but vibrating in Kaito's bones—settled in the calm air.
Kaito stood upright, his arms and legs still trembling with the surge of power that had run through him.
The darkness in him had quieted down, coiled like a dormant snake, but its presence could still be felt from within. He could feel it at the back of his eyes, in the beat of his heart, in the way the world seemed to vibrate at the edges.
Surely, without any trace of doubt, he was changed forever.
"Something's different," Nyra whispered, in a low and wary tone, her voice hardly perceptible. Her sword was still drawn, half-defended. She had not stepped back, but Kaito noticed the subtle change in her weight. She was definitely ready to run or strike.
He couldn't blame her.
