Theo Attempts Science
Theo had not slept.
He had drawn arrays across an entire valley.
Geometric constructs layered in spirals and hexagonal matrices, humming with structured qi.
In the center stood Sam, looking mildly inconvenienced.
"This is unnecessary," Sam said.
"It is absolutely necessary," Theo replied. "If we can quantify even a fraction of your realm equivalence—"
"I do not have a realm."
"Everyone has a realm!"
"Incorrect."
Lyra leaned on a rock, watching. Borin fed his lion dried meat. Darius sharpened his spear nervously.
Theo activated the array.
Light surged upward.
Energy spiraled.
Runes locked into place.
"Phase one: meridian mapping!"
Nothing happened.
Theo frowned.
"Phase two: core resonance detection!"
The array flickered.
Then inverted.
Theo's eyes widened.
"Why is it mapping outward?!"
The lines extended beyond Sam, beyond the valley, beyond the horizon.
The ground trembled.
Mira stepped back.
"What is it doing?"
Theo's voice went thin.
"It's not measuring him."
"It's measuring—"
The sky flickered.
Sam blinked.
The array snapped violently, every rune extinguishing at once. Theo collapsed to his knees, panting.
Sam dusted off his sleeve.
"That was uncomfortable."
Theo stared up at him in awe.
"It tried to measure the world relative to you."
Sam paused.
"…That seems backwards."
"It is backwards!"
Darius looked uneasy.
"What does that mean?"
Theo laughed weakly.
"It means realm hierarchy does not apply to him."
Lyra crossed her arms, "So he's beyond it?"
Theo shook his head slowly.
"No."
He looked at Sam carefully, "He's not beyond it, he's prior to it."
Silence.
Borin scratched his head.
"That sounds worse."
Sam looked deeply dissatisfied.
"I preferred ignorance."
Suddenly a tremor rippled across the valley.
All five of them felt it.
Theo swallowed, "It started building."