That night, while Mel walked beside him in perfectly good shape, Baybars looked astounded but asked no questions about the matter; he closed the door behind him and headed to his assigned quarters. The Outer Circle turned the students it swallowed into chameleons; the impact of witnessing impossibilities upon them was practically nonexistent. They showed the required reaction in the moment, their colors shifted, but after a little time passed, they reverted to their usual behavioral patterns. Was there anything that could plunge the Outer Circle students into a prolonged state of shock?
Finding the answer to this question was tough, but inside the room where Mel lay passed out in a corner, the students stood frozen by Sam's words. Those who forgot to breathe, those who couldn't swallow, and those who approached the Energy Crystal being assimilated right in front of their eyes as if it were the holiest object on earth—they were all gathered together.
