Kain stared at the faintly glowing cube on the table, its violet shimmer still pulsing in a steady, unnatural rhythm.
Pheneos didn't sit. He stood with calm, deliberate posture, arms loosely crossed, eyes focused—but not unfriendly. Just… colder than Kain remembered.
"You've changed," Kain said at last.
Pheneos tilted his head. "College will do that."
"No," Kain said, eyes narrowing slightly. "You've really changed. You used to be a twitchy wreck. Couldn't stop wringing your gloves and tripping over yourself and stressing over whether or not you'd be able to enter Starfire College"
That earned the faintest twitch of a smile from Pheneos. "Twitchy wreck still lives. Just... buried under a few semesters of metal filings and project deadlines."
Kain leaned back, gaze drifting to the cube. "And your teacher? This mysterious inventor you mentioned."
"Same one," Pheneos said. "Dorian Anvil."
