He went to his apartment. Inside, the place was dead quiet. No Lilia groaning and grunting in frustration over her studies and exams, no Lyra munching on whatever edible things she found lying around.
Lilia and Lyra had left earlier—something about exams ending, needing fresh air, and Lyra following along because she still didn't understand half the city and refused to let Lilia leave her behind.
He closed the door behind him and went straight to his room, settling in front of the stone on the low table. The surface carried a faint glow, the kind that always felt like it was watching him even before it spoke.
"All right," he said, resting his arms on his knees. "What's going on now?"
The glow deepened, soft but alive, like she was breathing.
[That fragment's powers you absorbed have settled. It fused with what remains of me. Because of that, the systems tied to you changed.]
Xavier rested his forearms on his knees, waiting.
