Sirius sat heavily on a nearby rock, his eyes scanning the sky while mentally calculating how many seconds remained before Julius and the others would arrive.
The battle had ended, yes, but he could feel that something had changed fundamentally in Ren during their exchange. The boy's mana signature had taken on qualities that felt alien, wrong in ways that set his nerves on edge.
As if answering his concern, an energy began growing again from the unconscious form in the ground.
'What? Impossible mana can't...'
A soft sound interrupted his thoughts, the unmistakable crackle of paper being crumpled.
The black marks had disappeared after his purification, yes, but there was a strange resonance emanating from the boy's core that hadn't been there moments before.
It felt deeper somehow, more fundamental than the surface corruption he had cleansed away.
♢♢♢♢
Moments before...
