Kaito's Room — Immediately After the Summoning
Kaito felt his knees weaken.
The ritual had taken more than the previous times.
Much more.
He staggered, steadying himself on the desk.
Adelheid caught him immediately.
"Kaito? Are you alright?"
"I... yes. Just... dizzy."
But it was more than dizziness.
Something had changed.
Subtly.
As if certain colors were now slightly duller.
Certain emotions... distant.
But also...
He looked at Aurelia, who was studying the battlefield with a strange device.
And he felt something new.
Fascination.
Not the normal fascination of curiosity.
But a mechanical fascination.
As if a part of his brain now processed the world in terms of systems, efficiencies, optimizations.
He saw Aurelia tracing calculations in the air with a glowing finger.
And he understood.
Not completely. But more than he should.
"She's... calculating ballistic trajectories. Structural stress points. The chemical composition of the terrain."
