The transition from the nightmare to the real world is jarring. Shren is drenched in a cold sweat, his heart hammering against his ribs.
"He's awake! Shren, can you hear me?"
Kaelen's voice, real and worried, breaks the spell of the dream. Shren looks at his friend, half-expecting to see those invisible chains, but Kaelen is right there, gripping his shoulder.
After his parents leave, the room falls into a heavy silence. Shren stares at the ceiling, the echoes of Marcus's dream-voice still ringing in his ears: A waste of space.
He looks down at his left hand. The Vancurial Shackle sits there—not a hallucination, not a dream. As he touches the obsidian surface, the violet glow doesn't just illuminate the room; it flows into his skin.
He feels a strange, tingling sensation, like pins and needles, but it's not painful. It feels like the bracelet is analyzing him. For a split second, a holographic screen—faint and translucent—flickers in the air above his wrist.
[Initialization Complete]
[User: Shren Blackwood]
[Status: Critical Physical Imbalance]
[Commencing Reform... Phase 1: Structural Stabilization]
Shren gasps. His body suddenly feels lighter, as if a small portion of the "weight" he carries has been lifted.