The bronze coin was warm against Clek's chest.
He stood in the garden, his eyes fixed on the horizon, feeling the strange new power that now pulsed through his veins. The ritual had changed him. He could feel the darkness inside him, coiled and waiting, a shadow that was now part of his very soul. But he was still himself. He was still in control.
Or so he hoped.
Aria's presence flickered in his mind, soft and concerned. "Clek. You've been standing here for hours. What are you feeling?"
"Everything," he said, his voice flat. "The darkness. The light. The balance. I can feel it all, Aria. It's like I'm seeing the world for the first time."
"Is that a good thing?"
Clek was silent for a long moment, his eyes fixed on the horizon. Then he spoke, his voice barely a whisper. "I don't know.
