"…That's what's bugging me the most."
Ren moved toward one of the shelves, brushing his hand across the spines until he found a thick, timeworn tome.
As he pulled it free, a plume of dust erupted, making him cough and wave the air.
He flipped it open, fingers grazing the fragile pages as he spoke again, more slowly this time.
"You said it felt like you were pulling from something else. Like… something deeper than mana. Maybe it wasn't mana at all."
Lyrium, still leaning against the stone wall, turned his head toward him, eyes narrowed.
"Then what the hell was it?"
Ren didn't answer right away.
His gaze dropped to the page he'd stopped on, an illustration of a being wrapped in swirling energy, its limbs frayed into black smoke.
His brow furrowed.
"There are old theories,"
He said at last, voice quieter now.
