Before he knew it, Elias had spent the better part of the week acclimating to the monotonous and suffocating life of Adrian Kaelen. The coursework was trivial. His dorm room was nothing more than a tolerable prison cell. The System remained irritatingly silent as long as he didn't cross the line. But the university itself was beginning to become a nuisance, particularly the people who, for whatever reason, felt entitled to his time. Leo was the chief offender among them. They sat across from one another in the campus cafeteria, enveloped by the midday cacophony of overlapping conversations, scraping chairs, and the mechanical hum of vending machines. Elias held a paper cup of black coffee, his expression perfectly flat, while Leo absentmindedly picked at the remains of his lunch. "So," Leo said around a mouthful of fries, "what are your plans for this weekend?" "Something." Leo looked up, raising an eyebrow. "That sounds highly suspicious, like an answer specifically designed to