Luca remained outside the research building long after the Vice Dean had disappeared inside.
The camp had gradually returned to its usual rhythm, but the atmosphere had changed in a way that could not be explained by the ordinary sounds of evening. Researchers continued carrying equipment between buildings, guards continued patrolling the perimeter, and students continued speaking quietly among themselves, yet there was a subtle tension beneath everything now, an awareness that had not been present that morning. Everyone knew there was something beneath the mountain. Everyone knew that the Vice Dean had taken the discovery seriously. What nobody knew was why.
Luca stood beneath one of the magical lamps and stared at his hand.
The golden light had disappeared.
His skin looked completely normal.
