I looked at Kali and Jin, a soft smile staying on my lips as I looked at my old friends who had helped me for years with my ambitions, bound together by the mana oath we had made so long ago.
"I got stronger," I responded simply, feeling Luna's amusement ripple through our bond.
'Understatement of the millennium,' she snorted in my mind. 'You could probably level this entire continent if you put your mind to it.'
"Of course I can fucking see that," Kali said with characteristic directness, "but just how is that even possible?" Her dark eyes shifted down to Stella with obvious recognition. "And look who got taller while I wasn't paying attention."
"Hello, Miss Kali," Stella said with polite precision, though her mathematical mind was clearly cataloging the changes in our surroundings. "You look different too. Stronger."
