The Changes

Ethan settled back into his routine at Ravenwood Academy, trying to blend in and avoid drawing attention to himself. But it was harder than he thought it would be. His grades were improving dramatically, and his classmates were starting to notice.

At first, it was just small things. Emily would catch him staring at her during class, and he'd quickly look away. Rachel would ask him for help on a math problem, and he'd solve it with ease. But as time went on, the changes became more noticeable.

Ethan's friends started to treat him differently. They'd look at him with a newfound respect, and Emily would seek him out for advice on everything from school projects to her personal life.

And then there were the strange occurrences. Doors would open and close on their own, and books would move off shelves as if someone had touched them. Ethan knew that he was causing these things to happen, but he couldn't explain how or why.

One night, Ethan woke up to find his room filled with strange symbols etched into the walls. They pulsed with a soft blue light, and Ethan felt a strange energy emanating from them.

"What is this?" he whispered to himself, feeling a sense of unease.

He tried to wipe the symbols away, but they only seemed to grow stronger. And then, in a flash of insight, Ethan realized that the symbols were a map.

A map to the Nexus.

Ethan felt a surge of excitement mixed with fear. He knew that he had to return to the Nexus, but he was afraid of what he might find there. What if Astra and Arianna were right? What if he wasn't meant to be human?

He pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand. He had to get back to the Nexus, no matter what it took.

But as he made his way back through the school, he felt eyes on him. He sensed that someone was watching him, waiting for him to make another move.

And then, in the shadows, he saw a figure.

A figure that looked eerily like himself...