Theo made the transition back to reality smoothly. For him, it didn't feel like any time had passed but his senses told him at least ten seconds had elapsed his mother had mopped the floor with him. It was time well spent. Who would have thought that a mere ten-second spent in his own head would have such a profound effect on his life? For the first time since he’d come to this new world, he felt whole. His eyes were closed so he had to rely on his other senses to take stock of his surroundings. His senses felt more acute than they had before. Maybe it was because his mind and body were in sync for the first time. Regardless of the cause, he was acutely aware of his surroundings in a fashion far more detailed than he thought possible.

The first sensation he felt with his newly augmented perception was the strong grasp of his mother’s fingers on his chin. He mentally groaned when he remembered how quickly she had slapped him down and systematically dismantled all of his defenses. I definitely underestimated how pissed she could get and what she’d do with that anger. That though along with several others ran through his mind as he reevaluated his circumstances. After a brief survey, he thankfully didn’t find any evidence of psychic damage or manipulation. If he’d been able he would have breathed a sigh of relief. At least for the time being his thoughts were still his own.

His thoughts ranged through what few memories he had of his mother. None of those memories explained why she hadn't dispatched him yet. As far as he knew, her main goal was to weaken him so she could break him and turn him into another one of her Sleepers. So it made no sense for her to linger over his weakened form. Every memory he could conveniently recall told him that this behavior was out of character. She must really be enjoying herself. It seems a shame to dissuade her of her illusions but them's the breaks. If his mother could see the smile currently hidden behind a mask of unconsciousness she would have shuddered. Time to make her regret her folly.

Centering himself, Theo took a deep breath and opened his eyes. When he saw his mother’s shocked face he smiled. ”Sorry if I kept you waiting,” he said in a light voice. ”But hopefully I’ve got your full attention now.” Now is as good a time as any to learn how to bluff, he thought as he realized his words carried an air of confidence that his abilities couldn’t match, at least not yet. But he felt that he was well on his way to changing that perception.

Perhaps that was why despite the tension in the air a small part of him was enjoying the scent of danger floating on the Mists. Or maybe it was because once he made the conscious decision to be true to himself and embrace his darker half his entire frame of mind had shifted. This profound change had an unanticipated benefit. It made his perceptions far more acute. This had the potential to make the transition between gaining knowledge and acting on said information a more fluid process.

”Interesting,” Lisey noted calmly, releasing Theo’s face and immediately jumping back several yards to create some distance. ”You are just full of surprises.” Every word she spoke every action she took was relaxed and methodical. Instinct and training flowed together seamlessly and transitioned smoothly into strategies that took only a split second to implement. She activated another layer of Jade shields and locked down her psychic barriers. “Hopefully round two will be more eventful than round one,” she said smiling wryly. “Otherwise, allowing you to keep your mind will have been a waste of my time. And I hate wasting time.” The last sentence was accompanied by a mix of lightning and Jade power that shook the hallway.

From her distant vantage point, Sia pushed aside her churning emotions and sighed. The emotions she felt coming from Theo made her nervous. The feelings weren't negative but they left her with a sense that she didn’t know him anymore. Her face darkened noticeably and she clicked her tongue and shook her head in utter disgust when she saw how easily Lisey moved around in those tall heels she wore.

*Ding!*

Theo did his best to keep his attention focused on the quickly retreating figure of his mother while still reading the contents of the System window. What he saw made no sense. Wait… What does that even mean? I thought I already had full System access. He flicked a glance in the direction he thought he sensed her presence. *Sia I thought I already had full System access. Why don’t I already have full System access?* No response. All things considered, he wasn't surprised by the silence. Through their shared link he could feel just how nervous his new attitude made her. 

The sudden smell of ozone in the air interrupted his musings. A split second later a bolt of Jade fueled lightning ripped through the air heading in his direction. Focus! The world around him slowed as he nimbly sidestepped the attack. He looked at his mother and smiled. “Is that any way to treat your son?”

She returned his smile with one of his own. “That fact young man has yet to be verified.”

“How could you say that?” Theo replied in a mocking tone. He gestured at his face. “Does this look like the face of a liar?” He decided to keep the tone of their interactions as light as possible. This decision was born from a desire to learn more about the change to his System access before the situation escalated any further.  

What he needed was answers but the only person he could rely on for those currently wasn't talking to him. *It sure would be nice if there was an artificial intelligence that happened to have intimate knowledge of the System that I could talk to.* He said, sending his thoughts out in the general direction of where he believed he felt Sia’s presence.

Sia heard his thoughts clearly but remained silent. She was currently hovering close to the entrance to the Isolation Room. This put her almost twenty yards away from Theo who was kneeling with his back pressed against the entrance to the hallway. And yet given the nature of their bond physical distance meant nothing. 

Theo eyed the ten yards that separated him from his mother warily. He cautiously watched his mother, searching for any signs of impending violence but found none. This was a true statement as long as you didn’t take the oppressive smell of ozone that still lingered in the air into account.

In turn, Lisey watched Theo as he knelt on one knee breathing lightly. The look in his eyes made her think for the first time since she’d watched him Awaken that she may actually be looking at her son. Which for her made whatever happened next very important. As a Storm Elementalist, she wasn’t physically daunting but her dark-Jewel fueled muscles made her dangerous nonetheless.  

Theo saw the change, sighed grandly, and stood up. He raked a hand through his tangled hair and sent out another missive to his uncooperative partner. *Come on Sia, I can feel you out there. I could use your help right about now.*

*Theo?* Sia finally replied hesitantly. *Is that really you?* 

She’d watched the way Theo moved and spoke with growing apprehension. Even though his psychic scent identified the man before her as Theo she couldn't get past the small wisps of Thor’s personality she felt were now intertwined in every action Theo took. 

Sorry Sia I get why you’re so freaked but...Theo’s thoughts trailed off as he noticed the air around his mother change. Ah fuck. He understood why Sia sounded so uncertain but he was running out of time. If his mother hadn’t been breathing down his neck he would have given Sia a reassuring smile. As things stood he could only try to verbally reassure her again. *Don’t worry it’s still me in here. I’m sure the way I’m acting has you freaked out. Don’t worry about it. I’ve just finally come to terms with my darker side. If you don't believe me once we're done you can do a deep dive into my memories and find out for yourself.* And from a certain point of view, that was the truth. He didn’t want to lie to Sia but right now he doubted she was mentally prepared for the truth behind his sudden transformation.

Sia was certain Theo wasn't telling her everything. She was just as certain that if she asked what he was hiding he wouldn’t tell her, at the very least he wouldn’t tell her right now. Now she had to decide if she trusted his judgment or not. 

Her eyes left Theo’s form for the first time since they’d entered this hallway and looked at Lisey. She noticed the way the Jade lightning that surrounded Lisey began to thicken and she understood that she didn’t have long to decide her next course of action. 

Sia wiped none existent sweat from her brow and looked at Theo again. This time she bypassed his face and looked directly into his eyes. What she saw there reassured her to some extent. It was enough that at least for the time being she was certain that the man before her was still Theo, even if the changes she felt in him worried her. 

*Fine. What do you need?* Sia asked finally.  

*What can you tell me about that last System message that popped up?*

She stared at him blankly while she slowly registered the words she’d just heard. A slow blush suffused her face as she realized she’d let his sudden change in attitude prevent her from noticing something as simple as a System notification. *Hold on let me check,* she answered quickly. Then she did something she tried not to do often. She fully opened her connection to the System. This wasn’t a measure she took lightly because the more entwined she became with the inner workings of the System the more muted her emotions became.  

Lisey didn’t know exactly what was happening but she could sense a sudden change in the way the Mists were reacting to Theo. For her, this was yet another sign that, if this was her son, something profound had happened to change him since he’d fallen ill. The look on her face subtly changed. The stoic mask she usually wore slowly began to slip away. Under her usually cold exterior swelled emotions she hadn’t allowed herself to experience in a long time. She kicked off her heels and began to slowly walk towards Theo.

*Anything?* he asked impatiently. There were definite advantages to what he’d termed half-time. This was what he called the moments when he was communicating with Sia and his perception of time around him slowed. But there were limitations to everything. And the way his mother's movements were speeding up he knew he was running out of time.

*Yeah,* she replied somewhat confused by what she had learned. *According to the System, before now you weren’t in the proper frame of mind to properly utilize your connection to the System.*

He laughed internally. Considering what he’d learned from his darker half that actually made a weird sort of sense. *Okay.* He was grateful for the clarification and thankful that he’d be able to better utilize his connection to the System.

*So what’s the plan? Or did you just intend on standing here all day?*

Theo smiled. Instead of answering her, he said. *Oh, somebody’s feeling better. Did you have anything helpful to add or did you just plan on filling up the empty air with sass?*

*Shut up.*

*Not a chance,* he replied half-heartedly. *Oh, and to answer your question I'm waiting until my mother gives me an opening I can exploit.*

Sia scoffed at his answer. *Are you serious? Your mother is a trained—*

*Hold that thought,* he said abruptly, cutting her off when he noticed Lisey’s leg muscles tense up.

Lisey stopped her slow march and instead jumped back again to create some additional separation. She didn't know what caused the sudden flicker of emotion to flash in the boy's eyes but something about it made her wary of being any closer to him than necessary. 

Oh no, you don't. As if his mother had been listening to him she gave him the opening he’d been looking for. He chained two Shadow-Steps back to back. The first Shadow-Step shot him past his mother faster than her senses could perceive. On the other hand, his perception of her movements was altered in such a way that he was able to track every muscle twitch she made as he flew past her.

When Theodore vanished from her sight she knew she was in trouble. The sharp feeling of the wind whipping past her face was the only indication she had of his movements. Before she could turn and face her target she felt a sharp pain in her back followed by the brisk sensation of being forcefully thrown off her feet. She hit the ground some distance away and bounced once.

*Ding!*

*Ding!*

Theo looked at the contents of each window as they popped up with a satisfied smile on his face. Now, this is what I'm talking about. This was the first time he actually felt like the System was actively rewarding him for his accomplishments. 

Lisey’s face darkened when she saw the expression on Theo’s face. It was bad enough she’d been defeated by a mere boy but to be looked down upon also was too much for her to stand. She tried to get up but to her surprise, her muscles refused to obey her.

”Don’t bother,” he said when he noticed her struggling to move. ”That last attack that hit your spine had a bit of ki attached to it. So you may find it hard to move for a while.”