Letting out a deep sigh, Theo couldn’t help but feel slightly worried.
’Those tickets are going to raise a lot of questions,’ he thought. ’But I should be able to explain them sooner or later.’
With Elise already learning how to engrave summoning circles herself, he had little doubt he could eventually pass them off as something she’d created.
’Besides, they need this increase in strength now more than anything,’ he thought, clenching his fist. ’Who knows what kinds of danger we’ll encounter later.’
Even though he still felt worried, Theo clenched his fist and pushed open his door.
The spacious living area was already far livelier than before.
Jim and Iris sat on one of the couches, quietly chatting amongst themselves while enjoying breakfast.
Meanwhile, Lyra stood by the massive windows overlooking Cairo, absentmindedly watching the busy streets below.
As soon as Theo stepped into the room, all three pairs of eyes turned toward him.
’’Morning,’’ Jim greeted, casually raising his hand.
’’Good morning,’’ Theo replied, taking a seat opposite of them.
He glanced around the living room for a moment before stopping on Lyra.
’’Still no change?’’ he asked.
Lyra snapped out of her daze and shook her head.
’’None,’’ she said lightly.
She glanced at the clock on the wall before pushing herself away from the window.
’’I was actually just about to head back to the hospital.’’
Theo nodded slowly.
’’Actually...’’ he said slowly. ’’Could you hold off on that for a little longer?’’
Lyra paused.
She glanced at him and tilted her head faintly.
’’Why?’’
It wasn’t just Lyra who was looking at him now. Both Jim and Iris had turned toward him as well, clearly waiting for whatever was coming.
A small, awkward smile slowly spread across Theo’s face.
’’So, do you all remember the promise I made a while back?’’ he asked.
The three of them exchanged puzzled glances.
Jim, in particular, frowned immediately.
’’Which one?’’
Theo cleared his throat lightly.
’’The one where I said I’d help all of you obtain contracted beasts.’’
Silence fell throughout the room in an instant.
Jim’s head snapped toward him, his eyes already filling with anticipation.
’’I remember that,’’ he said. ’’In fact, it was crystal clear in my mind the entire time.’’
Theo couldn’t help but chuckle.
’’I figured,’’ he said lightly. ’’Today will be the day that’ll finally happen.’’
The room fell completely silent.
Jim stared at Theo, his eyes growing wider by the second.
’’Are you serious right now?’’ he asked.
Theo nodded without hesitation.
’’Dead serious.’’
Jim shot to his feet right away.
A massive grin grew on his face as immense excitement flashed through his eyes.
’’That’s insane!’’ he practically shouted. ’’Tell me what I need to do right now!’’
Even Iris couldn’t hide the excitement in her eyes anymore.
’’Theo,’’ she said. ’’Is it really ready?’’
’’Yes,’’ Theo said, nodding once. ’’I had contact with Elise once we got here. And now, I received what she promised.’’
Just as Jim was about to say something, Lyra suddenly spoke up.
’’What about Owen?’’
Theo glanced over at her right away.
Understanding perfectly what she meant, his smile only widened slightly.
’’Don’t worry,’’ he replied reassuringly. ’’I’ve got one saved for him too.’’
Lyra nodded slowly, relief flashing across her face.
Theo immediately looked around at the three of them before taking a slow breath.
’’What I’m about to show you has to remain between us for now.’’
The excitement on Jim’s face faded into confusion.
’’That serious?’’
’’Very.’’
Theo slowly raised his right hand.
Three golden tickets appeared in his hand out of thin air.
All of their eyes locked onto the tickets right away, staring at them in awe.
’’What... are those?’’ Jim muttered, eyes wide.
Theo carefully held one up between two fingers.
"These will engrave a summoning circle onto your heart," he replied.
Everything remained silent for a moment.
Then Jim’s gaze suddenly snapped toward him.
’’They are doing what now...?’’ he said, brows furrowing.
Then, slowly, a smile reappeared on Jim’s face. ’’I almost thought I heard you mention engraving something on my heart.’’
Theo remained silent for a few more seconds.
Finally, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
’’You heard me correctly,’’ he said lightly. ’’These summoning circles will be engraved on your hearts.’’
Jim’s smile dropped instantly.
’’Hold on,’’ he said, waving his hands in front of him. ’’Isn’t that... incredibly dangerous?’’
Iris and Lyra had also begun looking at Theo with questioning expressions.
Theo shook his head.
If there was one thing he was certain of, it was that the system wouldn’t hand out items that would kill them.
’’Not really,’’ he said. ’’But it does come with a little bit of pain.’’
Jim’s mouth fell wide open, utter disbelief written across his face.
’’What is a little bit of pain?’’ he asked, his voice cracking ridiculously. ’’You say that like you’re talking about getting a paper cut...’’
Theo shrugged lightly.
’’It’s a bit more painful than that,’’ he said. ’’But I have no doubts you’ll be able to handle it.’’
Jim stared at him for a few long seconds, his eyes slowly narrowing.
’’Are you sure?’’
Theo remained silent for a few seconds.
His mind wandered back to when the summoning circle had been engraved on his heart.
He could still feel the burning sensation and the agony that had made him black out.
After a few more seconds, he simply smiled.
’’No doubt about it,’’ he said, giving him a thumbs-up.
Jim looked at the thumbs-up before letting out a long sigh.
’’That’s good,’’ he said, relieved, as he tossed himself back onto the couch.
Theo smiled faintly before handing one golden ticket to each of them.
Jim carefully accepted his ticket, turning it over in his hands as if it were made of glass.
Iris and Lyra did the same, their gazes never leaving the intricate golden engravings covering its surface.
For a few moments, nobody spoke.
Finally, Jim looked up.
’’So...’’ he said. ’’Who’s going first?’’
Theo glanced between the three of them before shaking his head.
’’Actually, I think it’d be better if all of you did it at the same time.’’