Chapter 25
Evelyn's POV
"I'm looking for answers."
After Kane said that, he opened a book and gently ran his fingers across the pages.
"I'm just trying to solve this mystery, purely out of curiosity. Besides, we did make some new discoveries today, didn’t we?"
I listened to him and smiled.
That's just how Kane is. His so-called curiosity is really about wanting to help me figure out what kind of shape shifter I am, to ease my anxiety.
I could feel it—beneath that seemingly cold and distant exterior, there's a warm heart.
Kane kept his head down, pulling out his notebook a little awkwardly, searching through them one by one using the keywords he’d written down: self-healing, magic sensation (tingling and itching), visual blocking (side effects).
He looked so serious, focused on searching through the thick ancient texts for any related content.
Sunlight streamed through the tall glass windows, shining on Kane's white hair and casting a soft glow around him.
Seeing how hard Kane was working for me, I felt less afraid.
We stayed in the library until the closing bell rang. Only then did Kane close the last book and rub his tired brow.
"Let's go get dinner." I picked up my backpack and stood up too.
Kane looked a bit tired, but more than that, excited. "Okay, I think I'm close to finding some clues."
"Then we can go back to the dorm and keep looking for answers." The moment I said that, my stomach rumbled at the worst possible time.
I covered my stomach, looking at Kane somewhat embarrassed. Kane paused for a moment. "Let's eat first."
We’d come at a time that avoided the cafeteria rush. It was actually pretty late, and there weren't many people in the cafeteria.
As usual, Kane got food with me, then found a seat in the corner.
I got cream of mushroom soup and a sandwich. I was really hungry. I took big spoonfuls of soup, the warm liquid sliding down my throat into my stomach, instantly driving away the day's cold and exhaustion. My whole body warmed up.
Kane didn’t touch his steak. He just stared at me.
"This is really good. Do you want to try some?" I wiped the corner of my mouth with a napkin and passed him the other cream of mushroom soup.
Kane took the soup and said to me, "I think you're very likely a warm-blooded animal—either a bird or a mammal. But I still need to check more sources before I can be certain."
Kane picked up his knife and fork, cutting his steak while analyzing. I felt confused, looking down at the soup bowl in my hands. "So... you can find clues just from watching me drink soup?"
"Plus, you don't eat roughly enough. You're probably not a bird of prey, otherwise you'd eat more messily." Kane said, then shared some of his cut steak with me.
"Kane." I called his name, a bit annoyed, but looking at the steak on my plate, I decided not to argue.
"Eat. Aren't you hungry?" Kane's tone was somewhat gentle.
Considering how hard Kane was working to help me find out what shapeshifter I am, I decided not to argue with him.
I continued eating, forking a piece of steak. It was tender, juicy, and delicious.
I wasn't in such a hurry to know what I was anymore. After all, I had Kane helping me.
After dinner, we returned to the Starflame Tower dorm. Outside, the sky had completely darkened.
Kane didn't return to his room. Instead, he followed me into mine.
He had borrowed that stack of books and sat on the sofa, eagerly opening one of the thick volumes.
I poured two glasses of water and handed one to Kane. "Kane, rest for a bit. It's not that urgent anyway."
"Just a little longer." He didn't look up, taking the water and setting it on the table. His fingers moved quickly as he flipped through the pages.
"Evelyn, you said earlier that when you tried to transform, what you felt was tingling and itching, like static electricity, and like countless needles pricking you, right?"
I thought back to the sensation and nodded. "Yes, it doesn't hurt, but it's very dense, like a crawling feeling all over."
"That's it then."
Kane suddenly looked up, his deep golden eyes shining with excitement. "I just compared the transformation characteristics of reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and birds."
He pointed excitedly at an illustration in the book. "Look, cold-blooded animals, like snakes and lizards—when they transform, their magic gathers first in the spine and abdomen. That feeling is cold and heavy, like being submerged in water. Plus, they experience an obvious hardening sensation, which is the precursor to scales covering the skin."
Kane picked up his pen and drew a heavy X in his notebook, crossing out the "reptile" and "amphibian" options.
"This means you're definitely not a cold-blooded animal. You definitely don't have scales!" Kane looked at me, his tone certain. "You're a warm-blooded animal, and very likely a mammal."
Hearing the conclusion "no scales," I felt a wave of relief. Although I knew I probably wouldn't turn into a snake, hearing the scientific proof still put me at ease.
"So that means..." I leaned over to look at those complex diagrams, trying to understand what Kane was trying to explain.
"Your sensation is tingling and static electricity."
Kane continued, "This kind of feeling usually only appears in mammals."
"Plus, your behavior in the cafeteria earlier also made me think you lean more in this direction."
"Thank you, Kane. This really is a huge discovery. At least I've ruled out some options and have a general direction now." I looked into Kane's eyes, sincerely expressing my gratitude.
"You're welcome. I just like solving puzzles." Kane avoided my gaze, then noticed the scattered books on the table and the water he hadn't drunk earlier.
He picked up the glass and drank all the water in one gulp, then started organizing the books on the table. "It's getting late. Get some rest."
"Okay, you go to bed early too. I'll come find you for breakfast tomorrow morning!" I helped him organize the books, and accidentally touched his hand.
Kane's hand was very warm. Both Kane and I froze for a moment, then I awkwardly withdrew my hand.
"I'll go now." Kane stood up somewhat stiffly and walked toward the door.