Location: Mother's Cottage.
Time: 33 days after the exam.Lirion returned on foot, a three-day journey that gave him time to reflect. He found his mother waiting for him at the door, her eyes swollen from crying and endless waiting. She embraced him tightly. "I was so afraid, my son."They sat inside the warm cottage. He poured her tea with steady hands."Mother, my root has turned blue and stable. I have new ways to learn now."His mother smiled through her tears. "I am proud of you, no matter what color your root is."That night, Lirion tested his new ability, Truth Sight. He looked at the cup of tea and saw blue thermal lines rising from it. He looked at a matchstick and saw the precise weak point where it would snap if struck.He realized the road ahead was incredibly long. The first stage of the Stone was complete, but the second stage would require legendary effort. The Blue Root was only the beginning.He looked up at the star-filled sky of the continent of Elthria, where dark gates awaited."I have only just begun," Lirion whispered, his eyes shining with a brilliance that had never existed in his previous life. "I will build my circuits, purify my root, and I will discover who is tampering with my world."