"What are you thinking about?" Syn asked as she took a seat on the edge of his bed.

Aleister let out a deep sigh. "More like, what am I not thinking about."

Before he came back to the manor for the night, Myra, Luo Yun, and Kyoko all discussed their Loops. Luo Yun called his Heart Loop the Burning Cascade Heart Loop. From the name, it was easy to guess there was some sort of connection to fire. The primary domain of his Loop, Cascade, referred to a domain that contained both the Air and Water Domain Loops. Kyoko had her Sublime Crystal Heart Loop along with her Celestial War Soul Loop. Myra referred to hers as the Mystic Daybreak Heart Loop. This one was also confusing, as it was also a multiple Domain Loops nested in one another. Then there was his Heart Loop. The Doesntus Existus Heart Loop, as he called it.

"Stop thinking and just go to sleep," Syn said after a yawn. "Even I'm feeling tired right now."

"How? You have done nothing all day?"

"Not true, not that you would know in the first place. Just practice the meditation technique I taught you."

"I am and it is not working."

"Because, like you said, you're thinking about everything," Syn said. "You need to let your mind get rid of your thoughts and relax."

"It hasn't been working," Aleister said in frustration.

"Fine," Syn stood up. In her hand, she held a black crystal. "Catch."

Aleister didn't react fast enough to catch it, but managed to prevent it from slamming down upon his face. "What is this?"

"It's similar to the white onyx crystal," Syn said. "Well, I say its similar, but its really just an onyx crystal."

Aleister's ears perked up in curiosity as he sat up. "What does it do?"

"I know that you feel as if you have no chance of manifesting a Loop, but I will prove you wrong right now."

He cleaned out his ears with his pinky finger, not quite sure he heard correctly.

"You remember the twelve schools of magic, correct?"

He nodded. These twelve schools were: abjuration, alteration, alkemancy, astromancy, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy, restoration, and transmutation.

"Normally this crystal would reveal which of those schools you have an affinity for, but unfortunately it won't show any result right now..." her voice trailed off as she was deep in thought. "No, actually, it might work right now too."

"Okay? What am I supposed to do with it though?"

"Sorry," Syn said, regaining focus, "Actually, if this works, then it will show both your elemental affinity and your school affinity."

"That doesn't actually answer my question, you know," he said, rubbing his eye.

"Close your eyes, and focus your entire being into the crystal."

Aleister did as instructed, but nothing seemed to happen.

"Remember the mountain you mentally travelled to all those weeks back? Remember how it felt? Re-enter that landscape."

He remembered. After all, that was the closest he had ever been to becoming a Weaver. He remembered the heavy rain and snow. The crushing pressure as he tried to climb. But what he could feel the most was the cold. How it penetrated his flesh and bones. He felt a cool breeze pass through the room that caused him to open his eyes.

White fractals materialized inside the black crystal he held. His hands numb, as if they were no longer a part of his body, but he still held onto that crystal, tight.

"Congrats." Syn carried a satisfied look on her face. "It appears as if your Heart Loop will primarily carry aspects of ice to it."

Aleister didn't know how to react, as his hands regained feeling. However, the crystal seemed to implode and turn into a white powder as it released a pleasant aura from it.

Syn rocked her head back and forth as she saw this. "So, it is possible that you have an affinity in alkemancy, but I don't know if that's just because you only have experience with it."

"Oh, is that why you said it might not work?"

"Correct." Syn explained the rest of the reactions that could occur.

Alteration affinity would change the shape of the crystal into the symbol of your elemental affinity.

Alkemancy affinity would create a pleasant floral aura as it turned the crystal into a powder.

Astromancy affinity would make the crystal shine a blinding light.

Conjuration affinity would summon a white bunny in place of the crystal.

Divination affinity would shatter the crystal and give him temporary weakened truesight.

Enchantment affinity would cause the crystal to evaporate into a gas that would put him into a restful, deep sleep.

Evocation affinity affinity would cause the crystal to explode.

Illusion would destroy the crystal and create an illusory duplicate of himself.

Necromancy affinity would cause the crystal to turn into a shard of bone.

Restoration affinity would make the crystal dissolve within him and temporarily boost his vitality.

Transmutation affinity would turn the crystal into a rare gem.

The powder in his hands transformed back into the black onyx crystal. Syn picked it back up and made it disappear. "We'll perform that test again at a later date."

Aleister lay back down in bed. "I appreciate you trying to boost my confidence and self-esteem, but this is only going to make it harder for me to sleep since I have even more things to think about."

"Of course, it would." She paced back and forth and said, "Pay attention only to my voice. One breathe, two breaths, three breaths, four breaths."

He closed his eyes and followed her instructions. One breath, two breath, three breath, four breath, five breath, six breath...

He felt his eyes sink into his face and droop, and without any warning; he fell asleep.

***