“Whoa…” I breathed, stunned. “What are all these categories?”

  My fingers moved instinctively, selecting Physical Evolutions. A new interface shimmered into view—old-fashioned, blocky fonts mixed with DNA spirals spinning in glitchy loops.

  “Okay… whoa. This is wild,” I whispered to myself, scrolling. “But none of these help with fire. I’ll come back later.”

  I clicked Last Page, then Mental Evolutions.

  “Neat stuff… but not what I need.” I backed out, navigating toward Nanite Evolutions.

  “This is more like it,” I murmured, leaning in. “But maybe I should see what else is available.”

  I opened Miscellaneous Evolutions

  “Seriously… this is insane,” I muttered, overwhelmed. Then I selected Combat Evolutions.

  “Yes!” I grinned. “This is exactly what I need. Something small, something usable... and something that starts fire. This’ll help with hunting, or if we ever need to cook or warm up.”

  A soft chime echoed in my ears.

  I tapped Yes.

  Instantly, a sharp, stabbing sensation bloomed through my fingertips. I flinched, hissing through my teeth as my hands jerked uncontrollably. It felt like tiny wires were threading through my bones, like the nerves themselves were being rerouted and packed with heat.

  “Gah—!” I doubled over slightly, clenching my fists as the pain intensified. The skin around my fingertips prickled and burned, heat pulsing in waves.

  “Leo!” Sam gasped sharply, rushing forward before anyone else could move. “What’s happening? Are you hurt?”

  Her voice cut through the haze like a tether. The others followed, their alarm growing as the light from my fingertips flickered faintly in the dim room.

  “Dude, are you okay?” Kit asked, practically skidding to a stop beside me. “You were mumbling to yourself for a while, and then—your fingers just started glowing! What the hell?”

  “Leo?” Cal’s voice was tight. He stood just behind Kit, looking like he was ready to catch me if I fell. “What did you do?”

  “Leo?” Nova asked suddenly. “You okay?”

  I blinked hard, forcing my fingers to uncurl. The pain was fading, but my hands still tingled like they didn’t belong to me. I flexed them slowly. The faintest warmth remained beneath the skin.

  “I think…” I swallowed, trying to focus. “I just bought an upgrade.”

  The group froze, processing.

  Kit stared. “Wait—what?”

  “You can’t access the evolution menu without being in the chamber,” Sam said, her voice a mix of confusion and disbelief. “That’s, like, the one rule.”

  “I know,” I said slowly. “But… my eyes are linked to something else. An older version. I think it let me in.”

  Cal narrowed his eyes, still hovering protectively nearby. “Are you messing with us right now?”

  “I don’t think he is,” Nova said quietly. Her gaze lingered on my hands. “I’ve heard things—about legacy systems. Experimental builds that weren’t supposed to survive.”

  Silence dropped over us like a weight.

  Then, inside me, ARIS spoke again—calm, cold, and just a little too quiet.