You threw the pearl and I had to try to save it, Oliver said. I floated through space but couldnt get to it fast enough. So I used my powers. I visualized it appearing in my hands.

And it did?

Oliver nodded. Yes. At first.

What do you mean at first?

It burned me, Oliver replied. It got so hot it made my skin hurt.

Professor Amethyst stared at him with rapt attention. What did you do with it?

I held on, Oliver told him. Then suddenly, it was all over and I was back here.

A small smiled played across the headmasters lips. Well, well, well. What an intriguing outcome.

What does it mean? Oliver asked.

A bromine Seer would not get burned. But a cobalt Seer would not hold on. His grin widened. Which means you, my boy, are neither cobalt nor bromine. You are both.

Olivers jaw slackened. Of all the outcomes hed been imagining, that was not one of them.

Both? he questioned. How can I be both?

Its very rare, the professor explained. Exceptionally rare. Come to think of it, the combination of atomic powers and a mixed type, well, I dont think weve ever had anything of the sort at the School for Seers. Youre one of a kind, Oliver! One of a kind!

The headmaster seemed thrilled by the news. But Oliver, on the other hand, was not. Hed spent his entire life being the other, being different, being bullied. Coming here had made him feel like he truly belonged somewhere for the first time. But he didnt belong at all. Because once again, Oliver was the odd one out.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. May I leave now, Professor? he asked.

Of course. Ill expect youll want to run along and tell your friends the good news.

Oliver shook his head. Actually, I think Id like to keep this between the two of us. No teachers or students, just us. For a little while at least. Until Ive had a chance to process it. Is that okay?

Professor Amethyst gave him a curious expression. If thats what you desire, Oliver, then who am I to argue? He let out a celebratory guffaw and began to float away, muttering to himself as he did. I wonder if Mistress Obsidians ever had an atomic-mixed Seer.

Oliver watched him disappear into the darkness. Far from feeling celebratory about the news like the headmaster clearly was, he felt a strange, foreboding feeling deep within his gut. Whatever he was, and whatever he was to become, the journey wasnt going to be smooth.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

Oliver rode the superfast elevator down to the ground floor, his encounter in the sixth dimension repeating over and over in his mind. What hed visualized during his test had been intense. He couldnt get the Orb of Kandra out of his mind. It was awe-inspiring.