Then, something else caught his eye.

Swapper.

The shadowy figure still stood there, unmoving. But something was different.

Jayden froze when he noticed something he never expected. Swapper’s face was streaked with silent tears.

Confusion flooded through him. Why? Why was Swapper crying?

As if hearing his unspoken question, Swapper finally spoke, his voice strangely soft.

"We are bound to the ones we choose," he murmured. "Until we shift back into our ...