Nothing held steady.
Not the ground.
Not the air.
And definitely not their power.
— After the Impact —
Juvy pushed herself up.
Her arms trembled.
Light flickered around her—
Then snapped out.
Then returned again.
"…This isn't… stable…"
Her breathing was uneven.
Every time the light appeared—
It hurt.
Not physically.
Deeper.
— Maxruell —
Across the shattered ground—
Maxruell stood again.
His shadow rose behind him—
Then split.
Then collapsed.
"…Tch…"
He clenched his fist.
"…Pick a state already."
The shadow surged—
Then lashed out randomly.
Destroying part of the ground beside him.
Maxruell stared at it.
"…So I can't even trust my own power now."
— The Chaos Around Them —
Fragment users fought each other.
Uncontrolled bursts.
Collisions of unstable energy.
Some collapsed instantly.
Others kept going—
Driven by the call.
The battlefield wasn't organized.
It was breaking itself apart.
— Kael Steps In —
In the middle of the chaos—
Kael moved.
Calm.
Precise.
He raised his hand.
A distortion spread outward.
Not violent.
Not forceful.
It adjusted the space around him.
Fragment users near him—
Slowed.
Stabilized slightly.
"…You're all pushing too hard," Kael said quietly.
Maxruell glanced at him.
"…Now you show up."
Kael didn't react.
"…You're both doing the same thing."
Juvy looked at him.
"…What do you mean?"
Kael stepped closer.
"…You're forcing broken power into old forms."
A pause.
"…That won't work anymore."
— The Lesson —
Kael pointed toward the Vessel.
"…Look at it."
Juvy did.
Maxruell too.
The Vessel wasn't stable because it was strong.
It was stable because—
It wasn't resisting.
It was accepting everything.
"…That thing isn't forcing fragments," Kael continued.
"…It's absorbing them."
— Realization —
Juvy's eyes widened.
"…So we're doing the opposite…"
Maxruell exhaled.
"…We're trying to control something that changed."
Kael nodded.
"…Exactly."
— Attempt —
Juvy closed her eyes.
Took a breath.
Instead of forcing the light—
She waited.
For it.
A flicker appeared.
Softer.
Less aggressive.
She raised her hand slowly.
The light followed.
Not exploding.
Not breaking.
Flowing.
"…Okay…"
Maxruell watched.
"…So that's how it is…"
He looked at his shadow.
"…Fine."
He relaxed his stance slightly.
Stopped forcing it upward.
The shadow moved.
Not rising.
Spreading.
More natural.
"…Heh…"
— The Vessel Reacts —
At the center—
The Vessel tilted its head.
"…adjustment detected…"
Its gaze sharpened.
For the first time—
It recognized resistance.
Juvy stepped forward.
Her light steady—
But smaller.
Maxruell moved beside her.
His shadow controlled—
But restrained.
They didn't look at each other.
But they understood.
"…We don't overpower it," Juvy said.
Maxruell smirked slightly.
"…We outplay it."
Kael watched from behind.
"…Now you're learning."
The Vessel raised its hand again.
Fragments surged.
But this time—
Juvy didn't resist.
She moved with the flow.
Maxruell adjusted with her.
Their powers—
Still unstable.
But no longer fighting themselves.
The real fight—
Was about to begin.