Everything stopped.
Not slowed.
Not distorted.
Stopped.
The fragments froze mid-air.
The battlefield went silent.
Even the wind died.
— The Collapse —
Every fragment—
Light.
Shadow.
Everything in between—
Pulled inward.
Toward one point.
The Vessel.
Juvy's breath caught.
"…That's not good…"
Maxruell narrowed his eyes.
"…Yeah. Definitely not."
Kael stepped forward slightly.
"…It's consolidating."
"…Preparing a new form."
— Compression —
The fragments didn't just gather.
They compressed.
Tighter.
Denser.
The Vessel's body shifted—
Becoming sharper.
More defined.
Less unstable.
More… complete.
Its outline stopped flickering.
Its presence—
Heavier.
— The Pressure Returns —
Then—
It came back.
Stronger.
The pressure.
Juvy dropped slightly.
"…Ghh—!"
Maxruell braced himself.
"…This is different…"
Kael's expression hardened.
"…It's not just pulling anymore…"
"…It's stabilizing control."
— The New Form —
The Vessel stepped forward.
One step—
The ground cracked.
Second step—
Reality bent.
Third—
Everything around it aligned.
No chaos.
No randomness.
Perfect control.
Its eyes locked onto them.
"…phase… complete…"
— The Shift —
It moved.
Not fast.
Not flashy.
But unavoidable.
It appeared in front of Juvy.
Too fast to react.
A single strike—
She was sent flying.
Hard.
— Impact —
Juvy hit the ground—
Sliding—
Her light flickering violently.
"…Too fast…!"
Maxruell moved instantly.
Shadow striking toward the Vessel—
Blocked.
Effortlessly.
The Vessel didn't even look at him.
It countered.
Maxruell barely dodged—
Still got hit.
Thrown back.
"…Tch—!"
— Overwhelming —
The difference was clear.
Before—
They could react.
Adapt.
Flow.
Now—
They were behind.
Every move they made—
Too slow.
— Kael Intervenes —
Kael stepped in.
Distortion spread outward—
Trying to slow the field.
For a moment—
The Vessel paused.
Its eyes turned to him.
"…observer…"
Kael didn't flinch.
"…You've changed."
A pause.
"…But not enough."
— Clash of Control —
Kael pushed his ability further.
The space around them warped—
Trying to disrupt the Vessel's control.
For a second—
It worked.
The Vessel's movement slowed.
Juvy got up.
Maxruell steadied himself.
"…Now!" Kael shouted.
— Counterattack —
Juvy moved.
Light flowing—
More controlled than before.
Maxruell followed—
Shadow striking in sync.
They hit—
Together.
— Result —
A direct impact.
The Vessel's body cracked.
More than before.
But—
It didn't fall.
— The Response —
The Vessel raised its hand.
And grabbed Juvy mid-motion.
Not physically—
Something deeper.
Her movement stopped.
"…What—?!"
Maxruell tried to move—
His shadow froze.
The Vessel spoke.
"…you are fragments…"
"…you cannot move outside me…"
Juvy's eyes widened.
"…No…"
Maxruell's expression darkened.
"…Don't tell me—"
The Vessel tightened its hold.
Their powers flickered—
Destabilizing again.
"…return…"
Everything began pulling inward again.
Stronger than before.
And this time—
They couldn't move freely.