Claire didn't try to stop him the next day.
That scared Rey more than resistance would have.
She watched quietly instead.
Observing.
Calculating.
That silence was new.
And dangerous.
"You're withdrawing," he said gently.
Claire didn't deny it.
"I don't know where I fit anymore."
The honesty disarmed him.
"You fit beside me," he replied.
"Beside which version?"
He stepped closer.
"The integrated one."
She studied him carefully.
"Show me."
That wasn't a challenge.
It was a plea.
Rey took her back to the hallway.
Her steps were hesitant.
Not because of the shadow.
Because of him.
The air thickened as they entered.
The distortion flickered faintly.
Claire stiffened.
"It's reacting to you," she whispered.
"No," Rey said softly. "It's reacting to us."
The shadow formed.
Less aggressive than before.
More defined.
"You return with the catalyst," it murmured.
Claire's hand grabbed Rey's sleeve instinctively.
"Don't listen to it," she whispered.
"I'm not," he said calmly.
The mark glowed steadily.
Not flaring.
Not burning.
Stable.
"What do you want?" Rey asked the shadow.
"Completion."
"With her?"
"With the bond."
Claire's grip tightened.
"I didn't ask for this," she whispered.
Rey turned to her.
"Neither did I."
The shadow shifted.
"You both fractured yourselves to survive."
The words hit harder than expected.
Claire looked down.
"I was afraid," she admitted quietly.
"Of what?" Rey asked.
"Of not being enough for the stronger you."
Silence.
Kai's voice softened.
"She internalized your intensity as rejection."
Rey felt that truth settle painfully.
"You weren't not enough," he said firmly. "I was restless."
"And I tried to cage that," she whispered.
The shadow pulsed brighter.
The mark burned.
Rey grabbed Claire's hand.
Not to steady himself.
To anchor her.
"We're not completing anything," he told the shadow. "Not until it's chosen."
The distortion trembled.
"You delay inevitability."
"No," Rey replied calmly. "I redefine it."
The mark glowed brighter than ever before—
And then stabilized.
The shadow recoiled slightly.
Not defeated.
But postponed.
"For now," it hissed.
And dissolved again.
Claire's knees buckled slightly once it vanished.
Rey caught her.
She looked up at him.
"You didn't let it pull you."
"I won't," he said.
"Not away from you."
Her eyes shimmered—not from fear this time.
From relief.
And something like respect.