The chamber began to glow.
Faint light returned to the broken runic pillars as Adrian's Bond Network expanded into the barrier system. Blue threads of energy spread across the cracked stone floor, connecting each pillar into a fragile web of stabilization.
For the first time since the battle began—
The chamber felt balanced again.
But only slightly.
Adrian stood at the center.
His breathing slowed.
His focus narrowed.
The system pulsed continuously in his mind.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Bond Network System
Barrier Integration: 18%
Network Load: Increasing
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Elara watched him closely.
"This isn't just stabilization."
"No," Adrian said quietly.
"I'm taking control."
Lyra whistled softly.
"Yeah, that sounds like a terrible idea."
Kaelith stepped forward.
"But a necessary one."
Seraphine placed a hand lightly on Adrian's shoulder.
"We're with you."
Aria raised her staff.
Mana flowed outward, strengthening the network's amplification.
