The chamber didn't move.
But everything inside it had shifted.
Adrian could feel it clearly now—not as a surge of power, not as pressure, but as something far more subtle. The space around him no longer resisted his presence, nor did it simply respond.
It aligned.
Not completely.
Not perfectly.
But enough to make the difference undeniable.
He stood still for a moment, his breathing steady, his body no longer reacting to the strain of previous exchanges. The pain was still there, buried beneath the surface, but it had become irrelevant.
Because his focus had changed.
Across from him, the figure didn't move either.
Their posture remained relaxed, but the casual air from before had vanished completely. Their eyes stayed locked on Adrian, sharp and attentive, no longer evaluating him as someone catching up—
But as someone who had reached the same ground.
"You felt it."
The figure spoke first this time.
Not as a question.
As confirmation.
Adrian nodded slightly.
"…Yeah."
