The fracture widened just enough to be seen clearly now, a thin tear in the structure of the world that refused to close completely, as if something beyond it was pressing constantly against the boundary. The distortion no longer felt like a temporary disruption. It had settled into the space, anchored by the presence standing in front of Adrian, and that alone made it more dangerous than anything he had faced before. This was no longer an intrusion. It was an existence.
Adrian stood still for a moment, not out of hesitation, but to feel everything clearly. The pressure, the instability, the way the system pulsed beneath it all, trying to maintain control over something it didn't fully understand. It wasn't failing, but it wasn't dominant either. For the first time, the system wasn't the strongest force in the space.
And that meant he couldn't rely on it alone.
