"No."
The word left Dante's mouth before he could think.
Sharp. Immediate. Final.
Camille went silent.
Not because she didn't hear him
But because she understood exactly what that "no" meant.
Victor didn't move. If anything, the faint curve at the corner of his lips deepened, like he had been expecting that reaction all along.
"You don't get to deny it," Victor said calmly.
Dante's gaze hardened. "Watch me."
The air between them shifted, tension tightening like something ready to snap.
Behind him, the console pulsed faintly Camille's presence still anchored in the system, still watching, still listening.
"I told you," she said quietly, "I can't separate him."
Dante didn't look back. "Then we find another way."
"There isn't one."
"There's always one."
This time, Camille didn't answer immediately.
And that pause
That hesitation
It was small, but Dante caught it.
So did Victor.
"You hear that?" Victor said softly. "Even she isn't certain anymore."
