Ethan stepped slightly in front of Maya.
A protective instinct.
"Why are you here?" he asked coldly.
The man smiled faintly.
"I could ask you the same thing," he replied. "You've been… busy."
Maya watched them carefully.
There was history here.
Tension.
"You've been digging into things that don't concern you," the man continued.
Ethan didn't respond.
His silence was different this time.
Controlled.
Careful.
The man's gaze returned to Maya.
"She's the one, isn't she?" he said.
Maya felt her hands grow cold.
Ethan's voice hardened. "Leave her out of this."
The man chuckled softly.
"I'm afraid that's no longer possible."
A heavy silence followed.
Then the man took a step forward.
Maya instinctively stepped back.
"Relax," he said calmly. "If we wanted to hurt you… we already would have."
That didn't make her feel better.
"If anything," he added, "we're interested in you."
Maya's breath caught.
"Why?" she whispered.
The man's eyes gleamed slightly.
"Because people like you," he said, "are rare."
Her heart pounded.
He knew.
He knew about her ability.
Ethan clenched his fists.
"Don't."
The man glanced at him.
"You're in no position to give orders anymore."
That sentence hit hard.
Maya looked at Ethan.
"What does he mean?"
Ethan didn't answer.
And that silence—
Was terrifying.