"Again."
Luna's voice echoed in the empty room.
I exhaled slowly.
"Yeah… figured."
I closed my eyes.
Focused on my chest.
On the mark.
That same warmth returned.
Faint.
Then stronger.
Then steady.
"Good," Luna said. "Hold it."
Kiara leaned against the wall.
Watching.
Silent.
For once.
"…I've got it," I said.
"Don't rush," Luna replied.
"I'm not."
And I wasn't.
This time—
It felt different.
Easier.
Like my body was starting to understand it.
That energy.
That pressure.
That… connection.
"Now push it outward," Luna instructed.
I nodded slightly.
And did exactly that.
The energy shifted.
Moved.
Expanded.
A soft ripple spread through the air.
Controlled.
Stable.
"…See?" I said. "I'm getting—"
"Stop."
Luna's voice cut me off instantly.
Sharp.
Urgent.
I froze.
"…What?"
Her eyes were locked on my chest.
"No… this isn't right."
Kiara straightened.
"What happened?"
"It's increasing," Luna said.
"That's the point, isn't it?"
"No," she replied. "Not like this."
I frowned.
"I'm literally doing what you told me—"
"Ayaan, stop the flow."
I tried.
I really did.
But—
"…I can't."
Silence.
That one sentence changed everything.
"What do you mean you can't?" Kiara asked.
"I mean—"
The pressure surged.
Suddenly.
Violently.
My body tensed.
"—I CAN'T STOP IT!"
The energy inside me spiked.
Not controlled anymore.
Not stable.
Wild.
Unstable.
Wrong.
"Damn it," Kiara muttered. "It's happening again."
"No," Luna said quickly. "This is worse."
The air in the room—
Changed.
Heavy.
Distorted.
Like reality itself was bending slightly.
"What's going on?!" I shouted.
"The mark is overreacting," Luna said.
"To what?!"
A pause.
Her eyes widened.
"…To something outside."
My stomach dropped.
"Outside…?"
Kiara's expression turned serious.
"Don't tell me—"
Too late.
A crack.
Sharp.
Loud.
The air behind me—
Split.
Like glass.
I turned.
Slowly.
And saw it.
A tear.
In space.
Small.
But growing.
"…No way," Kiara whispered.
"That's not possible," Luna said.
But it was happening.
Right in front of us.
"What is that?!" I asked.
No one answered.
Because they already knew.
And that silence—
Was terrifying.
The tear widened.
Darkness spilled through it.
Not normal darkness.
Something deeper.
Something alive.
The pressure in my chest surged again.
Like it was—
Calling it.
"No… no no no—" I stepped back.
But the pull was there again.
Stronger than ever.
Not just pulling me forward—
Pulling something through.
"Ayaan, break the connection!" Luna shouted.
"I DON'T KNOW HOW!"
"Focus!"
"I AM TRYING!"
The tear expanded.
And then—
Something moved inside it.
My breath stopped.
A shape.
Tall.
Distorted.
Watching.
Waiting.
"Oh, this is bad," Kiara said.
"Kiara, get him away!" Luna snapped.
"I'm trying!"
She grabbed my arm—
But it didn't help.
At all.
The pull intensified.
My body moved again.
Forward.
Step by step.
Towards the tear.
"No—!"
Suddenly—
A hand grabbed my collar.
Hard.
I was pulled back instantly.
My body collided with someone.
Warm.
Close.
"Stay still, idiot," Kiara's voice came right next to my ear.
Her grip tightened.
One arm holding me back.
The other—
Pressed against my chest.
Right over the mark.
"Kiara—"
"Shut up and focus."
Her voice—
Low.
Serious.
Closer than ever.
My heart skipped.
Not from fear.
From something else.
Her face was inches away.
Eyes locked on mine.
No teasing.
No smirk.
Just intensity.
"Look at me," she said.
I did.
Without thinking.
"Don't look at that thing," she continued. "Look at me."
The pull weakened slightly.
"Good," she whispered.
"Now breathe."
I followed.
Inhale.
Exhale.
"Again."
The chaos inside me—
Shifted.
Just a little.
The energy steadied.
Not fully.
But enough.
Behind us—
The tear grew unstable.
The thing inside—
Moved again.
Closer.
"Luna!" Kiara shouted.
"I'm on it!"
For the first time—
Luna raised her hand.
And the air around her—
Changed.
Cold.
Sharp.
Focused.
"Force it back!" she commanded.
"I'M TRYING!"
Kiara pressed harder against my chest.
The mark burned.
But this time—
I didn't panic.
I focused.
On her voice.
On her presence.
On that steady rhythm she forced me into.
And then—
I pushed.
Not wildly.
Not blindly.
But with intent.
A controlled burst of energy exploded outward.
The room shook.
The tear—
Flickered.
The thing inside paused.
For the first time—
It reacted.
"…Interesting," a distorted voice echoed.
Not in my head.
In the room.
Everyone froze.
"Did it just—?" Kiara started.
"Yes," Luna said.
"It spoke."
My blood ran cold.
The thing stepped closer to the edge of the tear.
Its shape clearer now.
Not human.
Not even close.
"You carry it…"
My chest tightened.
That voice—
Focused on me.
"You will open it…"
"NO," I snapped.
Without thinking.
The energy surged again.
Stronger.
Sharper.
And this time—
Under my control.
I pushed forward.
Hard.
The tear—
Shattered.
Like glass breaking.
The room snapped back to normal.
Silence.
Complete silence.
My legs gave out.
I dropped.
Breathing heavily.
"What… the hell… was that…" I whispered.
Kiara was still close.
Still holding me.
Her grip slowly loosened.
"…That," she said quietly,
"was not supposed to happen."
Luna stared at me.
More serious than ever.
"That wasn't just a reaction," she said.
"That was a signal."
My heart sank.
"…Signal?"
A pause.
Then—
"Them calling you…"
My stomach dropped.
"And you answering back."