Silence.
Not the normal kind.
Not the peaceful kind.
This—
Was heavy.
The kind that sticks to your skin.
The kind that doesn't let you breathe properly.
I was still on the floor.
Hands slightly shaking.
Breath uneven.
"…I didn't do that on purpose," I said quietly.
No one replied.
That made it worse.
I looked up.
Kiara had stepped back now.
But she was still watching me.
Carefully.
Too carefully.
Luna stood near the spot where the tear had appeared.
Her eyes scanning the air.
Like she was checking if something was still there.
"…Say something," I muttered.
Kiara exhaled.
"That wasn't normal."
"Yeah, I figured that much."
"No," she said, shaking her head. "You don't get it."
I frowned.
"Then explain it."
A pause.
She looked at Luna.
Luna didn't look back.
"…We messed up," Kiara said.
My stomach dropped.
"What do you mean we messed up?!"
Luna finally spoke.
"We underestimated the mark."
"That's not very comforting."
"And we underestimated you," Kiara added.
"That's even less comforting!"
I pushed myself up slowly.
My legs felt weak.
But they worked.
Barely.
"That thing…" I said, "it talked."
"Yes," Luna replied.
"It wasn't supposed to, right?"
"No."
"Great."
Just great.
I ran a hand through my hair.
Trying to process everything.
"That wasn't just some random entity, was it?"
Silence.
I let out a dry laugh.
"Of course not."
Kiara crossed her arms.
"That thing knew what you are."
"What I am?" I repeated. "You mean your 'bridge' theory?"
"It's not a theory anymore."
I didn't like the sound of that.
At all.
"And that 'signal' thing?" I asked. "What does that mean?"
Luna turned toward me.
Her expression—
Serious.
Focused.
"That tear you opened…"
"I didn't open it—"
"You did," she cut in.
I stopped.
"…Fine. Continue."
"That wasn't just an accident," she said.
"It was a response."
"To what?"
"To you reaching out."
"I wasn't reaching out!"
"You were using the mark."
"That's different!"
"It's not."
That hit.
Harder than I expected.
"So what," I said quietly, "every time I use this thing… I risk opening another… whatever that was?"
"…Yes."
Silence.
Pure.
Heavy silence.
I laughed.
But there was no humor in it.
"Wow. Amazing. Love that."
Kiara sighed.
"Relax, it's not that simple."
"Oh really? Because it sounds pretty simple to me."
"You need a certain level of output to trigger something like that."
"And I just hit that level, didn't I?"
She didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
"Fantastic."
I leaned against the wall.
My head slightly spinning.
"So basically… I'm a walking disaster."
"More like a walking invitation," Kiara said.
"That's worse."
"Much worse," Luna added.
"Can you both stop agreeing on the worst parts?!"
For a moment—
No one spoke.
Then—
Luna stepped closer.
"We need to set limits."
"Limits?"
"On how much you use your ability."
"That sounds smart."
"It won't be easy."
"Nothing is."
Kiara smirked slightly.
"Look at you. Getting used to it."
"I'm not used to it."
"You're adapting."
I didn't reply.
Because… maybe she was right.
And that was a little scary.
"…What was that thing?" I asked.
This time—
Luna didn't dodge.
"It wasn't a low-level entity."
"Okay…"
"It was something higher."
My chest tightened.
"How much higher?"
A pause.
Then—
"High enough to speak."
Yeah.
I didn't like that.
Not even a little.
"And it said I'd open something."
Kiara nodded.
"Yeah. That part's not great."
"Again—not helping."
Luna looked at me.
Straight into my eyes.
"That wasn't a guess."
"…What?"
"It wasn't predicting," she said.
"It was stating."
Silence.
That hit different.
Way different.
"So… it knows something I don't," I said slowly.
"Yes."
"Awesome."
I closed my eyes for a second.
Trying to calm down.
Trying to think.
But one question—
Kept coming back.
"…What am I supposed to do now?" I asked.
Luna didn't hesitate.
"Get stronger."
I opened my eyes.
"That's it?"
"That's everything."
Kiara nodded.
"If you can't control it, you're a danger."
"To others?" I asked.
She looked at me.
"No," she said quietly.
"To yourself."
That shut me up.
Completely.
Because deep down—
I knew she wasn't wrong.
The way that tear opened…
The way that thing responded…
That wasn't normal.
That wasn't safe.
That wasn't something I could just ignore.
"…Then teach me properly," I said.
Luna nodded.
"We will."
Kiara smirked.
"But don't expect it to be easy."
"I don't."
"Good."
Because honestly—
After everything that just happened…
Easy was the last thing I expected.
Luna turned slightly.
"We stop for today."
I blinked.
"…That's it?"
"Yes."
"After all that?!"
"You're exhausted," she said.
"I'm fine—"
"You're not."
I paused.
Then sighed.
"…Okay, maybe I'm not."
Kiara laughed softly.
"Finally, some honesty."
"Shut up."
She grinned.
"Make me."
I rolled my eyes.
But for the first time—
The tension eased.
Just a little.
Not gone.
Not even close.
But enough to breathe.
For now.
Because deep down—
I knew.
This was just the beginning.
And whatever that thing meant by—
"You will open it…"
That answer?
Was coming.
Sooner or later.