James didn't step out immediately when the door unlocked.
The others had already started moving, but he stayed back for a moment, attention turned inward. The sensation hadn't faded this time. It lingered under his skin—faint, uneven, like a charge that hadn't fully discharged.
He flexed his fingers once, testing it.
Still there.
"…You coming?"
Mira stood by the door, watching him. Not impatient—just waiting.
James walked out of the circle. "Yeah. Just needed a second."
"You keep checking your hand," she said as he approached. "Something off?"
"Feels different," he replied. "Before, it would spike and disappear. Now it just sits there."
She studied him more closely. "That's new."
"Yeah."
They stepped into the corridor, and the door sealed behind them. The shift was immediate. The pressure from the room disappeared, replaced by the normal stillness of the building. It should've felt like relief.
It didn't.
The sensation under his skin stood out more now, not less.
They walked in silence for a few seconds before James spoke again.
"So what is this place, really?"
Mira didn't answer right away. She kept her pace steady, gaze forward.
"You've already figured out the important part," she said. "You're not here by accident."
"That's not exactly helpful."
"It's not supposed to be."
James let out a quiet breath, then tried again. "Alright. Then tell me this—what happens if I don't get control over it?"
That made her slow down.
She turned toward him, expression more serious now. "If it starts affecting people outside controlled situations, they step in."
"Step in how?"
"They stop it," she said. "However they need to."
The words landed clean. No hesitation, no softening.
James held her gaze for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Got it."
Not a threat. Just a rule.
He started walking again, slower this time.
"So I stay within whatever limits you've set, and everything's fine."
"For now," Mira said, falling back into step beside him.
"And if those limits change?"
"They will."
James let out a short breath through his nose. "Of course they will."
They turned into a quieter section of the building. The noise dropped off, replaced by a kind of stillness that made every step sound louder than it should.
Mira stopped at a smaller door and pushed it open. "Wait here."
James stepped inside.
The difference hit immediately. The room felt ordinary—table, chairs, a screen mounted on the wall. Someone had left a jacket hanging over the back of a chair like they planned to come back for it.
No tension. No pressure.
James glanced around. "This is the first place that doesn't feel like it's testing me."
"It will," Mira said, leaning against the table. "Just not in the same way."
"That's reassuring."
He rested back against the wall, folding his arms loosely. The sensation under his skin shifted again, settling into something quieter but more persistent.
It wasn't going away.
The door opened.
James looked up as the man from earlier walked in, closing it behind him.
He didn't rush into anything. Just took a moment, looking at both of them before focusing on James.
James pushed off the wall. "Alright, I'm done guessing. What is this?"
"You're being evaluated," the man said.
"For what?"
"A position."
James frowned. "That doesn't mean anything."
"It will."
Mira let out a quiet breath. "You could try being a little clearer."
The man ignored that. "Your ability doesn't behave like a standard output. It interferes with others. That puts you in a different category."
James nodded once. "Yeah, I noticed."
"People with that kind of effect don't get left alone."
"So I get pulled in here instead."
"Yes."
No hesitation. No explanation layered on top.
James looked down for a second, then back up. "And until you figure out what I am, I stay here."
"That's how it works."
Simple.
Direct.
No room to argue.
James ran a hand through his hair, then let it drop. "And if I decide I don't want to be here?"
The man met his gaze without any change in expression. "You can try leaving."
That was it.
James held his stare for a second, then let out a quiet breath and looked away. "…Right."
Mira shifted slightly beside the table. "You'll get used to it."
James glanced at her. "That's not exactly something I'm aiming for."
"It's not about aiming for it."
He didn't respond to that.
The room settled into a brief silence before he spoke again.
"So what happens next?"
"You train," the man said. "You learn control. We monitor your progress."
"And if I don't improve?"
"You will."
James gave a faint, humorless huff. "You're very sure about that."
"We wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't worth the time."
That wasn't encouragement.
It sounded like expectation.
James nodded slowly. "Alright."
He moved toward the door, then stopped with his hand on the handle.
"…One more thing."
The man looked at him.
"If I get control over this," James said, "what changes?"
A short pause followed.
"You become useful," the man replied.
No emphasis. No explanation.
Just a fact.
James stood there for a second, then opened the door and stepped back into the corridor.
The word stayed with him.
Useful.
He walked a few steps before slowing down.
The sensation under his skin shifted again.
This time it didn't build up or snap back.
It spread.
Not far. Not strong.
But enough to notice.
James stopped.
His attention sharpened instantly.
"…That's new."
He hadn't touched anything. No one was close enough to trigger it.
And yet—
Down the corridor, a door opened.
Not slowly.
Not casually.
Like someone had reacted.
James looked up, eyes narrowing slightly.
That wasn't random.
And whatever this was—
It wasn't staying contained anymore.