The hallway fell silent.
Not the normal kind of silence.
This one felt… forced.
Heavy.
Like the air itself had been pressed down by something unseen.
Ethan's body tensed instantly.
Every instinct inside him screamed the same thing—
Danger.
The man at the end of the hallway didn't move at first. He simply stood there, hands in his pockets, observing.
Watching.
As if Ethan wasn't a person…
But something to be studied.
"…So it's true," the man said calmly.
His voice was quiet, yet it echoed unnaturally.
Ethan stepped slightly in front of Lena without thinking.
"Who are you?" he asked.
The man's lips curved faintly.
"Adrian Vale," he replied. "And you… are more troublesome than expected."
Ethan's heart pounded.
"How do you know me?"
Adrian didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took a step forward.
And the moment he did—
Ethan felt it.
A crushing pressure slammed into his chest.
His breath hitched.
"What… is this…?"
It was wrong.
Completely wrong.
His power—normally restless, constantly shifting—had gone silent.
Dead silent.
Ethan's eyes widened.
"No… that's not possible…"
Adrian continued walking, unhurried.
"You've been emitting irregular emotional waves for days," he said casually. "Did you really think no one would notice?"
Ethan clenched his fists.
So it was real.
Everything.
His power.
The changes.
And now—
This.
"You shouldn't have involved her," Adrian added, his gaze shifting past Ethan.
Toward Lena.
Ethan's entire body froze.
"Don't," he said sharply.
Adrian stopped.
Just for a second.
Then his eyes returned to Ethan.
"…Interesting," he murmured.
But his attention didn't fully leave Lena.
"She's not like you," Adrian said. "Fragile. Unaware. A liability."
"Stop talking about her," Ethan snapped.
Lena stepped slightly behind him, her voice low.
"Ethan… what's going on?"
Ethan didn't answer.
He couldn't.
Because something inside him was starting to crack.
A pulse.
Weak at first.
Then stronger.
His power—
It was reacting again.
But not like before.
This time, it wasn't spreading.
It was fighting.
Adrian tilted his head slightly.
"So you can still respond under suppression," he said.
Ethan's eyes sharpened.
"…Suppression?"
Adrian raised a hand slightly.
"Emotions are unstable things," he explained calmly. "Easy to influence. Easier to break."
The pressure intensified.
Ethan staggered back slightly, his breathing uneven.
It felt like something was pressing down on his mind, dulling everything—fear, anger, even thought.
"Your ability is crude," Adrian continued. "Unrefined. You rely on raw output."
Ethan gritted his teeth.
"Shut up…"
"You don't control your power," Adrian said. "Your power controls you."
Something snapped.
A surge exploded from Ethan's chest.
Invisible.
But powerful.
The air warped slightly as the emotional pressure burst outward—
And collided with Adrian.
For the first time—
Adrian stopped moving.
His expression flickered.
Just slightly.
"…So you can push back," he said.
But his tone didn't change.
Not fear.
Not surprise.
Just… interest.
Ethan didn't stop.
He couldn't.
Because now—
He felt it.
Everything.
His emotions.
Lena's fear.
The tension in the air.
It all fed into him.
Amplifying.
Growing.
"Stay back!" Ethan shouted.
The pulse intensified again.
Stronger.
Focused.
The lights above flickered violently.
The walls trembled faintly.
Lena gasped softly.
"…Ethan…"
Her voice cut through everything.
And for a moment—
The chaos sharpened.
Focused.
Adrian moved.
Fast.
Before Ethan could react, he was already in front of him.
A hand shot out—
Grabbing Ethan by the collar.
Ethan's body slammed against the wall.
Pain shot through his back.
"Too slow," Adrian said calmly.
Ethan struggled, his vision blurring slightly.
His power—
It wasn't working properly.
It kept clashing against something invisible.
Like waves hitting a wall.
"You're dangerous," Adrian continued, his grip tightening slightly. "But not because of what you are now."
Ethan forced himself to focus.
Not on the pain.
Not on the fear.
But on one thing—
Lena.
She stood a few steps away.
Frozen.
Worried.
And in danger.
Something inside Ethan ignited.
Not violently.
Not wildly.
But sharply.
Like a blade.
A sudden pulse erupted—
Different from before.
Condensed.
Precise.
It didn't spread outward.
It drove forward.
Adrian's expression changed.
Just for a second.
His grip loosened.
"…What?"
Ethan dropped to the ground, coughing slightly.
But his eyes were clear now.
Focused.
"You said I don't control it…" Ethan muttered.
He slowly stood up.
"…Then I'll learn."
The air shifted again.
This time—
It wasn't chaotic.
It was controlled.
Barely.
But enough.
Adrian stepped back.
Not in fear.
But in recognition.
"…You're adapting already," he said quietly.
For the first time—
There was a hint of seriousness in his voice.
Ethan raised his head.
His breathing steadied.
"I won't let you touch her," he said.
Adrian watched him for a moment.
Then—
He smiled.
Not warmly.
Not kindly.
But knowingly.
"…Good."
The pressure in the hallway vanished instantly.
Like it had never been there.
Ethan blinked.
His power settled.
The tension disappeared.
Adrian turned away.
Walking toward the stairwell.
"We'll meet again," he said without looking back.
"Next time…"
He paused briefly.
"…you won't be this lucky."
And then—
He was gone.
Silence returned.
Real silence.
Ethan stood there, unmoving.
His body still tense.
His mind racing.
"…Ethan."
Lena's voice was soft.
Careful.
He turned slightly.
She was looking at him differently now.
Not just curious.
Not just concerned.
But aware.
"…What was that?" she asked quietly.
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
Because now—
He understood something clearly.
This wasn't random.
This wasn't harmless.
And he wasn't alone.
Ethan looked toward the empty stairwell.
His jaw tightened.
"…Someone who's going to come back," he said.
And next time—
He wouldn't just be watching.