The silence that followed felt unreal.
Like the world had paused—
Just to let everything settle.
Ethan couldn't move.
His body refused.
Every muscle felt heavy, drained, like something had been pulled out of him completely.
His breathing was uneven.
Shallow.
"…Ethan!"
Lena's voice reached him through the haze.
Closer now.
Panicked.
Warmth touched his shoulder.
Then his arm.
"…Hey, look at me," she said softly.
Ethan forced his eyes open.
Her face came into focus—
Blurry at first.
Then clear.
Concerned.
Too close.
"I'm fine," he tried to say.
But the words came out weak.
Barely a whisper.
Lena frowned.
"No, you're not."
She shifted slightly, supporting him as he leaned forward.
"You can barely stand."
"That's… new," Ethan muttered faintly.
It was supposed to be a joke.
But it didn't land.
Because this time—
It wasn't just exhaustion.
It felt deeper.
Like something inside him had burned too much, too fast.
"…He was right," Ethan said quietly.
Lena paused.
"About what?"
Ethan swallowed.
"My power… it's unstable."
The word lingered.
Unstable.
Dangerous.
Unpredictable.
Lena didn't argue.
Because she had seen it.
Felt it.
"…But you controlled it," she said after a moment.
Ethan shook his head weakly.
"No. I forced it."
There was a difference.
And he knew it now.
He let out a slow breath.
"If I lose control like that again…" he added, "I might not be able to stop it."
Silence filled the stairwell.
Lena tightened her grip slightly.
"…Then don't lose control."
Ethan let out a faint, tired laugh.
"That's not exactly something I can just decide."
She didn't smile.
Instead, she looked at him seriously.
"Then learn."
That word again.
Learn.
Ethan closed his eyes briefly.
"I don't even know where to start."
"Then we figure it out," she said.
Ethan opened his eyes again.
"We?"
Lena met his gaze without hesitation.
"Yes. We."
Ethan hesitated.
That same argument from before.
The same problem.
"…You shouldn't be involved in this," he said quietly.
But his voice lacked strength this time.
Conviction.
Lena noticed.
"Too late," she replied.
Ethan didn't argue.
Because deep down—
He knew it was true.
"…He called you an anchor," she added after a moment.
Ethan frowned slightly.
"Yeah."
"What does that mean?"
Ethan looked down.
"…I think it means you're the reason I can still control it."
Lena blinked.
"Me?"
Ethan nodded slowly.
"When I focus on everything… it goes out of control," he explained. "But when I focus on one thing—one feeling…"
He paused.
"…it stabilizes."
Lena stayed quiet.
Processing.
"And that feeling is…?" she asked softly.
Ethan hesitated.
That question again.
The one he didn't want to answer.
"…I don't know," he said.
But this time—
It sounded less convincing.
Lena didn't push.
She just helped him stand properly.
"Come on," she said. "You can't stay here."
Ethan didn't resist.
Not this time.
They moved slowly out of the stairwell.
Back into the hallway.
Everything looked normal again.
Too normal.
No sign of Adrian.
No damage.
No evidence.
Like nothing had happened.
"…That's creepy," Lena muttered.
Ethan nodded slightly.
"Yeah."
Because if no one else saw it—
Then no one else would understand.
Which meant—
They were alone in this.
They stepped outside the building.
Cool air hit Ethan's face.
Refreshing.
Grounding.
He took a deep breath.
Then another.
"…You need rest," Lena said.
Ethan nodded.
"For once… I agree."
They stood there for a moment.
Neither of them moving.
Then Lena spoke again.
"…He said there are others."
Ethan's expression darkened slightly.
"Yeah."
"That means this isn't just about you," she said.
"No."
"And they're organized."
"…Probably."
Silence again.
"…Then this is bigger than we thought," Lena said.
Ethan looked at her.
"…Yeah."
And that was the problem.
Because if there were more people like Adrian—
More people hunting—
More people watching—
Then this wasn't just a situation.
It was a system.
"…I need to get stronger," Ethan said quietly.
Lena didn't disagree.
"Not just stronger," she said. "Better."
Ethan glanced at her.
"Better?"
"You said it yourself," she continued. "You're forcing it right now. That won't work long-term."
Ethan exhaled.
"…So what do I do?"
Lena thought for a moment.
Then—
"We start small."
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Small?"
"You can feel emotions, right?" she said.
"…Yeah."
"Then start there. Learn to understand them first."
Ethan considered that.
Not control.
Not power.
Understanding.
"…That might actually work," he admitted.
Lena smiled slightly.
"Of course it will."
Ethan let out a quiet breath.
For the first time since the fight—
Something felt… manageable.
Not easy.
But possible.
Then—
That feeling returned.
Faint.
Distant.
Ethan's expression shifted.
"What?" Lena asked immediately.
Ethan didn't answer right away.
He looked up.
Scanning the street.
"…We're being watched," he said quietly.
Lena's body tensed.
"Again?"
Ethan nodded slowly.
But this time—
It felt different.
Not Adrian.
Something else.
Something… weaker.
But still there.
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…They're not done with me."
And somewhere in the distance—
Unseen—
Something was watching back.