The pressure didn't disappear.
It only spread.
Adrian stood still in the middle of the empty room, feeling it settle into the air like a weight nobody else could see. The others had gone quiet, but not relaxed. That alone told him everything he needed to know.
"…It's closer than before," he said.
"Yes," the red-eyed woman replied.
Adrian glanced at her. "That sounded too calm."
"I don't panic," she said simply.
"Must be nice."
The shadowed woman had already moved. She stood near the far side of the room, head slightly tilted as if listening to something no one else could hear.
"It's not entering fully," she said.
The third woman's eyes narrowed slightly. "It's testing boundaries."
Adrian frowned. "Testing what exactly? I'm right here."
"Not you," the red-eyed woman said.
Adrian looked at her. "Then what?"
She didn't answer immediately.
That alone made his stomach tighten.
Then she said, "Us."
For a moment, Adrian didn't respond.
"…So I'm bait," he said slowly.
"No," she replied.
"That's worse."
"It's observation."
Adrian let out a short laugh. "Yeah, that's definitely worse."
The pressure shifted again.
This time, it wasn't just around them.
It felt like it was above them.
Adrian looked up instinctively.
The ceiling lights flickered once.
Then again.
Then one of them shattered without warning.
Glass rained down.
Adrian stepped back quickly. "Okay, that's new."
The shadowed woman moved instantly.
The room darkened—not from the broken light, but from something else.
The shadows stretched.
Not randomly.
Purposefully.
Adrian felt it again—that strange awareness tugging at him. Not just his own senses, but hers bleeding into his perception.
Something moved.
Fast.
Not through space.
Through absence.
Adrian reacted on instinct.
He stepped left.
The shadowed woman stepped right at the same time.
Something passed between them.
A distortion.
A tear in the air that lasted less than a second.
And then—
The far wall cracked.
Adrian's breath caught. "…That would've hit me."
"Yes," the red-eyed woman said.
He looked at her. "You keep saying that like it's normal."
"It will be."
"I really hope not."
The third woman raised a hand slightly. "It's trying to map reactions."
Adrian frowned. "Map what?"
"Your bond," she said.
Adrian blinked. "Why would it care about that?"
"Because it doesn't understand it yet," the shadowed woman replied.
The pressure intensified again.
This time, Adrian felt it differently.
Not just external.
Internal.
Like something was pressing against the connection inside him.
His breath tightened slightly. "…It's trying to get in."
"Yes," the red-eyed woman said.
Adrian looked at her sharply. "Into me?"
"Through you."
That distinction didn't make him feel better.
The room temperature dropped slightly.
Adrian exhaled slowly. "Okay. So what's the plan?"
"Hold it," she said.
"That's not a plan."
"It is."
The pressure surged.
Adrian gritted his teeth as that familiar pulse inside him reacted.
The bond.
It answered.
But not smoothly.
It felt unstable, like something still forming.
He staggered slightly. "Okay—this is… harder than before."
"Because it's focused on you now," the third woman said.
Adrian shot her a look. "That feels personal."
"It is," she replied calmly.
Another flicker.
This time, the shadows around the room bent inward.
Adrian felt something shift behind him.
He didn't turn.
He didn't need to.
"Behind me," he said.
"Yes," the shadowed woman replied.
He moved immediately.
But not fast enough.
Pain snapped across his shoulder.
Adrian hissed sharply, stumbling forward. "Damn it—"
A thin line of red appeared on his skin.
Not deep.
But real.
The first real damage since the fight began.
The red-eyed woman's gaze sharpened instantly.
"That's new," she said.
Adrian looked at her. "Not helpful."
"It's adapting."
"Yeah, I noticed that part too."
The shadowed woman stepped forward, her voice quieter now. "It's learning your timing."
Adrian clenched his jaw. "Then I stop being predictable."
"You already are," the third woman said.
He shot her a glare. "Thanks."
The pressure surged again.
Harder.
Faster.
This time, Adrian felt something else inside it.
Intent.
Not random attack.
Selection.
It was choosing.
Him.
Adrian's expression hardened slightly. "…It's going for me specifically now."
"Yes," the red-eyed woman said again.
Adrian exhaled slowly. "Good. Fine. Let it."
All three women looked at him.
He straightened slightly, rolling his shoulder despite the pain.
"I'm getting tired of running from things I don't understand," he said quietly.
The room went still for a moment.
Even the pressure seemed to pause.
Adrian continued, "If it wants to keep coming, fine. But I'm not doing this blind anymore."
The red-eyed woman studied him carefully. "What are you saying?"
Adrian met her gaze. "Teach me how to hit back."
A brief silence.
Then the third woman smiled faintly. "That's a better answer."
The shadowed woman tilted her head slightly. "You're not ready."
"Didn't ask if I was ready," Adrian said. "I asked how."
The pressure surged again.
Closer.
Stronger.
The room darkened further.
Something was forming.
Not fully here.
But almost.
The red-eyed woman stepped forward and placed her hand against Adrian's chest again.
This time, the connection didn't just awaken.
It stabilized.
His senses sharpened instantly.
The room expanded in his awareness.
He could feel the other two women clearly now.
Even the distortion in the air.
Even the incoming movement.
And something else.
Something inside the pressure itself.
Adrian's eyes narrowed slightly. "…There."
"Yes," she said quietly.
He felt it.
A focal point.
The source of the pressure.
Not fully in the room.
But anchored nearby.
Adrian exhaled slowly. "I can see it."
"You're starting to," she corrected.
The shadowed woman moved slightly. "Now."
The thing arrived.
Not as a body.
Not as a form.
But as a collapse in space.
Adrian moved at the same time the bond flared.
For the first time—
He didn't just react.
He intercepted.
His hand moved without hesitation.
And struck where the distortion formed.
A shockwave snapped through the room.
Adrian stumbled back, breathing hard.
Silence followed.
The pressure didn't vanish.
But it shifted.
Unstable now.
Retreating.
"…Did I just hit it?" Adrian asked.
The red-eyed woman stared at the spot where the distortion had been.
"Yes," she said quietly.
The shadowed woman narrowed her eyes slightly. "It pulled back."
The third woman exhaled softly. "Interesting."
Adrian looked at his hand.
Still trembling slightly.
But steady.
"…I hit it," he repeated, more to himself.
The red-eyed woman removed her hand from his chest.
The bond settled again.
But this time, it felt different.
Stronger.
More responsive.
She looked at him.
"You're not useless," she said simply.
Adrian let out a breath, almost laughing. "Wow. High praise."
The faintest hint of approval touched her expression.
"Don't get comfortable," she added.
Adrian straightened. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Outside the room, the night remained still.
But somewhere beyond it—
Something had noticed.
And now, it knew he could hit back.