No one spoke on the way back.
Not even Xiara.
Which was worse.
Karl's absence wasn't loud.
It wasn't dramatic.
It was—
empty.
The underground base looked the same.
Same dim lights.
Same cold walls.
Same people moving around like survival was routine.
But for us—
something had shifted.
We placed Karl's body in the far end of the station.
No rituals.
No words.
Just silence.
"This won't be the last," someone muttered behind me.
I didn't turn to see who it was.
Because I already knew—
they were right.
Kat finally spoke.
"Everyone, rest."
Her voice was firm.
Controlled.
But not steady.
"We move again tomorrow."
No one argued.
No one questioned.
Because now—
we understood.
This place didn't wait for grief.
I walked toward my room.
Each step heavier than the last.
The moment I sat down—
my hands started trembling.
Not during the fight.
Not in the tunnel.
Not even when Karl died.
Now.
I stared at my fingers.
They didn't feel like mine.
"What… is happening to me…"
A soft knock broke the silence.
"Rose?"
Adrien.
"Come in."
He stepped inside quietly.
Closed the door behind him.
For a moment—
he didn't say anything.
Then—
"You were different today."
I looked up.
His eyes weren't accusing.
Just… searching.
"I don't know what you mean," I replied.
Too quickly.
"Yes, you do."
Silence.
"You moved before anyone else could react," he continued."You saw things before they happened."A pause."That's not normal."
Normal.
That word didn't belong here anymore.
"I just got lucky," I said.
Weak.
Even to my own ears.
Adrien didn't argue.
But he didn't believe me either.
"Just… be careful," he said quietly.
"People notice things."
That line stayed.
After he left—
the room felt smaller.
I looked at my wrist.
Hesitated.
Then opened it again.
MY PERSONAL INFO
Everything looked the same—
until I noticed it.
INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT: 138
It had increased.
Again.
"How…?"
And then—
another line appeared.
One that hadn't been there before.
"Passive Skill Activated: Adaptive Evolution"
My breath stopped.
Adaptive…
Evolution?
So this wasn't random.
This wasn't luck.
I was changing.
Becoming something else.
And the worst part?
I didn't know if I could stop it.
That night—
sleep didn't come easily.
Voices echoed in my mind.
Karl's fall.
The creature's smile.
Adrien's words.
"People notice things."
I turned to the side—
trying to shut it all out—
when suddenly—
A faint sound.
Footsteps.
Outside.
Soft.
Careful.
Not random.
I sat up slowly.
Heart pounding.
Someone was there.
Watching.
Again.
I moved toward the door—
silent.
Careful.
My hand reached for the handle—
And stopped.
A shadow passed under the gap.
Not standing.
Moving.
Like they didn't want to be seen.
I held my breath.
Waited.
Listened.
The footsteps faded.
Gone.
I opened the door instantly—
Empty corridor.
No one.
Nothing.
But on the floor—
just outside my room—
Something small.
Metal.
I bent down slowly—
and picked it up.
A card.
Cold.
Sharp-edged.
Unlike the others.
It wasn't from our system.
There was no label.
No stats.
No glow.
Just one symbol carved into it—
deep.
Precise.
A mark I had never seen before.
Or—
maybe—
somewhere—
deep in my memory—
I had.
My fingers tightened around it.
And for the first time since arriving here—
I felt something worse than fear.
Recognition.