The training room wasn't designed for him.
That much was obvious.
Reinforced walls.
Energy dampeners.
Impact-resistant flooring.
Everything built to contain enhanced humans, high-output weapons, even rogue system drones.
But not this.
Aiden stood at the center of the room, flexing his fingers slowly.
"…so this is where I'm supposed to 'figure it out,' huh?"
From behind the glass panel above, Hana watched with her arms crossed.
Beside her, two engineers monitored the readings on multiple screens.
"Energy stabilizers are active," one said.
"Containment layers at maximum."
The other adjusted the sensors.
"Let's just hope that's enough."
Hana didn't respond.
Her eyes stayed locked on Aiden.
"Don't push too far," she said through the speaker.
Aiden smirked faintly.
"You say that like I have a choice."
He stepped forward.
Took a breath.
Closed his eyes.
And reached for it.
At first—
Nothing happened.
Then—
A flicker.
A faint distortion rippled around his hand.
The air bent slightly.
Like reality wasn't sure how to behave anymore.
Back in the control room—
The monitors spiked instantly.
"Energy detected!"
"Output rising—fast!"
Hana leaned forward.
"Aiden, keep it stable!"
He clenched his fist.
Trying to control the surge.
Trying to shape it.
"…come on…"
The energy flickered again.
Stronger this time.
More violent.
The floor beneath his feet cracked slightly.
[OUTPUT LEVEL: 38% → 52%]
Aiden's eyes snapped open.
"…too fast."
The surge spiked again.
[OUTPUT LEVEL: 61%]
The room trembled.
Hana's voice cut through sharply.
"Aiden, stop!"
But he didn't.
Not yet.
He steadied his breathing.
Forced his focus.
The distortion around him grew clearer now.
Not random.
Not chaotic.
But not stable either.
"…this is what I felt…"
The moment on the battlefield.
That space between rules.
That power that didn't follow anything.
He pushed a little more.
[OUTPUT LEVEL: 68%]
The walls vibrated.
Cracks spread further across the floor.
Back in the control room The engineers panicked.
"This is too much!"
"The dampeners are struggling!"
Hana grabbed the console.
"Aiden, I said stop!"
He gritted his teeth.
"…just a little more…"
The energy surged violently.
For a split second—
Everything slowed.
The room.
The air.
Even the sound.
Aiden's eyes widened.
"…there."
He felt it again.
That same space.
That same state.
Not fully.
But close.
So close.
Then It snapped.
The energy exploded outward.
BOOM.
A shockwave slammed into the walls, cracking the reinforced panels.
The lights flickered violently.
The containment systems screamed under the pressure.
Aiden was thrown backward.
Hard.
Silence followed.
Then—
Smoke.
Back in the control room Hana's heart stopped for a second.
"Aiden?!"
The dust settled slowly.
At the center of the room Aiden lay on the ground.
Breathing.
Barely.
"…yeah…"
He coughed slightly.
"…that didn't work."
Hana rushed out of the control room immediately.
Moments later, She was beside him.
"You idiot!"
Aiden groaned slightly.
"I stopped… didn't I?"
She grabbed his arm, checking for injuries.
"You call that stopping?!"
He gave a weak smirk.
"Progress?"
She didn't laugh.
Instead Her grip tightened slightly.
"…you almost lost it again."
Aiden looked at the ceiling.
"…I know."
Silence.
Then He spoke again.
Quieter this time.
"…but I felt it."
Hana froze.
"What do you mean?"
Aiden slowly sat up.
Pain flashing across his face.
"That moment…"
He clenched his fist weakly.
"…where everything slows down."
He looked at his hand.
"…where nothing is decided yet."
Hana's expression shifted.
Not fear.
Not anger.
Something else.
Understanding.
"…and?"
Aiden exhaled slowly.
"…I can reach it."
The room went quiet again.
Back in the control room—
The engineers stared at the readings.
One of them whispered—
"…that wasn't failure."
The other nodded slowly.
"…that was the beginning."
Far away
Deep within the system core Final Constant stood motionless.
[V3 PROTOCOL: 19% COMPLETE]
The machine was evolving.
But so was Aiden.
And next time—
The gap between them would be smaller.