The Central Authority compound did not look like a prison.
That was the unsettling part.
Rowan Hale had expected cold stone walls, iron gates, soldiers watching every movement.
Instead, the Authority complex rose from the center of the city like a temple built for power itself.
Tall crystalline towers stretched into the sky, their surfaces etched with glowing sigils that pulsed with steady mana currents. Bridges of silver steel connected the towers, and beneath them flowed channels of liquid light—mana conduits feeding the research divisions hidden within the structure.
Seraphine walked beside Rowan, armor newly polished but still bearing the scars of recent battle. Her shoulder brushed against his arm every few steps, almost unconsciously.
Neither of them had commented on it.
They both understood why.
Ahead of them, two Authority envoys led the way through a wide marble corridor.
The woman introduced earlier as Envoy Arcelis walked calmly, robes trailing across the floor like a quiet storm of white silk. Behind her moved several researchers, each carrying crystalline tablets that glowed with floating data arrays.
Rowan studied the environment carefully.
Predator's Insight stirred quietly in the back of his mind.
Everything here radiated controlled power.
Not raw strength.
Knowledge.
The Authority had built an empire around understanding gates.
Eventually Arcelis slowed her pace.
"We have arrived."
The corridor opened into a vast circular chamber.
Rowan stopped walking.
Even Seraphine inhaled sharply beside him.
The room was enormous.
Rows of floating platforms hovered in layered rings around a massive central floor. Above them hung hundreds of crystalline lenses, rotating slowly like the eyes of some enormous mechanical creature.
Mana currents flowed between the lenses in delicate threads of light.
Researchers stood behind observation barriers on each level.
Watching.
Recording.
Studying.
At the center of the chamber was a circular arena made of polished black stone.
Arcelis gestured toward it.
"The Resonance Evaluation Hall."
Her voice echoed gently through the chamber.
"This facility exists to measure the interaction between mana cores, emotional synchronization, and combat resonance among elite hunters."
Rowan stepped forward slowly, his boots echoing faintly against the polished floor.
"Testing bonds."
"Correct," Arcelis replied.
Seraphine crossed her arms.
"There are very few bonded pairs in the world," she said flatly.
Arcelis nodded.
"Precisely why this evaluation is necessary."
One of the researchers stepped forward, adjusting the lenses above the chamber.
"Gate incidents have increased over the past decade," he explained. "Our research divisions believe emotional synchronization between compatible individuals can produce power amplification beyond traditional mana training."
He glanced at Rowan.
"Your recent combat recordings support this hypothesis."
Another projection appeared above the chamber.
Rowan recognized the footage immediately.
The fight with the Rift Vanguard.
Energy readings surged across the display as Rowan and Seraphine struck together.
Numbers climbed far beyond normal hunter thresholds.
The researchers murmured among themselves.
Arcelis folded her hands.
"Bonded pairs typically show a synchronization range of twenty to forty percent."
Her eyes moved toward Rowan.
"Your bond currently exceeds eighty."
The chamber grew quiet.
Rowan already knew that number.
He could feel it.
Seraphine shifted closer to him, shoulder pressing lightly against his arm.
The movement seemed instinctive.
Arcelis noticed.
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
"Yes. That proximity behavior is expected."
Another researcher spoke up.
"Bonded pairs often develop subconscious stabilization patterns."
Rowan frowned.
"Stabilization?"
"Physical closeness," the researcher explained. "Shared emotional grounding. Mana circulation balancing between partners."
Seraphine glanced at Rowan.
Neither of them commented.
Arcelis continued calmly.
"This chamber exists to measure those interactions under controlled conditions."
She gestured again.
"Please step into the center arena."
Rowan walked forward.
Seraphine followed without hesitation.
The moment both of them crossed onto the black stone platform, the floating lenses above began glowing brighter.
Mana currents thickened.
Thin lines of light spread across the arena floor, forming a massive circular array.
Rowan immediately felt the system react.
[ Environmental Mana Field Detected ]
[ Evaluation Environment Identified ]
Seraphine whispered quietly.
"Something's wrong."
Rowan nodded slightly.
He felt it too.
The air pressure had shifted.
Arcelis' voice echoed from the observation platform above.
"The first stage of the evaluation is simple."
She raised one hand.
"Separation analysis."
Seraphine stiffened.
Rowan's eyes narrowed.
"What kind of separation?"
The researchers activated the chamber.
A deep hum vibrated through the arena.
Then the floor array flared bright blue.
The mana currents between the floating lenses suddenly intensified.
A wall of shimmering light rose from the floor.
Directly between Rowan and Seraphine.
The barrier moved like a living curtain.
Sliding.
Expanding.
Forcing them apart.
Seraphine stepped forward instantly.
"Wait—"
The barrier surged upward.
A wave of invisible force pushed her backward several meters.
Rowan felt it the same moment.
The connection between them—
Pulled.
Stretched.
Like something trying to tear a thread between their chests.
The system reacted instantly.
[ Bond Synchronization Destabilizing ]
Rowan sucked in a sharp breath.
The sensation wasn't physical pain.
It was worse.
A hollow pressure inside his chest.
Like something vital had been removed from the room.
Across the barrier, Seraphine staggered.
Her hand pressed against her sternum.
"You feel that too…"
Rowan nodded slowly.
Every instinct in his body screamed that something was wrong.
Above them, researchers stared at their instruments.
"Mana fluctuation spiking!"
"Emotional resonance levels increasing!"
"Separation threshold response detected!"
Arcelis watched silently.
Calm.
Analytical.
Rowan clenched his fists.
The pressure intensified.
Seraphine looked like she was struggling to breathe normally.
Her heartbeat.
He could feel it.
Fast.
Uneven.
Mirroring the tension in his own chest.
The system pulsed again.
[ Emotional Feedback Amplified ]
Seraphine's voice came out strained.
"Rowan… this feels… wrong."
He stepped toward the barrier.
The wall of mana hummed threateningly.
But he ignored it.
Above them, the researchers spoke rapidly.
"The bond reaction is far stronger than predicted!"
"Synchronization drop rate exceeding projections!"
Another system notification flashed.
[ Bond Synchronization: 80% ]
Dropping.
Rowan felt the bond pulling tighter.
Resisting.
Something inside the connection was refusing to break.
Seraphine pressed her hand against the barrier from her side.
The mana field crackled.
Rowan placed his hand against it too.
The moment their palms aligned across the shimmering wall—
The bond pulsed violently.
A surge of energy exploded through Rowan's chest.
Above them, the instruments screamed.
"Resonance spike!"
"Mana field instability!"
Arcelis leaned forward slightly.
Interested now.
Very interested.
Rowan exhaled slowly.
His mind cleared.
The bond wasn't breaking.
It was fighting.
And he wasn't about to let the Authority decide whether it survived.
Seraphine's voice reached him through the humming barrier.
"Rowan…"
He met her eyes.
Calm.
Steady.
"We're not letting them split this."
The system pulsed again.
Stronger.
More insistent.
[ Hidden Evaluation Active ]
[ Bond Resistance Detected ]
Rowan's fingers tightened against the barrier.
Mana surged through the connection between them.
The chamber lights flickered.
Above them, the researchers stared in disbelief.
The bond wasn't weakening.
It was pushing back.
And Rowan was beginning to force it.