The return to the Domain felt… off.
Not quiet.
Not tense.
Just—
Heavy.
Like something invisible had followed them back.
Adrian walked a few steps ahead of the others, his pace slower than usual. His mind wasn't on the mission anymore.
It was on one thing.
One image.
One truth he couldn't shake.
Kai—
Standing in the dark.
Someone falling.
Gone.
"…You killed someone like me."
The words echoed again.
Unwanted.
Unrelenting.
Adrian stopped walking.
"…Adrian?"
Kai's voice came from behind him.
Adrian didn't turn.
"…Was it true?"
Silence.
The others slowed.
Sensing the shift.
Kai stepped closer.
"…This isn't the place—"
"Yes, it is," Adrian cut in.
His voice wasn't loud.
But it didn't need to be.
It carried.
The hallway fell completely silent.
Adrian finally turned.
His eyes locked onto Kai.
"…Answer me."
---
The Truth Comes Out
Kai didn't speak immediately.
And that—
Was already an answer.
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"…So it's true."
Kai exhaled slowly.
"…Yes."
The word hit harder than any attack.
Adrian laughed quietly.
"…Wow."
A pause.
"…You could've told me."
Kai's expression didn't change.
"You wouldn't have listened."
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"…Try me."
Silence stretched.
Tense.
Uncomfortable.
Real.
Kai finally spoke.
"…It wasn't the same."
Adrian scoffed softly.
"…Of course it wasn't."
Kai's voice hardened.
"He lost control."
A pause.
"He didn't come back."
The hallway felt colder.
Adrian's chest tightened slightly.
"…So you killed him."
Kai didn't look away.
"…I ended it."
The words were calm.
Too calm.
Adrian's hands clenched.
"…And if I didn't come back?"
Silence.
Kai didn't answer.
Because—
He didn't need to.
Adrian's laugh this time was sharper.
"…Right."
---
Cracks in the Bond
The air between them shifted.
The connection—
Still there.
But strained.
Fragile.
Adrian looked down briefly.
"…So that's the plan."
Kai stepped forward.
"That's not—"
"If I lose control," Adrian continued, cutting him off, "you take me out."
Kai's voice dropped.
"I won't let it get to that point."
Adrian looked up.
"…You said that last time too."
The words landed.
Heavy.
Kai's expression tightened.
"…This is different."
Adrian shook his head.
"…You keep saying that."
A pause.
"…But how do you know?"
Silence.
No answer.
Because there wasn't one.
---
Riven Intervenes
"That's enough."
Riven's voice cut through the tension like a blade.
Both of them turned.
Riven stepped forward slowly.
His gaze moved between them.
Sharp.
Observant.
"…Save it for later."
Adrian frowned.
"…We're not done."
Riven's voice didn't change.
"You are for now."
A pause.
"We have bigger problems."
Adrian let out a breath.
"…Of course we do."
Riven's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That thing you encountered…"
He glanced at Adrian's wrist.
"…It confirmed something."
Kai's gaze sharpened.
"…What?"
Riven's voice lowered.
"…We're not dealing with a random entity."
The room went still again.
Adrian frowned.
"…Then what is it?"
Riven held his gaze.
"…It's a source."
A pause.
"The source."
Silence.
Even the hunters behind them shifted uneasily.
Kai's voice dropped.
"…Explain."
Riven crossed his arms.
"The Harbingers… the corruption… the marks…"
His eyes settled on Adrian.
"…They all trace back to it."
Adrian's chest tightened.
"…So I'm connected to the original."
Riven nodded.
"Yes."
A pause.
"…Which makes you more dangerous than we thought."
Adrian let out a dry laugh.
"…You keep raising that bar."
Riven didn't react.
"Because you keep reaching it."
---
A New Reality
Adrian leaned back slightly against the wall.
"…So what now?"
Riven didn't hesitate.
"We prepare for war."
The words hung in the air.
Heavy.
Final.
Kai's expression darkened.
"…We're not ready."
Riven nodded.
"No."
A pause.
"But it is."
Silence.
Adrian glanced at his wrist.
The mark pulsed faintly.
Quieter now.
But not gone.
Never gone.
"…It said this isn't over," Adrian muttered.
Riven looked at him.
"It won't be."
Adrian exhaled slowly.
"…Great."
---
After the Meeting
The others dispersed slowly.
The tension lingered.
But the focus had shifted.
From suspicion—
To something worse.
War.
Adrian started walking again.
This time—
Kai didn't follow immediately.
"…Adrian."
Adrian stopped.
But didn't turn.
"…What?"
Kai's voice was quieter now.
"…You're not him."
Adrian's chest tightened slightly.
"…You don't know that."
Kai stepped closer.
"…I do."
A pause.
"Because he didn't fight it."
Adrian's gaze flickered slightly.
"…And me?"
Kai didn't hesitate.
"You are."
Silence.
Adrian let out a breath.
"…That doesn't mean I won't lose."
Kai's voice was firm.
"Then we make sure you don't."
Adrian finally turned.
Their eyes met again.
This time—
Less anger.
More weight.
More understanding.
But still—
Uncertain.
"…You better be right," Adrian said quietly.
Kai nodded once.
"I am."
Adrian studied him for a second longer.
Then—
"…We'll see."
---
Alone Again
Later that night—
Adrian sat by the window again.
The city lights flickered in the distance.
Everything looked normal.
But nothing felt that way anymore.
He looked down at his wrist.
The mark pulsed once.
Soft.
Quiet.
"…You're still there."
No answer.
But he didn't expect one.
Not this time.
Adrian leaned back.
"…A source, huh…"
A faint smile formed.
Not confident.
Not afraid.
Just—
Determined.
"…Then I guess I'll have to break the source."
The shadows around him stirred slightly.
Not violently.
Not unstable.
Just present.
Listening.
Waiting.
Because the next time—
Wouldn't just be a fight.
It would be a war.