The room didn't change.
That was the problem.
No windows.
No movement.
No escape.
Just silence—
And pressure.
Kael stood in the center of the containment chamber.
Still.
Too still.
"…How long has it been?" he muttered.
No answer.
Not from outside.
Not from Aetherion.
Only—
"…Time doesn't matter here."
That voice again.
Calm.
Close.
Too close.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…You're getting louder."
"…You're listening more."
That wasn't wrong.
And that made it worse.
Kael clenched his fists.
"…Aetherion."
Silence.
"…Aetherion."
"…Suppressed."
The response was faint.
Barely there.
Kael frowned.
"…So it's just me now."
"…Not just you."
The voice almost sounded amused.
Kael took a step forward.
The floor didn't react.
But the air—
Shifted slightly.
Watching.
Measuring.
"…Suppression field…" Kael muttered.
"…Limits output."
"…But not completely."
His eyes sharpened.
"…There's always a limit."
He raised his hand.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Energy flickered—
Weak.
Unstable.
Then—
The room pulsed.
Sharp.
Immediate.
The energy vanished.
Forced down again.
Kael lowered his hand.
"…So that's how it works."
"…Reactive suppression."
The voice responded instantly.
Interested.
"…You're learning."
Kael ignored it.
But inside—
He was already thinking.
Calculating.
"…If it reacts to output…"
A pause.
"…Then I don't overwhelm it."
His breathing slowed.
Controlled.
Focused.
"…I bypass it."
The voice chuckled softly.
"…Now that's interesting."
Kael closed his eyes.
Not to rest—
To concentrate.
The energy inside him was still there.
Split.
Unstable.
But present.
"…Aetherion…"
"…Minimal response available."
"…Good enough."
Kael didn't try to release it.
Not outward.
Instead—
He pulled it inward.
Condensed it.
Tighter.
Smaller.
Controlled.
The room didn't react.
No pulse.
No suppression.
"…It's working…" Kael whispered.
"…For now," the voice replied.
Kael opened his eyes.
Sharp.
Focused.
Then—
He moved.
Fast.
Not explosive—
Precise.
He struck the wall.
A focused hit.
All the condensed energy released in one point—
CRACK.
The wall trembled.
Just slightly.
But it was enough.
The room reacted—
Pulse.
Stronger than before.
Kael staggered—
But didn't fall.
"…Again."
He moved again—
Struck—
CRACK.
The fracture deepened.
The suppression field surged—
Fighting back.
"…You're pushing it…" the voice said.
"…Good."
Kael ignored it.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Each strike—
More precise.
More controlled.
Until—
A visible crack spread across the wall.
Thin.
But real.
Kael stepped back.
Breathing heavier now.
"…Almost…"
The room pulsed violently.
Stronger than ever before.
The suppression increased.
Trying to shut him down completely.
Kael dropped to one knee.
"…Not yet…"
"…Or you could stop," the voice whispered.
A pause.
"…And let me take over."
Silence.
Kael's fingers tightened against the ground.
"…No."
"…You'll lose control anyway."
"…Maybe."
Kael forced himself up.
Slowly.
Painfully.
"…But not like that."
The voice went quiet.
Watching.
Waiting.
Kael looked at the cracked wall.
Then—
He took a breath.
Deep.
Steady.
"…One more."
He gathered everything.
Not wildly.
Not uncontrollably.
Perfectly focused.
A single point.
Then—
He moved.
Faster than before.
Stronger than before.
One strike—
Direct.
CRACK—
SHATTER.
The wall broke.
Not completely—
But enough.
A breach.
Small.
But real.
The suppression field flickered—
Unstable.
For the first time—
It failed.
Just for a second.
But that second—
Was everything.
Kael stepped back.
Breathing hard.
But standing.
"…I did it…"
The voice returned.
Quieter this time.
Almost… impressed.
"…Not bad."
Kael looked at the broken wall.
Then toward the sealed door.
Because now—
He had a choice.
Stay.
Or leave.
And something told him—
Whatever he chose next—
Would change everything.