Sleep no longer brought rest.
Leo understood that the moment his eyes closed.
The darkness waiting behind them had changed.
Before, sleep had been empty exhaustion—a brief escape from pain and training. But now every moment of unconsciousness felt unstable, as though his mind stood near the edge of something vast and endless.
And each night—
that feeling grew closer.
Leo sat upright abruptly, his breathing uneven.
The room around him was silent except for the faint sound of wind brushing against the narrow window.
Darkness still covered the compound outside.
Morning had not arrived yet.
But he could no longer sleep.
Slowly, Leo pressed a hand against his forehead.
Another dream.
Or perhaps not a dream at all.
Fragments still lingered in his mind.
A massive black corridor stretching endlessly into darkness.
The sound of chains dragging across stone.
And distant whispers repeating words he could never fully understand.
But this time—
something had changed.
In the dream, he had not merely watched.
Something had watched back.
Leo lowered his gaze toward his wrist instinctively.
The black mark remained there.
Faint.
Thin.
Barely visible beneath the skin.
Yet even looking at it unsettled him deeply.
Because yesterday, it had not existed.
"…Open the door."
The voice resurfaced suddenly inside his memory.
Calm.
Ancient.
Patient.
Leo's chest tightened immediately.
He stood and moved toward the basin near the corner of the room, splashing cold water across his face.
For several seconds, he remained still afterward, gripping the edge tightly while trying to steady his breathing.
It didn't help.
Because the fear was no longer external.
It existed inside him now.
A sharp knock interrupted the silence.
Leo froze slightly.
Then the instructor's voice came through the door.
"Come."
The stone chamber felt colder than ever that morning.
The moment Leo entered, the familiar oppressive silence wrapped around him again, though now he sensed something else beneath it.
Caution.
Not from himself.
From the instructor.
The man stood near the center of the chamber as usual, but his eyes immediately moved toward Leo's wrist.
The black mark.
"You heard it again," the instructor said quietly.
Leo stopped walking.
"…How did you know?"
The instructor's expression darkened slightly.
"Because the mark deepened."
Leo looked down instantly.
The thin black line beneath his skin had spread slightly farther than before.
Not enough to notice immediately.
But enough to confirm change.
A cold feeling settled heavily in his stomach.
"…What exactly is happening to me?"
The instructor remained silent briefly.
Then—
"The connection is stabilizing."
The words hit harder than expected.
Not weakening.
Not fading.
Stabilizing.
Leo clenched his jaw slightly.
"You said control could stop this."
"It may."
"May?"
The frustration finally entered his voice openly now.
The instructor did not react.
"There are no certainties involving the Watchers."
Silence settled between them again.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Leo's thoughts had become increasingly unstable since yesterday.
Fear followed him constantly now.
Not loud fear.
Something quieter.
Worse.
The kind that settled slowly beneath thought itself.
Because every time he remembered those eyes—
he felt that same impossible recognition.
As though something ancient had mistaken him for someone else.
Or perhaps—
recognized what he might become.
"Today's training changes again," the instructor said.
Leo exhaled slowly.
"How?"
The instructor stepped closer.
"You will learn suppression."
Leo frowned slightly.
"Suppression?"
"You are no longer merely sensing awareness."
The instructor's gaze sharpened.
"You are transmitting it."
A chill moved through Leo instantly.
"…What does that mean?"
The instructor did not answer immediately.
Instead, he walked toward the far side of the chamber.
"Close your eyes."
Leo obeyed cautiously.
The silence deepened immediately.
The moment darkness covered his vision, his awareness expanded unnaturally again.
He sensed the room.
The instructor.
The shifting pressure in the air.
But now—
he sensed something else too.
Movement.
Outside the chamber.
Far away.
Multiple presences.
Leo's eyes snapped open instantly.
"…There are people outside."
The instructor's expression remained unreadable.
"How many?"
Leo hesitated.
"…Three."
Silence.
Then footsteps echoed faintly beyond the chamber walls moments later.
Leo froze.
Because he had been right.
The instructor watched him carefully now.
"Your perception is accelerating."
Leo stared at him.
"That shouldn't be possible."
"No," the instructor replied quietly.
"It shouldn't."
A faint unease crept deeper into the room.
Even the instructor appeared increasingly uncertain now.
And that frightened Leo more than anything else.
Because until recently, the man had seemed completely in control of the situation.
Now—
cracks were appearing.
"What happens if this keeps growing?" Leo asked quietly.
The instructor's answer came slower this time.
"You begin losing separation."
Leo frowned.
"…Separation from what?"
The instructor looked directly into his eyes.
"Yourself."
The words settled like ice inside Leo's chest.
Before he could speak again—
the chamber doors opened.
Two unfamiliar men entered.
Both wore dark uniforms unlike the ordinary instructors throughout the compound. Their movements were controlled, disciplined, and strangely quiet.
But what caught Leo's attention most—
was the way they looked at him.
Not curiosity.
Not suspicion.
Recognition.
The taller of the two stepped forward.
"So this is the boy."
Leo's instincts tightened immediately.
The man's presence felt wrong.
Not overwhelming like the instructor's.
Sharper.
Predatory.
The instructor's voice turned colder.
"You were not requested."
The taller man ignored him completely.
Instead, his eyes remained fixed on Leo.
"…How much has he perceived?"
The room fell silent.
Leo looked between them carefully.
Something about this conversation immediately felt dangerous.
The instructor stepped slightly forward, subtly positioning himself between Leo and the newcomers.
"That information is restricted."
A faint smile appeared on the taller man's face.
"Restricted?"
The word carried faint amusement.
"You know protocol."
Leo's heartbeat slowed slightly.
Protocol.
Meaning this situation had happened before.
The second man finally spoke.
"If the connection has begun, the council must be informed."
Council.
Another unfamiliar term.
Another hidden layer.
The instructor's expression hardened visibly now.
"It is too early."
The taller man's eyes narrowed slightly.
"It stopped being early the moment the mark appeared."
The room suddenly felt colder.
Leo's gaze dropped instinctively toward his wrist again.
The mark.
They knew about it.
Which meant—
this was bigger than just the chamber.
Bigger than training.
"…What council?" Leo asked quietly.
Neither man answered him immediately.
Instead, the taller one stepped closer.
And the moment he did—
the whispers inside Leo's awareness stirred violently.
Pain shot through his head instantly.
Leo staggered slightly.
Then—
something impossible happened.
For one brief moment—
he saw behind the man.
Not physically.
Something deeper.
Darkness.
Blood.
A battlefield covered in corpses.
And above them—
a massive shadow staring downward.
Leo's breathing stopped.
The vision vanished immediately.
But the fear remained.
The taller man froze.
His eyes narrowed sharply.
"…What did you just see?"
Leo stepped backward instinctively.
The whispers intensified.
The black mark burned painfully beneath his skin.
And suddenly—
the room's silence shattered.
A violent pressure exploded outward from Leo unintentionally.
The chamber trembled faintly.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
And for one horrifying moment—
everyone in the room felt it.
Not intent.
Not killing pressure.
Something older.
Something vast.
The two newcomers immediately stepped back.
For the first time—
fear crossed their expressions.
Real fear.
The instructor moved instantly.
"Suppress it!"
Leo gripped his head painfully.
"I—I can't—"
The whispers became louder.
Faster.
Countless voices overlapping inside his mind.
"…OPEN—"
"…RETURN—"
"…THE DOOR—"
Pain exploded through Leo's chest.
Then suddenly—
everything stopped.
Silence returned violently.
Complete.
Absolute.
Leo collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily.
The black mark along his wrist had spread farther now, thin black lines extending slightly upward beneath the skin.
The chamber remained completely still.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Then—
very quietly—
the taller man asked:
"…Do you understand now?"
The instructor's gaze darkened.
But the man continued anyway.
"This boy is no longer merely dangerous."
His eyes remained fixed on Leo.
"He is becoming a gateway."