"…We're being claimed."
The word didn't sit right.
Elric frowned.
"…That sounds worse than hunted."
Pix nodded slowly.
"…Yeah," she said. "…way worse."
Lyra stepped away from the wall.
But her eyes didn't leave it.
"…Hunting is elimination," she said.
A beat.
"…Claiming is ownership."
Mii blinked.
"…I don't like that word."
Kaida-9's voice was flat.
"…Neither do I."
Sera stepped closer to the faint glow, crouching beside it.
Her fingers hovered just above the surface.
Not touching.
"…There are multiple frequencies layered here," she said.
Pix crouched beside her instantly.
"Yeah... yeah, I see it."
Her fingers moved quickly, tracing invisible lines in the air.
"…This one..." she pointed, "...clean, structured, high encryption. Corporate-grade."
She shifted slightly.
"…This one... messier. Adaptive. Probably experimental division."
Another shift.
Her grin faded slightly.
"…And this one…"
She paused.
Elric leaned in.
"…What?"
Pix didn't look up.
"…This one shouldn't exist."
Silence.
Lyra's voice dropped.
"…Explain."
Pix tapped the panel again.
This time...
The glow flickered stronger.
"…It's not a corporate signature," she said.
"…Not exactly."
A beat.
"…It's closer to system-level."
Sera's eyes sharpened instantly.
"…That's not possible."
Pix shrugged slightly.
"…And yet."
Elric exhaled slowly.
"…So let me summarize."
He gestured loosely.
"…We've got multiple corporations…"
"…experimental weirdos…"
"…and something that might be the system itself…"
A beat.
"…all looking at us?"
Pix looked up.
Grinning again but smaller now.
"…Pretty much."
Mii raised her hand slightly.
"…Can we go back to being ignored?"
"No," Lyra said immediately.
Kaida-9 stepped forward.
"…Then we prioritize threats."
Sera shook her head slightly.
"…We can't."
Everyone looked at her.
"…They're not competing," she said.
"…Not yet."
A pause.
"…They're observing," she added.
That word...
Felt worse.
Elric frowned.
"…Why wait?"
Lyra answered this time.
"…Because they're deciding who gets you."
Silence.
Mii pointed at him.
"…You're really popular all of a sudden."
Elric rubbed his face.
"…Yeah, I preferred it when I was just accidentally breaking things."
Pix stood up, pacing now.
Energy shifting less chaotic, more focused.
"…No," she said.
"…this changes things."
Lyra crossed her arms.
"…How."
Pix turned toward Elric.
"…Before, you were a glitch," she said.
"…Now?"
A pause.
"…You're a resource."
That hit differently.
Kaida-9's voice lowered.
"…Then containment attempts will increase."
Sera added quietly,
"…And methods will escalate."
Elen finally spoke.
Soft.
Calm.
"…They won't all try to capture him the same way."
Elric glanced at her.
"…Meaning?"
She looked at him.
Eyes steady.
"…Some will try to control you."
A beat.
"…Others will try to understand you."
Another pause.
"…And some…"
She tilted her head slightly.
"…will try to erase you completely."
Silence settled again.
Pix broke it.
"…Cool."
Everyone looked at her.
"…What?" she said. "At least it's not boring."
Lyra sighed quietly.
"…We need to move."
Kaida-9 nodded.
"…Agreed."
But Elric didn't move.
"…Wait," he said.
They stopped.
"…If they're all watching," he continued,
"…why haven't they acted yet?"
Sera answered.
Immediately.
"…Because of what happened above."
A pause.
"…You," she said.
Elric blinked.
"…Me?"
Pix grinned again.
"…Yeah."
She spread her arms wide.
"…You broke their perfect system… in the most controlled zone they have."
Lyra added quietly,
"…And survived."
Kaida-9's gaze hardened.
"…That makes you unpredictable."
Sera finished:
"…And dangerous."
Silence.
Elric scratched his cheek lightly.
"…Huh."
A beat.
"…So they're scared."
Lyra shook her head.
"…No."
A pause.
"…They're interested."
That was worse.
Above them...
That faint hum returned.
Stronger this time.
Pix's eyes snapped upward.
"…Oh."
Elric followed her gaze instinctively.
Even though there was nothing to see.
"…What now," he muttered.
Pix's grin came back.
Full force.
"…Now?"
She tapped the panel one last time.
The glow vanished.
"…Now they start picking sides."
Somewhere far above...
Signals shifted.
Not converging.
Dividing.