The moment the thought crossed Adrian's mind, something answered.
Not outside.
Inside.
The bond didn't just pulse—it tightened, like it had been waiting for that exact realization.
If it could come through—
Then he could reach back.
"…That's a bad idea," the man said suddenly.
Adrian blinked. "I didn't say anything."
"You didn't need to."
The red-eyed woman's gaze sharpened. "Don't."
Adrian looked at her. "Don't what?"
"Whatever you're thinking," she said. "Don't do it yet."
"Yet?" he repeated.
"That wasn't a no," the third woman murmured.
The shadowed woman stepped closer. "You're not stable enough."
Adrian exhaled slowly, eyes locked on the widening breach.
"…It's getting through anyway."
That was the problem.
The distortion wasn't slowing down.
The limbs pushing through were becoming clearer—less warped, more defined, like something learning how to exist in this space.
And every second it stayed open—
The pressure increased.
Not just on the room.
On him.
It was pulling again.
Stronger than before.
Adrian clenched his jaw. "…It's trying to use me again."
"Yes," the red-eyed woman said.
The man added, "You're the anchor point. If it stabilizes through you, it won't need the breach anymore."
Adrian glanced at him. "…That sounds worse than dying."
"It is."
"…Great."
The floor beneath the distortion cracked further.
Not from impact.
From strain.
Reality itself was thinning.
"We don't have time," the shadowed woman said.
"I know," Adrian replied.
He stepped forward again.
This time, no one stopped him immediately.
That was enough.
The bond surged.
But it wasn't just reacting anymore.
It was… aligning.
Adrian could feel the difference.
Before, it had been like borrowing something.
Now—
It was answering him.
"…If I can feel it," he muttered, "then it can feel me too."
"That's the problem," the man said.
"Or the solution."
Before anyone could stop him—
Adrian reached out.
Not physically.
Not fully.
But enough.
His hand moved toward the breach—
And for a split second—
It crossed.
The world snapped.
Not visually.
But internally.
Adrian's breath stopped.
Everything went silent.
Not quiet.
Silent.
Like sound itself didn't exist.
He wasn't in the room anymore.
Not fully.
He wasn't anywhere.
And then—
Something looked back.
No shape.
No form.
But awareness.
Vast.
Cold.
Endless.
Adrian's mind screamed at him to pull back.
But something else held him there.
That thing inside him.
The one that had been waking up.
It didn't recoil.
It leaned forward.
"…You see me," Adrian whispered.
The presence shifted.
Not confused.
Not surprised.
Interested.
That was worse.
The connection deepened.
For a moment—
Adrian felt everything.
Not clearly.
Not fully.
But enough to understand one thing.
This wasn't a creature.
It was a force.
Something that didn't think like him.
Didn't exist like him.
Didn't care like him.
But now—
It knew him.
That realization hit harder than anything else.
"…Yeah," Adrian said quietly. "That's definitely a problem."
The pressure surged violently.
The connection snapped.
Adrian was thrown back.
Hard.
The world crashed into him all at once—sound, weight, gravity.
He hit the ground, coughing sharply as air rushed back into his lungs.
"Idiot!" the shadowed woman snapped, appearing beside him instantly.
Adrian groaned slightly. "…Yeah, that felt like an idiot move."
The red-eyed woman was already there, her hand pressing against his chest.
The bond stabilized immediately.
But it felt… strained.
"What did you do?" she demanded.
Adrian forced himself to sit up, still catching his breath.
"…I looked back," he said.
"That was not the instruction."
"I figured that out halfway through."
The third woman crouched slightly, watching him closely. "What did you see?"
Adrian hesitated.
"…Not something," he said slowly. "Something that isn't supposed to be understood."
The man stepped closer. "Did it recognize you?"
Adrian let out a short, humorless laugh. "…Yeah. That's the problem."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Then the shadowed woman said quietly, "The breach is still open."
Adrian's head snapped up.
The distortion hadn't disappeared.
If anything—
It had stabilized further.
"…That's not good," he said.
"No," the red-eyed woman replied. "It isn't."
The limbs pushing through were clearer now.
More solid.
Less distorted.
The thing wasn't just forcing its way in anymore.
It was adapting.
To this world.
To them.
To him.
The man's expression hardened. "You accelerated it."
Adrian frowned. "That wasn't the plan."
"It doesn't matter," he said. "It's happening."
The pressure surged again.
Stronger than before.
But different.
Focused.
Direct.
Adrian felt it immediately.
"…It's locking onto me again."
"Yes," the third woman said softly.
"But not the same way," the shadowed woman added.
Adrian clenched his fist slightly.
"…Yeah," he muttered. "I can feel that."
Before, it had been pulling.
Now—
It was responding.
Like it knew exactly where he was.
The red-eyed woman's gaze didn't leave him. "You made contact."
Adrian met her eyes. "Yeah."
"That changes everything."
"…I figured."
The distortion pulsed again.
The breach widened another fraction.
And something else came through.
Not a limb this time.
A shape.
Incomplete.
But forming.
Adrian slowly pushed himself to his feet.
His body still hurt.
The bond still strained.
But something inside him—
Had changed.
"…Alright," he said quietly.
All eyes turned to him.
Adrian looked at the breach.
Then at his hand.
Then back at the thing trying to come through.
"I know what it feels like now."
The red-eyed woman's expression sharpened. "That's not enough."
Adrian shook his head slightly.
"No," he said. "But it's a start."
The pressure surged again.
The shape pushed further through.
And Adrian—
Didn't step back.
Because now—
He wasn't just reacting to it.
He understood just enough to fight it differently.
And somewhere beyond the breach—
That endless presence watched him again.
But this time—
It wasn't just interested.
It was waiting to see what he would do next.