The energy beneath her fingertips shifted direction. At first, she couldn’t tell whether it was her own power or the influence of the Moon Spirit. But the result was clear. The lights in the room dimmed for a brief moment. One of the beeping sounds cut off. Then it returned. Elara’s heart quickened. "Did you see that?" she asked internally. "Yes," said the Moon Spirit. "Do it again."

Upstairs, just as the meeting had ended, the device in Adrian’s pocket vibrated. When he looked at the screen, there was a single-word alert: "Local fluctuation". Adrian stared at it for a few seconds. Then the lines on his face hardened. This wasn’t an ordinary error log coming from Elara’s room. This showed that something inside the system had responded.

Just outside the facility’s perimeter, the silence between Rowan and Kael had taken on a different form. The argument wasn’t over, it had simply changed direction. Both of them were angry. Both of them were exhausted. But there was something else. Both of them were genuinely afraid of losing Elara.

Rowan took control of the conversation again. "We can’t go in directly," he said. "But we can draw their attention elsewhere." This time, Kael didn’t object immediately. "How?" "You pull the patrol at the northern entrance onto yourself," Rowan said. "I’ll slip in through the back system."

When Elara touched the energy for the second time, the result was stronger. The panel on the right wall of the room went completely dark for a moment. The beeping sounds tangled into each other. The current running through the metal was no longer hiding. It was as if the entire network had unfolded before her eyes. This wasn’t exactly a door opening. But she could feel that something had loosened. "I can do this," she whispered. "No," said the Moon Spirit. "We can do this." That sentence used to disturb her. Now, it simply felt right.

One of the sensors outside the door suddenly shifted from red to yellow. When Elara saw this, she felt genuine excitement for the first time. Fear could return, but it wasn’t time for that yet. Because even that small color change proved something to her. This place wasn’t perfect. And anything imperfect could be escaped from.

The door didn’t open. No alarm went off. But the system was no longer as tight as it used to be. And that was a beginning. Elara slowly pulled her fingers back. Her eyes remained on the metal surface. The exhaustion inside her was still there. The fear hadn’t completely disappeared either. But something else had been added to them. Desire.

"Will I be able to get out today?" she asked internally, with a half-mocking thought. For the first time, the Moon Spirit responded in a similar tone. "Not yet," it said. "But now you know what can be opened."

At the same moment, fast footsteps echoed through the corridor. Adrian was returning. Elara didn’t turn around. But her posture changed. The tired woman from before was gone, replaced by someone quietly waiting. Maybe she hadn’t escaped. Maybe this room still held her. But for the first time, she had learned that this room couldn’t hold her completely. And sometimes, escaping from somewhere doesn’t begin with the door opening... It begins with learning the weak point of the door.

The door opened. Adrian didn’t stop when he entered. He walked straight in. This time, he didn’t examine the surroundings. He already knew the room. The only thing he was interested in was Elara. "Put your hand back," he said. There was no greeting, no introduction. Elara didn’t move. "Are you giving me an order?" Adrian tilted his head slightly. "No," he said. "I’m just accelerating the process." There was no threat in that sentence. But there was no choice either.

Elara placed her hand back on the metal surface. There was no escaping. No hiding. She wanted to see what she was doing. The energy responded faster this time. Data was flowing from the device on Elara’s wrist into the systems. But Adrian’s eyes weren’t on the screen. They were on her breathing. The tremor in her fingers. The exact moment her muscles tightened.

"That’s not what triggers the power," Adrian said to himself. Elara frowned. "What?" Adrian didn’t get closer. He stayed at a distance. He wasn’t moving like someone approaching an animal. It was different. As if he was observing a phenomenon. "When you don’t think, it’s purer," he said. "But when you do... it becomes more controlled."

Elara held her breath. This man... wasn’t watching her. He was solving her. "Stop talking to me," Elara said. Adrian smiled. "I’m not talking to you," he said. "I’m reading you." In that moment, the air in the room shifted. Because that sentence crossed a line. Elara tried to pull her hand away. But this time, the Moon Spirit stopped her. "Continue." "No." "Continue." This wasn’t a suggestion. It was pressure.

Elara clenched her teeth. She pressed her fingers down again. This time, the system reacted differently. Not just a single panel... The entire wall went dark for a brief moment. Then it came back. Adrian’s breathing changed ever so slightly. "There it is," he said in a very low voice. That voice... was dangerous. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Elara lifted her head. "What do you want from me?" Adrian didn’t answer immediately. He just looked at her for a few seconds. Then, with his usual honesty, he spoke. "I want to understand you." Elara responded instantly. "Try being more honest." Adrian nodded. "Yes," he said. "You’re right, my statement was incomplete. I... want to reproduce you."

A deep and cold silence followed. It lasted. The sentence hung in the room. This was no longer science. This... was obsession. Elara felt a chill run through her. Because this man wasn’t going to save her. He wasn’t even going to use her. He... wanted to replicate her.

Adrian continued. "You’re not human," he said. "But you’re not a god either." His eyes lit up. "And I... study what exists between the two."

At the same time, somewhere else, Rowan stopped Kael just before he was about to move. "Something is even more different," he said. Kael looked at him. "What do you mean?" Rowan lifted his eyes. "What’s inside now... isn’t just Elara anymore. The bond I feel has changed." This sentence... silenced both of them for the first time. And this time... no one argued. Because when Kael let go of jealousy, anger, and ego for just a moment, he realized that the weakening bond he had with Elara was carrying a different kind of energy.

Rowan looked directly into Kael’s eyes this time. "You take the northern entrance," he said. "Draw the patrol as far away as possible. Once I get inside, I’ll reach the system room quietly first. When I neutralize the people there, I’ll have access to the cameras and control panels. That way, I’ll open the eastern security gate for you to enter. Then I’ll come to the main gate to meet you. If I’m late, no matter what we face inside, don’t forget to move directly toward the main floor."

Kael remained silent for a few seconds. Normally, he would have objected to this plan. Even the way Rowan spoke as if he was giving orders would have been enough reason for a fight on its own. But this time, he clenched his teeth and only inclined his head slightly. Because the change he felt in Elara’s bond was stronger than his pride.

They moved at the same time. It looked like a mutual decision, but both of them knew it was not built on trust. As Rowan moved through the shadows toward the rear entrance, Kael followed the scent of the patrols on the northern side. Behind the fences, the cold lights of the facility burned steadily, but something inside had already changed. Rowan could feel it. Kael could feel it too. And none of them had any time left to wait. They were entering not just to find Elara, but to reach her before she became something else.

At the same time, inside the facility, Elara tilted her head very slightly. It was impossible for her to see what was happening outside, but she felt that something was approaching. This feeling did not belong entirely to Rowan, nor entirely to Kael. It was more like two different energies moving through the same darkness. The Moon Spirit stirred quietly inside her, as if it knew that this arrival was not only a rescue attempt, but the beginning of a greater fracture.

Elara slowly curled her fingers and focused not on the door, but on the power within herself. Because if someone was coming to take her, it was an unnecessary effort. This time, Elara knew she did not need them.

Although Elara tried not to let Adrian realize what she was feeling, she also knew that this was an unnecessary effort. This facility was filled with different witches, wolves, and more experienced beings over 150 years old, just like Adrian. It was not possible for only two young beings to get in and out of here. But they would be the perfect distraction for Elara to make her move.