The moment they collided, the world didn't shatter.
It failed.
Not in pieces, not in fragments, not in visible destruction—but in meaning. The space around them no longer tried to remain whole. It didn't resist the clash, didn't stabilize itself, didn't attempt to contain what was happening.
It simply—
Stopped mattering.
Adrian moved first.
Not faster.
Not stronger.
But clearer.
His steps didn't disturb the ground beneath him, because there was no longer a ground to disturb. The space didn't react to his movement, because it had already lost its role in the interaction.
Everything that mattered—
Was between him and the figure.
The anomaly moved.
Not with speed.
Not with force.
But with inevitability.
The moment it acted, the outcome began forming instantly—not as an attack, not as a motion, but as a conclusion. Something within the interaction tried to collapse into a single result, a final state where Adrian no longer existed within it.
Adrian stepped into it.
