Victor didn't have time to think.
He moved.
Instinct.
Training.
Everything he had compressed into a single reaction.
He twisted, bringing his arm up to deflect the incoming strike, but this wasn't like the others.
This wasn't a form.
This was the original.
The contact landed anyway.
Not hard.
Not violent.
Just precise.
Two fingers against his wrist.
For a fraction of a second
Nothing happened.
Then everything did.
Victor's body locked.
Not frozen.
Overridden.
His breath hitched, sharp and controlled, but his muscles didn't respond the way they should.
The girl's voice broke. "Victor!"
Dante felt it instantly.
The shift.
The transfer.
His eyes widened. "It's not eliminating"
Camille finished it, her voice cutting in fast, urgent. "It's upgrading the anchor!"
Victor's gaze snapped to Dante.
Still aware.
Still present.
But something else
Something new
Was threading through him now.
"You said it had to choose," Victor said, voice tight.
