The platform trembled violently under Sharon's feet.
Pearl was backed against the edge, barriers flickering weakly as the shadow-student and his copies circled them.
The boy tilted his head again.
"You will fail like the others."
Sharon's jaw tightened.
"Stop talking like you know us."
The air around her hand began to heat up again—faster than before. Not controlled. Not stable.
Pearl noticed immediately.
"Sharon… your power—wait—calm down!"
But Sharon wasn't listening anymore.
Her eyes locked on the copies advancing.
"They keep splitting us… testing us… treating us like experiments…"
Her voice dropped.
"…I'm tired of it."
The temperature around her spiked.
The ground beneath her feet began to darken.
Pearl stepped back. "Sharon, don't—please!"
Sharon raised her hand.
And for a moment…
Everything went silent.
Then—
A burst of deep red energy exploded outward.
Not fire.
Not heat.
Something worse.
The air itself burned.
DANGER MODE ACTIVATED
The shadow copies lunged—
And disintegrated the moment they touched the red aura.
Pearl's eyes widened. "That's… not normal fire…"
The original boy stepped back slightly for the first time.
"…Unstable core ignition."
Sharon's breathing was heavy.
Her hand was shaking—but the power kept growing.
"I didn't ask for this…" she whispered.
The ground cracked again.
The platform began to melt at the edges—not physically, but structurally, like reality was losing definition around her.
Pearl shouted, "Sharon! You're losing control!"
Sharon clenched her fist harder.
"I am in control."
But her voice didn't match her power.
The aura expanded again—wider this time.
The boy's expression changed slightly.
"…If it expands further, she will collapse the entire platform."
Pearl stepped forward despite the heat pushing her back.
"Sharon, look at me!"
Sharon's eyes flickered for a second.
Pearl continued.
"You're not alone! We're still here!"
A pause.
The burning aura wavered.
Just slightly.
Sharon's breathing shook.
"…I can't stop it."
Pearl shook her head.
"You don't have to stop it. Just… guide it!"
That word landed.
Guide.
Sharon's eyes narrowed.
Something inside her shifted.
Not calm.
Not peace.
But focus.
CONTROL ATTEMPT
She lowered her hand slightly.
The red aura didn't disappear—
But it changed shape.
Instead of wild expansion, it condensed around her arm like flowing molten energy.
The boy watched carefully.
"…Interesting."
Sharon looked at him now.
Not panicked anymore.
Just sharp.
"I'm done being your experiment."
She snapped her fingers.
The condensed fire shot forward—
Not as an explosion…
But as a controlled beam of unstable energy.
The shadow-student tried to multiply again—
But the beam followed the core of the system behind him.
For a split second, the copies all froze.
Then—
They collapsed at once.
Pearl gasped. "She… targeted the source?"
Sharon lowered her arm slowly.
The aura was still burning—but contained now.
Barely.
Her voice was quiet.
"…I can't hold this for long."
Pearl stepped closer cautiously. "Then we move. Now."
OTHER PLATFORMS – DISTANT IMPACT
Far away, across the fractured arena, a ripple of red energy echoed through the system.
David felt it instantly.
He paused mid-fight.
"…Sharon."
The creature in front of him tilted its head.
"ANOMALY SPIKE DETECTED."
Tobi, on another platform, glanced in the direction of the disturbance.
"…So she finally broke limit state."
Collin, struggling elsewhere, felt the ground shake.
"What is THAT?! Why is everything exploding everywhere?!"
SHARON – FINAL MOMENT OF CONTROL
Pearl grabbed Sharon's wrist lightly.
"We find David. We regroup. Then we survive this together."
Sharon nodded slowly.
But the aura around her flickered violently again.
"…If I lose control again…"
Pearl interrupted.
"Then we'll handle it together."
A beat.
Sharon exhaled.
"…Fine."
The red aura stabilized slightly.
Barely holding.
They turned toward the shifting path ahead.
But behind them—
The system itself had started reacting.
Not repairing.
Not resetting.
But adapting.
END OF CHAPTER 17
The separation phase was no longer just isolation.
It was escalation.
Every student was now evolving differently—
And the system was beginning to fear its own results.