The air didn't move.
Not even a little.
That was the first thing I noticed.
Like everything around us had gone still… just because he was here.
"You've been watching me," I said again, my voice quieter this time—but steadier.
He didn't look surprised.
Didn't even try to deny it.
"Of course," he replied calmly.
Something about how easily he said it made my chest tighten.
Leo stepped forward, his presence sharp and commanding.
"You don't get to come here, observe her, and speak like you have any claim."
The man's gaze flicked to him briefly.
Unimpressed.
"I don't need a claim," he said. "I have knowledge."
Kai let out a dry laugh. "Yeah? Then share it or leave."
Evan didn't speak.
But I could feel it—
His attention had sharpened.
Focused.
Interested.
Of course.
The stranger's eyes returned to me.
Locked.
Unmoving.
"You've already started linking minds," he said.
My breath caught.
Leo's head snapped toward me.
Kai went still.
Evan didn't even try to hide it this time.
"…So it's true," he murmured.
I clenched my fists slightly.
"How do you know that?"
The man tilted his head slightly.
"Because I've seen it before."
Silence.
Heavy.
Immediate.
My heart skipped.
"…That's not possible," Kai said.
"Origins don't exist anymore," Leo added coldly.
The man smiled faintly.
"That's what you've been told."
A chill ran down my spine.
"What do you mean 'seen it before'?" I asked.
This time—
He didn't answer immediately.
And that hesitation?
That was new.
Evan noticed too.
"Someone like her," he said quietly.
The man's gaze shifted slightly.
Not denial.
Not confirmation.
Something else.
Recognition.
"Yes," he said finally.
My chest tightened.
"Who?"
The wind picked up slightly.
Just enough to break the stillness.
But somehow… it made everything feel worse.
"Someone who didn't survive long enough to learn control," he said.
The words landed like a weight in my chest.
My stomach dropped.
"What happened to them?"
This time—
His expression darkened.
Just slightly.
"They were hunted," he said simply.
Silence.
No one spoke.
Because we all understood what that meant.
Kai muttered under his breath, "Of course they were."
Leo's voice came sharper now. "That doesn't explain how you know this."
The man's eyes flicked to him.
Then back to me.
"I wasn't just watching," he said.
"I was there."
My breath caught.
"During what?"
He held my gaze.
Unblinking.
"When they lost control."
Something inside me tightened.
Hard.
"Lost control how?" I asked.
His eyes dropped briefly—
To my hands.
Like he was remembering something.
"Like you almost did," he said quietly.
My chest rose sharply.
"That wasn't the same—"
"It was the beginning," he cut in.
The bond pulsed.
Sharp.
Uncomfortable.
Like it didn't like where this was going.
Leo stepped closer to me.
Subtle.
Protective.
"You're not helping," he said to the man.
"I'm not here to help," he replied calmly.
"I'm here to make sure you understand what she is."
"I already know what I am," I said.
But even as I said it…
It didn't feel true anymore.
His eyes softened slightly.
Not kindly.
Just… knowingly.
"No," he said.
"You know the name."
A pause.
"You don't know the cost."
That hit harder than anything else he'd said.
My fingers curled slightly.
"…Then explain it."
Kai glanced at me quickly.
Like he wasn't sure I should ask that.
Leo definitely didn't like it.
But Evan—
Evan leaned in.
Listening.
The man took a slow step closer.
Not enough to threaten.
But enough to make the air feel tighter.
"Origins don't just connect," he said.
"They override."
My heart skipped.
"What does that mean?"
His gaze didn't leave mine.
"It means the more your power grows…"
A pause.
"The less control others have around you."
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
I shook my head immediately.
"That's not true."
But my voice lacked conviction.
Because—
The bond.
The way it reacted.
The way they reacted.
Kai spoke first.
"That's why we can't reject her."
Evan nodded slightly.
"And why the bond keeps adapting."
Leo didn't say anything.
But his expression had darkened.
A lot.
I swallowed.
"So what—you're saying I'm controlling them?"
The man tilted his head slightly.
"Not intentionally."
A pause.
"But eventually?"
His gaze sharpened.
"You won't need to try."
A chill ran down my spine.
"No."
That came out faster than I expected.
Stronger.
"I'm not turning into something that controls people."
"You don't get to choose what you are," he said calmly.
"You only choose what you do with it."
The bond pulsed again.
Harder this time.
Like it was reacting to him.
To his words.
To the truth in them.
I hated that.
Leo stepped forward again.
Enough to block part of my view of him.
"That's enough," he said, voice low and dangerous.
"You've said what you came to say."
The man didn't move.
Didn't react.
Just kept looking at me.
"Not yet," he said.
My chest tightened.
"What else?"
This time—
He didn't hesitate.
"The one I saw before you…"
A pause.
"They bonded to four."
Everything stopped.
My heart.
My breath.
My thoughts.
Four?
Slowly—
My gaze shifted.
Leo.
Kai.
Evan.
The bond pulsed.
Strong.
Connected.
All three.
"No," I said quietly.
But the word felt weak.
Because something inside me…
Recognized it.
The man watched my reaction carefully.
"Three is already rare," he continued.
"Four?"
A faint smile.
"Unstable."
Kai ran a hand through his hair. "This just keeps getting better."
Evan was quiet.
Thinking.
Always thinking.
Leo's focus was entirely on me now.
Not the man.
Me.
"What happens if it keeps growing?" I asked.
The question came out softer than I intended.
More real.
More honest.
The man's expression didn't change.
"That depends."
A pause.
"On whether you control it…"
His gaze darkened slightly.
"…or it controls you."
Silence fell again.
But this time—
It felt different.
Heavier.
Like a warning had just been placed in front of me…
And I didn't know which way I'd go.
The bond pulsed again.
Slow.
Deep.
Alive.
And for the first time…
I wasn't sure if it belonged to me—
Or if I belonged to it.