The silence after the fight felt… different.
Not relief.
Not victory.
Something heavier.
"You controlled me."
Kai's voice cut through everything.
Low.
Sharp.
Too calm.
I looked up slowly.
He wasn't joking.
He wasn't brushing it off.
He was serious.
"I said I didn't mean to," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.
Kai let out a quiet breath, running a hand through his hair.
"That's not the point."
My chest tightened.
"Then what is?"
His eyes snapped to mine.
Dark.
Focused.
"The point is you did it."
Silence dropped again.
Leo didn't interrupt.
Evan didn't step in.
For once—
They let it happen.
"I felt it," Kai continued.
His voice was lower now.
Less sharp.
More… real.
"Felt what?" I asked quietly.
He hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then—
"Like I wasn't fully in control of my own body."
That hit harder than anything else.
My stomach dropped instantly.
"I wouldn't—"
"I know," he cut in quickly.
That surprised me.
He exhaled slowly.
"I know you wouldn't do it on purpose."
A pause.
"But that doesn't change what it felt like."
I didn't have an answer for that.
Because…
He was right.
The bond pulsed.
Soft.
Uneasy.
Evan stepped forward slightly.
"Describe it."
Kai shot him a look. "Now's not the time."
"It is," Evan said calmly. "We need to understand the effect."
Kai hesitated.
Then sighed.
"Fine."
He glanced at me again.
Then away.
"It wasn't like being forced," he said slowly.
"It was more like…"
He frowned slightly, trying to find the words.
"…like my body listened to something else before it listened to me."
A chill ran down my spine.
Leo finally spoke.
"And you couldn't stop it?"
Kai shook his head once.
"Not immediately."
A pause.
"Not until she let go."
That made everything worse.
Because it meant—
It wasn't weak.
It wasn't partial.
It worked.
I swallowed hard.
"I'm sorry."
The words came out quieter than I expected.
More honest.
More real.
Kai looked at me again.
This time—
Less anger.
More tension.
"I know," he said.
"But you need to understand something."
My chest tightened.
"If you lose control again like that…"
He paused.
Then finished it anyway.
"You won't just hurt enemies."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
"…You'll hurt us."
The bond reacted instantly.
Sharp.
Uncomfortable.
Like it didn't like hearing that.
"I don't want that," I said quickly.
"Then don't let it happen," Leo replied.
I turned to him, frustration rising.
"You think I'm choosing this?!"
"No," he said calmly.
"But you're not stopping it either."
That stung.
Evan stepped in again.
"Blame won't help."
Kai scoffed slightly. "Neither will pretending it's not a problem."
"It is a problem," Evan agreed.
"But it's also a pattern."
We all looked at him.
"What pattern?" I asked.
He gestured slightly between us.
"You only lost control when the bond spiked."
Leo's gaze narrowed slightly.
"Meaning?"
Evan looked at me.
Direct.
Focused.
"Meaning her power isn't random."
A pause.
"It reacts to emotional pressure."
My chest tightened.
Kai exhaled. "So basically… the more intense things get—"
"The worse she gets," Leo finished.
Silence.
I hated how accurate that sounded.
"Great," I muttered. "So I'm a walking disaster when things go wrong."
Evan shook his head slightly.
"No."
I frowned. "Then what?"
His gaze didn't leave mine.
"You're strongest when things go wrong."
That didn't make me feel better.
At all.
Kai crossed his arms.
"So what—she just avoids stress now?"
Leo shook his head immediately.
"That's not possible."
"No," Evan agreed.
"It's not."
A pause.
Then—
"We teach her how to stay in control during it."
My chest rose slowly.
"That's not going to be easy," I said.
Leo's expression didn't change.
"It doesn't have to be."
Kai smirked slightly.
"It just has to work."
I looked between them.
All three.
The bond pulsed again.
Different this time.
Not unstable.
Not overwhelming.
Just…
Connected.
"…And what if I mess up again?" I asked quietly.
This time—
Leo answered first.
"Then we stop you."
Kai added,
"Immediately."
Evan finished it.
"No hesitation."
Silence.
I nodded slowly.
"…Okay."
Because deep down—
I knew they meant it.
And somehow…
That made me feel safer.
But also—
More afraid.
Because the next time I lost control…
They wouldn't be holding back.
And I didn't know which side of me would win.