The intruder didn't resist.
Didn't panic.
Didn't beg.
That alone told Andres everything.
"…You're not expendable," he said.
The figure smirked faintly beneath the hood.
"…Sharp."
Kael didn't lower his weapon.
"Who sent you?"
Silence.
Then—
"…You already know."
Andres nodded slightly.
"Yes."
The rival wasn't guessing anymore.
He was confirming.
Testing.
Measuring threat.
"…Tell him this," Andres said calmly.
The figure's attention sharpened.
"I'm not part of his system."
A pause.
"…And I won't become part of it."
The air shifted.
Because those words—
Carried consequence.
The figure studied him carefully.
"…Then you've chosen conflict."
Andres met their gaze.
"…No."
A beat.
"I've chosen independence."
Silence stretched.
Then the figure stepped back.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
"…Same outcome."
And just like that—
They vanished.
Gone as if they had never been there.
Kael exhaled sharply.
"…That could've gone worse."
Andres didn't respond immediately.
Because his thoughts weren't on the fight.
They were on what came next.
"…No," he said quietly.
"…That was the beginning."