The estate felt quieter after Elias stabilized the space.
Not peaceful.
Just temporarily *ignored*.
Adrian could still feel it though—that faint pressure above everything. Like an eye that hadn't left, just blinked less often.
He stood near the steps, arms folded, watching the sky like it might start talking back.
"…So we're being hidden now," he said.
Elias stood beside him. "Temporarily."
Adrian glanced at him. "That word is doing a lot of work again."
Elias didn't respond.
Instead, he turned slightly.
"Call her."
Kael frowned. "Her?"
Elias looked at him briefly. "The Witch Queen's line."
That made the air shift again.
Selene's gaze sharpened immediately. "You mean the royal witch faction."
Lirael exhaled slowly. "That is not a simple contact."
Niamh tilted her head. "She is the one who governs arcane law boundaries."
Adrian looked between them. "…Okay, that sounds like someone who charges for phone calls."
Hannah snorted. "She does."
Adrian blinked. "You've met her?"
Hannah shrugged. "Once."
Elias didn't waste time explaining further.
He raised his hand slightly.
A device appeared in it.
Not modern.
Not ancient.
Something in between—like it existed outside normal classification.
He tapped once.
A name appeared in faint glowing script.
Elias spoke calmly.
"Lysandra Veyl."
The air *stilled* at the name.
Selene went quiet.
Lirael straightened slightly.
Even Niamh's calm expression shifted.
Kael muttered, "…That's really her?"
Elias didn't answer.
Instead, the device connected.
A ripple passed through space.
Then—
A voice answered.
Soft.
Female.
Calm… but layered with authority that didn't need volume.
"You rarely call, Elias Cole."
Elias replied simply. "I require a veil."
A pause.
Then the voice shifted slightly.
"…For what?"
Elias turned his head slightly toward Adrian.
"For him."
Adrian frowned. "I feel like I should be involved in this conversation."
"You are," Elias said.
The voice on the other end paused.
Then—
"I see," Lysandra said quietly.
Adrian felt it immediately.
Something *looking back* through the connection.
Not at Elias.
At him.
"…He is loud," she added.
Adrian raised an eyebrow. "I didn't say anything."
"You don't need to," she replied.
Kael muttered, "I don't like that."
Selene nodded faintly. "Neither do I."
Lirael's eyes narrowed slightly. "She can perceive him already."
Elias spoke again. "Can you shield him?"
Another pause.
Then Lysandra replied.
"Yes."
Simple.
Direct.
Then—
"But not for free."
Adrian sighed. "Of course not."
Elias didn't react.
"Name it."
The witch queen's descendant was silent for a moment.
Then—
"I want access to his resonance signature."
That made Selene's expression sharpen instantly. "No."
Lirael's voice dropped. "That is too much."
Niamh frowned. "That would allow tracking through layers."
Kael looked at Elias. "That's basically ownership-level access."
Adrian blinked. "That sounds like a bad deal."
Elias didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he looked at Adrian.
"…Your choice."
Adrian pointed at himself. "Why is it always my choice when it sounds dangerous?"
Hannah smirked. "Because you're the problem."
Adrian ignored her.
He looked at the sky again.
Then back at Elias.
"…What does the shield do exactly?"
Elias answered simply.
"It hides your presence from system-scale observation."
Silence.
That was enough explanation.
Adrian exhaled slowly.
"So basically," he said, "I stop getting stared at by abyss-level things."
"Yes."
Adrian nodded. "And the cost is she gets access to my… signature thing."
"Yes."
Adrian thought for a moment.
Then shrugged slightly.
"…Fine."
Instant reaction.
Selene stepped forward. "Adrian—"
Lirael added sharply, "That is not a safe agreement."
Niamh's voice softened. "It binds perception."
Adrian raised a hand. "I heard you."
He looked at Elias.
"…We don't have time to debate it, do we?"
Elias didn't deny it.
Adrian exhaled.
"…Then do it."
Silence.
Even the witch queen on the other end paused.
"…Interesting," Lysandra murmured.
Adrian frowned. "Can you stop saying interesting like I'm a lab experiment?"
"No," she replied immediately.
Kael muttered, "Yeah, she's exactly like the rumors."
Elias spoke.
"Proceed."
A pause.
Then Lysandra answered.
"Stand still."
Adrian frowned. "That's usually where things go wrong."
"Stand still," she repeated.
He did.
The air around him changed instantly.
Not violently.
Precisely.
Like reality itself was being traced with invisible ink.
Lines formed in space.
Not visible to the eye—but felt.
Selene stepped back slightly. "Arcane law formation…"
Lirael watched closely. "She's rewriting perception layers."
Niamh whispered, "It is beautiful… and dangerous."
Kael tightened his jaw. "This is high-tier witchcraft."
Adrian didn't feel pain.
But he felt *definition*.
Like something was deciding where he ended and the world began.
Then—
A faint voice echoed through the space.
Lysandra.
"Anchor designation confirmed."
Adrian blinked. "I hate that nickname."
The voice continued.
"Veil applied."
A pulse passed through him.
Soft.
Deep.
And then—
The pressure above the estate *faded slightly*.
Not gone.
But redirected.
Like something massive had looked away without fully losing interest.
Adrian exhaled.
"…That actually worked," he said.
Kael looked up. "For now."
Selene nodded. "It is temporary."
Lirael added, "But effective."
Niamh's gaze softened slightly. "You are quieter to the higher layers now."
Adrian rubbed his neck. "…I'll take 'quieter' over 'targeted'."
Elias turned slightly toward him.
"This will not stop escalation," he said.
Adrian nodded. "Nothing does."
A pause.
Then Elias added—
"But it gives you time."
Adrian looked at him.
"…Time for what?"
Elias met his gaze.
"To become something they cannot classify."
Silence.
The witch queen's voice echoed faintly one last time.
"I will be watching, Anchor."
Adrian sighed.
"…Yeah, I noticed people keep doing that."
The connection cut.
The estate settled.
And for the first time in a while—
The sky felt a little less heavy.
But Adrian knew better now.
Less pressure didn't mean less danger.
It just meant—
Something bigger was taking its time deciding what he was.