They charged.
No hesitation.
No pattern.
Just speed.
Unpredictable.
Jared's pupils narrowed.
Calculation insufficient.
Evan shifted—
Too late.
The first entity closed distance instantly.
The second—
From the side.
Simultaneous threat.
Impossible to track—
At normal speed.
Jared's hand moved.
Phone.
He activated it.
Sound burst.
Sharp.
Violent.
Everything slowed.
Not the world—
His perception.
Overdrive initiated.
His thoughts accelerated beyond control.
Every detail—
Visible.
Every movement—
Predictable.
The entities weren't fast anymore.
They were clear.
Jared moved.
Perfect timing.
He stepped into the first entity's path—
But not to avoid—
To redirect.
His shoulder shifted slightly—
Forced its trajectory off-angle.
At the same time—
He turned—
Intercepted the second's path—
Minimal contact—
Just enough to disrupt.
Both missed.
Clean.
Evan watched—
For a fraction of a second—
And understood.
"…you're exceeding limit," he said.
Jared didn't respond.
Because he couldn't.
His mind—
Too fast.
Too sharp.
Everything unnecessary removed.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Just—
Optimal action.
The entities adjusted.
Faster.
More aggressive.
Jared adapted instantly.
Step—
Pause—
Shift—
Predict—
React—
All merged.
No delay.
Perfect.
Too perfect.
Another lunge—
He avoided.
Another—
Clean.
Another—
Effortless.
Dominance achieved.
But then—
A delay.
Not outside.
Inside.
A flicker.
Jared's vision blurred—
For a fraction of a second.
Instability.
His movement slowed—
Just slightly.
The entity noticed.
Adapted.
Closed the gap faster.
Danger.
Jared forced acceleration.
Pushed harder.
The world sharpened again—
But this time—
It hurt.
Not physical.
Cognitive.
Like his mind was—
Stretching.
Tearing.
"…Jared," Evan said sharply.
No response.
Because Jared wasn't fully there anymore.
Just function.
Just output.
The entities lunged again—
He moved—
Perfect—
Again.
But slower—
Than before.
Degradation detected.
Another flicker.
Stronger.
The red light pulsed violently.
The voice returned.
"LIMIT EXCEEDED."
A pause.
"OBSERVATION PRIORITY SHIFT."
The entities stopped.
Mid-motion.
Then—
Turned.
Both—
Toward Jared.
Not as targets.
As focus.
Silence.
Evan's eyes narrowed.
"…they changed objective."
Jared stood still.
Breathing steady.
But his vision—
Breaking.
Because now—
He wasn't just using the system.
He was pushing beyond it.
And something—
Was watching closer than before.