They didn't stop moving. Even after the watchers disappeared. Even after the streets fell quiet.
Stillness felt dangerous now.
"…they'll come back," Iris said.
Aren walked ahead, his pace steady.
"…everyone does."
The mark pulsed faintly. Not guiding. Not warning. Just there.
They turned into a quieter part of the city, where buildings stood older and lights barely held on. A temporary place. Nothing more.
"…we stay here tonight," Iris said.
Aren nodded once.
Inside, the space was empty. Bare walls. No furniture. No signs of life.
Good enough.
Aren stepped in and stopped.
Something felt wrong.
"…you feel that?" he asked.
Iris didn't answer immediately.
"…yeah."
Not outside.
Inside.
Aren's eyes narrowed.
The mark pulsed.
Once.
Then harder.
"Instability detected."
His breathing shifted.
"…not now," he muttered.
Iris turned sharply.
"…what is it?"
Aren didn't answer.
Because it wasn't something he could explain.
It started small.
A tightness in his chest.
A faint pressure in his mind.
Then it spread.
Fast.
His vision flickered.
The mark burned stronger.
"Overflow."
Aren staggered back.
"…Aren?"
He grabbed his head, breathing uneven.
"…it's different…"
This wasn't control slipping.
This was something else.
The darkness didn't form outside.
It surged inside.
Like it was trying to break out.
"…stop it!" Iris snapped.
"I'm trying—!"
But he wasn't.
Because he couldn't find it.
The power wasn't responding.
It was moving on its own.
The mark pulsed violently.
"Release."
Aren's eyes darkened.
"…no…"
The floor beneath him cracked.
Energy leaked out.
Unstable. Wild.
Iris stepped back, her expression tightening.
"…this isn't like before."
Aren dropped to one knee.
"…it's not stopping…"
Darkness flickered around him, but not controlled.
Breaking.
"…Aren, listen to me," Iris said. "Contain it."
"…I can't!"
For the first time, his voice carried strain.
Real strain.
The mark flared brighter.
"Insufficient control."
Aren clenched his fist.
Nothing changed.
The pressure kept rising.
Inside, something pushed back harder.
Iris moved closer carefully.
"…focus," she said. "Don't fight it."
"…it's not listening—"
"…then stop forcing it!"
Aren froze.
Her words cut through.
For a moment, he stopped resisting.
Not controlling.
Not forcing.
Just letting it exist.
The darkness surged—
Then paused.
Aren felt it.
That shift.
"…that's it," Iris said quietly. "Don't push it."
His breathing slowed.
The pressure didn't disappear, but it changed.
Less chaotic.
More contained.
Then it spiked again.
Stronger.
More violent.
Aren's eyes widened.
"…no—"
The energy burst outward.
Cracks spread across the floor.
Walls trembled.
Iris stepped back instantly.
"…Aren!"
He couldn't hear her.
Not fully.
The voice returned.
"Break."
His vision darkened.
Control—
Gone.
Darkness exploded outward from his body.
Wild. Uncontrolled. Consuming.
The room shattered. Glass broke. Concrete split.
The air itself distorted.
Iris shielded herself, eyes locked on him.
"…he lost it…"
Aren stood at the center.
Still.
Unmoving.
But different.
Darkness wrapped around him like something alive.
Breathing.
Shifting.
Hungry.
Then slowly—
He moved.
One step forward.
The ground cracked beneath him.
His eyes were completely dark.
No recognition.
No restraint.
Just instinct.
Just power.
Iris's expression hardened.
"…Aren."
No response.
She stepped forward.
"…snap out of it."
Nothing.
The darkness shifted toward her.
Reacting.
Targeting.
Iris exhaled slowly.
"…fine."
Her stance changed.
Focused. Serious.
"…then I'll force you back."
Aren moved instantly.
He appeared in front of her.
A strike—
She blocked—
But the force sent her sliding back.
"…he's stronger…"
This wasn't training.
This wasn't control.
This was collapse.
Aren stepped forward again.
The darkness surged.
Iris moved.
Dodging. Countering.
But the difference was clear.
He wasn't holding back.
Because he wasn't thinking.
The fight escalated instantly.
Precision against chaos.
Control against something breaking free.
Aren attacked again.
Faster. Heavier.
Iris barely avoided the next strike, the impact behind her cracking the wall.
"…wake up," she muttered.
No response.
She stepped in again, aiming not to damage—
But to stop.
Her strike landed clean against his side.
For a split second—
He paused.
Just slightly.
Iris's eyes sharpened.
"…there you are."
She moved again.
Another precise hit.
Then another.
Not strong enough to destroy—
But enough to reach him.
Aren's body reacted.
Not fully.
But something shifted.
The darkness flickered.
Unstable.
His movement slowed for half a second.
A crack in the chaos.
"…come back," Iris said.
Aren's hand twitched.
The mark pulsed.
Violently.
Then—
His body surged again.
Stronger.
More aggressive.
The darkness exploded outward once more.
Forcing Iris back.
"…damn it…"
She steadied herself, breathing heavier now.
"…he's fighting it…"
But losing.
Aren stepped forward again.
Relentless.
Unstoppable.
And this time—
If she didn't stop him—
There wouldn't be anything left to bring back.