Emily didn’t fight.
Not outwardly.
Not the way she had been.
Instead—
She let go.
Her energy stopped pushing outward.
Stopped reacting.
Stopped resisting.
For a brief moment—
She simply existed.
The figure paused.
For the first time—
It hesitated.
Emily felt it immediately.
“…Oh,” she whispered.
Kael noticed.
Her eyes sharpened.
“Keep going.”
Emily inhaled slowly.
Then—
she began to fold her power inward.
Not suppressing it.
Not hiding it.
But compressing it.
Refining it.
Reducing its signature to something smaller.
Quieter.
The figure reacted.
But slower now.
Uncertain.
Theodore watched closely.
His shadows remained steady—but his gaze was fixed on Emily.
“…Good,” he said quietly.
Emily’s breathing steadied.
“…Is it working?” she asked.
Theodore didn’t a
