The room changed its mind.
Not abruptly.
Not violently.
But with a kind of cold, calculated precision that made Emily’s stomach drop.
The doorway behind the entity didn’t close.
It reframed.
Lines of light traced across the walls, forming a grid—thin, geometric, impossible. The air itself seemed to align with it, as if the room had decided on a new structure to operate under.
Emily felt it instantly.
“…That’s worse,” she muttered.
Kael didn’t take her eyes off the entity.
“It’s switching protocols.”
Emily frowned. “Is that supposed to mean anything good?”
“No.”
Theodore moved slightly closer to her side.
His shadows expanded again, but more subtly now—less defensive, more… responsive.
“Containment protocol,” he said quietly.
Emily looked at him. “And that means—?”
“It will
