Before fear is ever spoken, it settles in first.
Quiet.
Unseen.
---
Elena Voss had faced collapse before.
Control unraveling.
Chaos spreading.
Worlds bending under pressure.
---
She had stood through all of it—
Unshaken.
Unmoved.
---
But this—
Was different.
---
Because this time…
Her fear had a name.
---
Ethan.
---
It stayed with her.
Not like a memory.
Like a presence.
---
Watching.
Waiting.
---
“You’ve gone quiet,” Adrian said.
---
Elena didn’t answer.
She was listening.
---
Not to him.
To the connection.
---
It hadn’t faded.
It had deepened.
---
“I can feel him,” she said at last.
---
Adrian frowned.
“How?”
---
Elena’s voice dropped.
“Like he’s everywhere.”
---
Even saying it felt wrong.
Too fast.
Too complete.
---
Victor stepped close
