Xin woke up coughing.
The taste of iron sat heavy in his mouth. His body felt like it had been peeled open and stitched back together wrong. Every nerve screamed when he moved even a little.
Rion was sitting beside him, back against the chamber wall, sword resting across his knees.
"You're alive," Rion said. "That is progress."
Xin forced a grin. "Armor tried to kill me. Guess it has standards."
Rion did not smile.
Alaric's voice came through the chamber speakers, calmer than Xin expected. "Raxton did not reject you. It evaluated you."
Xin pushed himself up slowly. "And."
"And it found instability," Alaric replied. "Not weakness. Instability."
Xin frowned. "Explain."
"Raxton was designed to synchronize with a pilot who can maintain internal equilibrium under extreme stress," Alaric said. "You are powerful, yes. But your emotions spike. Rage. Guilt. Loss. The armor amplifies what you bring into it."
Xin leaned back against the cold floor. "So it wants a monk."
"No," Alaric said. "It wants someone who can choose restraint while drowning."
Rion glanced at Xin. "That is not your specialty."
Xin snorted. "Yeah. No shit."
The lights flickered.
Every sensor in the room spiked at once.
Rion stood instantly. "He's here."
Zane did not enter the chamber.
He did not need to.
His presence pressed down from above, crushing the ground layers above them like paper under a thumb. Rock groaned. Dust fell from the ceiling.
Zane's voice rolled through the facility, casual and amused.
"Nice toy," he said. "Looks uncomfortable."
Xin clenched his fists. "You afraid to come down."
"Afraid," Zane repeated, laughing. "No. I just don't want to break it yet."
Another city appeared on the monitors. This one smaller. Closer.
Zane hovered above it, eyes glowing brighter.
"Clock's ticking," Zane said. "I burn this one slow."
Xin surged to his feet despite the pain. "Stop."
Zane tilted his head. "Come out."
Rion stepped in front of Xin. "You cannot go."
"I know," Xin said. "That's why I'm not."
Zane's smile widened. "Good. Then watch."
The feed showed heat washing over the streets. People running. Buildings bending inward like wax.
Xin's breathing went shallow.
Alaric spoke fast. "Xin. Focus. This is exactly what Raxton reacted to. If you let this control you, the armor will never accept you."
Xin squeezed his eyes shut.
Kaila's face flashed in his mind.
Then Selena.
Then the city burning now.
He forced himself to breathe slower.
"I don't save them by dying," Xin said quietly. "I save them by ending him."
The pressure above eased slightly.
Zane chuckled. "That's new."
The feed cut.
Zane's presence receded.
For now.
Rion exhaled. "He is testing you."
"So is the armor," Xin replied.
Alaric's voice softened. "Raxton requires calibration. Mental conditioning. Controlled exposure. We will build synchronization step by step."
Xin looked up at the suspended armor.
"How long," he asked.
"Longer than Zane will allow," Alaric admitted.
Xin nodded once. "Then we don't give him what he wants."
Rion raised an eyebrow. "Which is."
Xin's eyes hardened. "Me chasing him."
He stood, steady despite the pain.
"We weaken him first," Xin said. "Anti Spinat zone. Bait. Restraint. Everything we planned."
"And when he comes," Rion added.
Xin looked at Raxton again.
"Next time," he said, "I'll be ready."
Far above, Zane floated in silence, watching the ground where the armor slept.
For the first time, his smile thinned.