Back in the dorm, Monarch's members slumped into the couches and chairs, the adrenaline from the rooftop still humming under their skin.
Zayn ran a hand over his face, exhaling sharply. "I've never felt… that before. Not like that. It's like… I can't put it into words. But it's heavy. Like the air itself wanted us to know."
Min leaned against the wall, eyes unfocused. "I felt it too. Not just… them. The pull. It brushed everyone. Me. EO. Kai. Even you, Zayn."
Kai tossed an empty energy drink can across the room. "I'm not even sure I want to put it into words. My brain's short-circuiting. I think I saw sparks in my veins. Literal sparks."
EO shivered, curling into a corner. "It's… like watching two stars collide, but without light. Dark light. And it's… beautiful. And wrong."
Jiwon didn't speak. He sat slightly apart, hands clasped over his knees, jaw tight. The pull between him and Yul lingered, a quiet echo even across the city. He could feel it in his chest, in his blood, and yes—under the skin where his charm hummed faintly.
Zayn glanced at him. "Hyung… are you okay?"
Jiwon's voice was low, even. "I'm fine. Just… aware. That's all."
Min tilted his head. "Aware of what? I think I feel it more than anyone else. Like it's… old. Older than us. And hungry."
Kai groaned again. "Can someone tell me it's not going to end with all of us exploding into black feathers? Because that's my current worry."
EO peeked over his knees. "I… kind of liked it. Terrifying, but… exhilarating."
The room fell silent for a moment, each member processing the invisible shockwave that had passed through them.
And though Jiwon didn't acknowledge it, a faint pulse of awareness lingered: the city below, the wind above, and Yul's golden gaze — all threaded together into something dangerous, intoxicating, and inescapable.
Something had changed.
And everyone, whether they realized it or not, had felt it.