Zariah's raised hand didn't tremble.
That alone terrified her.
The chamber seemed to inhale, stone and light responding as one, the hum beneath her feet deepening until it vibrated through her bones. The system wasn't waiting for instructions anymore. It was waiting for intent.
The impostor wearing Kellan's face like a borrowed mask watched her with undisguised fascination.
"There it is," he murmured. "The moment."
Adrian strained again against the invisible barrier, muscles taut with restrained violence. "Zariah," he said sharply, voice cutting through the charged air, "whatever he's provoking you to do don't."
She didn't look at Adrian.
Not because she didn't trust him.
But because if she did, she might falter.
"I'm not choosing power," she said calmly, her voice steadier than her pulse. "I'm choosing responsibility."
The impostor tilted his head. "Those are rarely different."
Her fingers curled slightly, and the chamber responded not with force, but with alignment. Data folded inward, projections dissolving into clean lines of awareness. She felt the system recalibrate around her, tightening its focus.
"Step back," she said to the impostor.
He smiled wider. "You can't order me. Not yet."
"I'm not ordering," she replied. "I'm warning."
The hum sharpened.
Adrian felt it immediately. His eyes widened a fraction. "Zariah what did you just authorize?"
She exhaled slowly. "Containment."
The light surged outward in a silent wave, racing across the chamber floor. The impostor staggered back half a step, surprise flashing across his features before he masked it with amusement.
"Oh," he said softly. "You're smarter than he was."
Kellan the real one swore under his breath. "She's isolating him from external access."
The impostor glanced at Kellan, eyes flicking with something almost fond. "You always did catch on late."
"Get out of his face," Kellan snapped. "You're not him."
"No," the impostor agreed easily. "But I helped make him."
Zariah's chest tightened. "You helped my father?"
"Yes," he said, turning his attention fully back to her. "Before he realized what people like me would do with what he was building."
"And you let him die?" The words tasted like blood.
The impostor's expression shifted not guilt, not regret.
Acceptance.
"He chose disappearance," he said. "You should respect that."
Adrian snarled. "You don't get to speak about him."
The system reacted instantly barriers flaring higher, the chamber sealing tighter. Adrian slammed a fist against the invisible wall, frustration raw and dangerous.
"Zariah!" he barked. "This thing this man he's baiting you."
"I know," she said quietly.
She took one careful step forward on the platform. The light beneath her feet rippled like water, responding to her proximity.
"You said I'm a variable," she said to the impostor. "But you're wrong."
His smile faltered again.
"I'm not unpredictable," she continued. "I'm principled."
The impostor laughed softly, though something in his eyes hardened. "That's adorable."
Zariah lifted her gaze. "And temporary."
The system chimed.
BOUNDARY REINFORCEMENT COMPLETE.
ENTITY ACCESS REDUCED TO LOCAL PARAMETERS.
The impostor's head snapped sharply to the side as if he'd felt something pull.
"Careful," he warned, tone losing its casual edge. "You're playing with architecture you don't fully understand."
"I understand enough," Zariah said. "You came here because you thought I'd either freeze… or burn."
She met his gaze without flinching.
"I'm choosing neither."
For the first time, the impostor's smile vanished completely.
The chamber lights dimmed, then steadied. The system's presence felt heavier now not oppressive, but alert. Zariah could feel Adrian's frustration, his fear, his restrained need to reach her, and it anchored her just as much as the system did.
"You're closing doors," the impostor said slowly. "You know what that means."
"Yes," she replied. "It means you don't get to move unseen anymore."
The impostor's gaze flicked briefly to the walls, then back to her. Calculation sharpened his features. "You think this stops the others?"
"No," she said honestly. "But it slows them."
"And costs you what?" he pressed.
Her throat tightened but she didn't hesitate.
"Isolation."
Adrian went still.
"Zariah," he said, voice rough, "what does that mean?"
She finally looked at him then.
Really looked.
"It means I can't be half in anymore," she said softly. "If I stay connected like this… I won't be able to walk away when things get ugly."
Kellan muttered, "They're already ugly."
"Yes," she agreed. "But they're about to get worse."
The impostor's eyes gleamed again. "You hear that, Adrian? She's stepping fully into the storm you spent years shielding her from."
Adrian's voice dropped dangerously low. "I didn't shield her. I prepared her."
Zariah felt that truth settle deep in her chest.
The system chimed again this time urgent.
EXTERNAL NETWORKS RESPONDING.
MULTIPLE FACTIONS MOBILIZING.
Her breath caught.
"They felt the shift," Kellan said grimly. "All of them."
Zariah closed her eyes briefly and opened them with resolve hardening her features.
"Then we don't hide."
The impostor laughed outright now. "There it is. The inheritance."
She raised her hand again but this time, not toward the impostor.
Toward the system itself.
"Open controlled channels," she commanded. "Selective visibility. Let them see just enough."
Adrian's eyes widened. "You're inviting them?"
"I'm setting terms," she replied.
The chamber vibrated as the system complied.
CONTROLLED DISCLOSURE INITIATED.
ANCHOR PRESENCE DETECTABLE.
Somewhere far beyond the chamber, the world shifted again.
Not quietly this time.
The impostor took a step back, eyes narrowing. "You're accelerating the game."
"Yes," Zariah said. "Because I refuse to let them dictate the tempo."
The impostor studied her for a long moment really studied her now, not as a tool or leverage, but as a force.
Then he smiled.
"Your father would be proud," he said. "And terrified."
"Good," she replied. "So should you be."
The system pulsed stronger than before.
Suddenly, alarms flared across Kellan's tablet.
"Adrian," he said sharply. "We've got movement internal."
Adrian turned toward the corridor entrance. "That's not possible."
"They're already inside," Kellan said. "Not physically. Digitally."
Zariah felt it immediately the system reacting, tightening defenses, rerouting pathways.
"They're trying to hijack the anchor," she said.
The impostor's laughter echoed softly. "You showed your hand, Zariah. Now they want it."
Adrian slammed his fist against the barrier again. "Drop it. Now."
Zariah hesitated just for a heartbeat.
Not because she doubted him.
But because she felt the truth pressing in.
If she dropped it now…
Everything she'd just claimed would fracture.
"I can't," she whispered.
The barrier flared brighter.
Adrian stared at her, something raw crossing his face. "Then promise me something."
She met his gaze.
"Promise me you won't let this thing turn you into something you don't recognize."
Her voice shook but she didn't look away.
"I promise," she said.
The system chimed sharply.
MULTIPLE BREACH ATTEMPTS DETECTED.
ANCHOR STABILITY AT RISK.
The impostor's eyes lit with anticipation. "Well," he said, stepping back into the shadows, "let's see what you're really made of."
The lights flickered violently.
The chamber trembled.
And Zariah felt the system push back not gently this time.
The world was no longer asking questions.
It was bracing for impact.