The world snapped back.
Violently.
The distortion that filled the anomaly zone shattered outward like broken glass, sending waves of unstable energy across the area.
"Move!" the leader shouted.
The ground cracked.
The air twisted.
Everything began to collapse at once.
Mira rushed forward.
"Aarav!"
He staggered slightly, regaining balance just in time.
"…I'm fine," he muttered.
But he wasn't.
Not completely.
Fragments of something still lingered in his mind—
Unclear.
Incomplete.
Dangerous.
"…We need to get out!" one of the team members yelled.
The remaining shapes dissolved rapidly, losing form as the core destabilized.
"…It's breaking!" Mira said.
"…No," Aarav replied quietly.
"It's being rejected."
The space around them warped again.
More violently this time.
"…That doesn't sound better!" Mira snapped.
Aarav didn't respond.
Because he was still thinking.
Still processing.
"…Core rejected…"
"…System within system…"
"…And something behind it…"
Before he could connect the pieces—
The entire zone shook.
Hard.
A massive shockwave burst from the center, forcing everyone back.
"Fall back!" the leader ordered.
This time—
No one argued.
They moved.
Fast.
Escaping the collapsing space just as the anomaly imploded behind them.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Real.
The area returned to normal.
Or at least—
As normal as it could be now.
Mira bent slightly, catching her breath.
"…That was worse than before."
"…Yeah," Aarav said.
"…Much worse."
The team regrouped quickly.
Checking injuries.
Assessing damage.
"…Core destroyed?" one of them asked.
The leader shook his head slightly.
"…No."
Aarav looked up.
"…It's not gone."
"…Correct."
Mira frowned.
"…Then what happened?"
Aarav answered.
"…It failed."
Silence.
"…Failed?" she repeated.
"…It tried to complete itself."
He paused.
"…And couldn't."
The leader's expression sharpened.
"…Because of you."
Aarav didn't deny it.
"…Probably."
Before anyone could continue—
A sound cut through the air.
Not from nearby.
Not from the ground.
From above.
Everyone looked up.
And then—
They saw him.
A single figure stood on a distant rooftop.
Calm.
Still.
Watching.
The wind moved slightly around him, but he didn't react.
He simply observed.
"…Another one?" Mira whispered.
Aarav's eyes narrowed.
"…No."
This was different.
Completely different.
There was no distortion around him.
No instability.
No anomaly.
Just—
Presence.
"…That's a chosen one," one of the team members said quietly.
"…And not just any," the leader added.
A brief pause.
"…Reyansh."
The name carried weight.
Even without explanation.
Mira's eyes widened slightly.
"…The top-ranked hero?"
"…Yes."
Reyansh didn't move.
Didn't speak.
But his gaze—
Was focused.
Not on the team.
Not on the area.
But—
On Aarav.
Aarav stared back.
Calm.
Unbothered.
"…So that's him," he murmured.
Reyansh tilted his head slightly.
As if observing something unusual.
Then—
He spoke.
Not loudly.
But clearly enough to reach them.
"…You don't belong here."
Silence fell.
Aarav smirked faintly.
"…I've heard that before."
Reyansh's expression didn't change.
"…You're interfering."
Aarav shrugged.
"…Seems like everything does that lately."
Mira glanced between them.
"…You know him?"
"…No."
"…Then why—"
"…Because he's looking at me like he does."
Reyansh stepped forward slightly.
The air shifted.
Subtly.
But noticeably.
"…You're not part of the system," he said.
Aarav smiled.
"…That makes two of us."
For the first time—
Reyansh paused.
Just for a second.
Then—
"…No," he said calmly.
"…It doesn't."
The words were simple.
But heavy.
Because unlike Aarav—
Reyansh wasn't outside the system.
He was—
Its peak.
And that made him—
The opposite.
The tension between them hung in the air.
Unspoken.
But clear.
Aarav's eyes sharpened slightly.
"…Interesting."
Because for the first time—
He was looking at someone who wasn't just strong.
But—
Perfectly aligned.
And that—
Was far more dangerous.