The moment the first echo shattered, the rest changed.
Adrian felt it immediately.
The pressure didn't just increase—it sharpened. Like something had stopped testing and started paying attention.
"…They didn't like that," he muttered.
"No," the third woman said softly. "They didn't."
The remaining echoes didn't rush him again.
They spread out.
One near the ceiling. One to his right. Two near the broken wall.
Positioning.
Adrian's eyes narrowed slightly. "They're not attacking."
"They're adjusting," the shadowed woman replied.
"Of course they are."
Adrian exhaled slowly, forcing himself to stay still. The bond pulsed faintly inside him, that second heartbeat syncing with his own.
He could feel them now.
Not clearly.
But enough.
The echoes weren't just random distortions anymore. They had direction. Intent. A pattern he could almost follow.
"Don't chase them," the red-eyed woman said.
Adrian didn't look at her. "Wasn't planning to."
"That's a lie."
"…Okay, maybe a little."
A faint smile touched the third woman's lips, but she didn't interrupt.
The air shifted again.
This time, Adrian didn't wait.
He moved first.
Forward—then pivoted sharply.
An echo cut through where his shoulder had been a split second earlier.
He felt the pull of it, like space itself had tried to drag him apart.
"…Too close," he muttered.
"You hesitated," the shadowed woman said.
"I adjusted."
"You slowed."
Adrian clicked his tongue. "You're really not helping my confidence."
Another shift.
Behind him.
He stepped sideways instinctively.
The echo passed.
No contact.
No pain.
Clean.
Adrian's breathing steadied slightly.
"…Okay," he said under his breath. "That's better."
The bond pulsed again.
Stronger.
He could feel it now—more clearly than before.
Three presences.
Close.
Anchored.
And something else.
Faint.
Distant.
Watching.
Adrian's expression tightened slightly. "…It's still there."
"Yes," the red-eyed woman said.
"Watching again?"
"For now."
Adrian exhaled. "Yeah. That's going to be a problem later."
The third woman tilted her head slightly. "Focus on the current problem first."
"Working on it."
The echoes moved again.
This time, not one at a time.
All of them.
Adrian's body reacted before his thoughts could catch up.
Left.
Down.
Turn.
He moved through them—not perfectly, but fast enough.
One brushed past his arm.
The cold sting followed instantly.
Adrian hissed. "Still not perfect."
"Stop aiming for perfect," the shadowed woman said.
Adrian frowned slightly. "Then what am I aiming for?"
"Survival."
"…Right."
Another echo came from above.
Adrian didn't look.
He felt it.
The bond surged.
He stepped forward and swung.
His hand connected with the distortion mid-motion.
Another crack split the air.
The echo shattered instantly.
Adrian stumbled slightly, catching himself.
"…Two," he muttered.
The remaining echoes reacted faster now.
No hesitation.
No spacing.
They came at him together.
Adrian's eyes widened slightly. "Okay, that's new—"
"Move," the red-eyed woman said sharply.
He did.
Barely.
One passed behind him.
Another grazed his side.
Pain flared, sharper this time.
Adrian clenched his teeth. "Damn it—"
"Don't slow down," the shadowed woman said.
"I'm not trying to!"
The third woman's voice cut in, calmer than the others.
"Stop thinking about them," she said.
Adrian blinked. "What?"
"You're reacting to movement," she continued. "That's too late."
"…Then what am I supposed to react to?"
"Intent."
Adrian frowned. "That's not something I can see."
"You don't need to see it."
The bond pulsed again.
Stronger.
Deeper.
Adrian's breathing slowed slightly.
Intent.
Not movement.
Not form.
The moment before action.
He focused.
Not on the echoes.
On the feeling.
The tension in the air.
The shift right before they moved.
There.
A flicker.
Left side.
Adrian turned before the echo moved.
His hand snapped forward.
Impact.
Another echo shattered.
"…Three," he said quietly.
The room felt different now.
Not calmer.
But clearer.
The remaining echoes hesitated.
For the first time.
Adrian noticed.
"…They stopped."
"They're recalculating," the shadowed woman said.
Adrian let out a slow breath. "Yeah, I figured."
His chest rose and fell steadily now.
The pain was still there.
But it didn't matter as much.
Not while he could keep up.
The bond pulsed again.
And this time—
It didn't feel like something separate.
It felt like part of him.
"…This is getting easier," he said.
"No," the red-eyed woman replied.
Adrian glanced at her.
"You're getting better," she corrected.
"…I'll take that."
The echoes moved again.
But differently.
Not directly.
Not aggressively.
They circled.
Slow.
Measured.
Adrian watched them carefully.
"…They're waiting."
"Yes," the third woman said.
"For what?"
She smiled faintly.
"For you to make a mistake."
Adrian exhaled. "Then I guess I won't."
The moment he said that—
The pressure changed.
Not from the echoes.
From outside.
Stronger.
Heavier.
Watching.
Adrian's expression hardened slightly. "…It's paying attention again."
"Yes," the red-eyed woman said.
The shadowed woman stepped slightly closer to him now.
"That means this ends soon," she said.
Adrian frowned. "Ends how?"
No one answered.
The echoes moved at the same time.
All of them.
Faster than before.
Adrian didn't hesitate.
He stepped forward instead of back.
The bond surged.
One echo came from the left—
He ignored it.
Another from above—
He didn't react.
The third—
Directly in front.
That was the real one.
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"…Got you."
He moved.
His hand struck forward with everything the bond gave him.
The impact was louder this time.
Sharper.
The echo didn't just shatter.
It collapsed.
The remaining ones froze for a split second—
Then vanished.
Gone.
Like they had never been there.
Silence filled the room.
Adrian stood still, breathing hard.
"…That's it?" he asked.
"For now," the third woman said.
The shadowed woman relaxed slightly.
The red-eyed woman watched him closely.
Adrian looked down at his hand again.
No trembling this time.
Steady.
"…I'm getting used to this," he said.
"That's dangerous," she replied.
Adrian looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because the moment you think you understand it," she said quietly, "is the moment it changes."
Adrian let out a slow breath.
"…Yeah," he muttered. "That sounds about right."
The room remained quiet.
But the feeling didn't fully disappear.
It never did.
Somewhere beyond them—
Something was still watching.
And this time—
It wasn't just observing.
It was learning how he fought.