The laboratory felt colder now.
Adrian stood between the Gate and the stranger called Cael.
Neither of them moved.
"…Erase the facility?" Adrian finally said.
Cael nodded once.
"Yes."
Adrian gestured around the room.
"You mean like… shut it down?"
"No."
Cael's glowing eyes met his.
"I mean erase."
The word hung in the air.
Adrian slowly turned toward the fracture in reality.
"…That seems excessive."
"It is efficient."
Adrian rubbed the back of his neck.
"And these Watchers just do this?"
"When necessary."
Adrian sighed.
"Of course they do."
He looked back at Cael.
"So let me guess."
"You're here to stop them?"
Cael shook his head slightly.
"No."
Adrian frowned.
"Then why are you here?"
Cael's gaze shifted toward the Gate again.
"For the same reason you are."
Adrian blinked.
"…Which is?"
"To prevent something worse from crossing."
The distortion in the air pulsed again.
Adrian felt the vibration through the floor.
"…You mean something worse than those shadow things?"
"Yes."
Adrian sighed.
"Great."
He looked toward his phone again.
"…Aria."
Her voice returned through heavy static.
"…Yes…"
"…You said you know him."
"Yes."
Adrian gestured toward Cael.
"Mind explaining that?"
Aria didn't answer immediately.
The monitors flickered weakly.
Then she spoke.
"…Cael was once one of the Watchers."
Adrian stared at the man.
"…You were one of them?"
"Yes."
Adrian blinked.
"…You mean the cosmic reality police?"
"That is an inaccurate but acceptable description."
Adrian looked between them.
"…And you defected?"
"Yes."
Aria's tone sharpened.
"…He abandoned his duty."
Cael shrugged slightly.
"I chose perspective."
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds like a diplomatic way of saying betrayal."
Cael didn't deny it.
"The Watchers believe balance must be maintained at any cost."
"And?"
"And sometimes the cost becomes… excessive."
Adrian glanced around the abandoned laboratory.
"Yeah, I'm starting to see that."
The Gate pulsed again.
The distortion widened slightly.
The air crackled faintly.
Cael turned toward it immediately.
"…That is accelerating."
Adrian frowned.
"What is?"
"The fracture."
Adrian stepped closer to the Gate.
The air shimmered like broken glass.
Something moved deep within the distortion.
"…That thing is getting bigger."
"Yes."
Adrian looked back at Cael.
"…You said something worse might come through."
Cael nodded.
"The Gate connects to multiple layers of Noctyra."
Adrian crossed his arms.
"And I assume some of those layers contain things we really don't want here."
"Yes."
Aria's voice cut through the static.
"…Adrian…"
"…Step away from the Gate."
Adrian didn't move.
"Why?"
"…Because something is approaching."
The distortion in the air rippled violently.
Cael's expression hardened.
"…Too soon."
Adrian looked at him.
"…What?"
Cael didn't answer.
Instead he reached into his coat.
For a moment Adrian tensed—
But Cael only produced a small metallic device.
It hummed faintly.
"What is that?"
"A stabilizer."
"For what?"
"For reality."
Adrian stared at him.
"…I hate that sentence."
Cael stepped closer to the Gate.
The distortion flickered as he activated the device.
For a moment it looked like the fracture might close.
Then—
The Gate flared brighter.
The distortion stretched wider.
And something inside the fracture moved.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Adrian felt his stomach drop.
"…Aria."
"Yes."
"…That doesn't look like a shadow creature."
Her answer came through the static.
"…No…"
Cael's voice was calm.
But serious.
"…It isn't."
Adrian swallowed.
"…Then what is it?"
The shape behind the Gate stepped closer.
And for the first time—
It looked back.
Directly at them.
Cael's glowing eyes narrowed.
"…A Watcher."