The Gate widened.
The air inside the laboratory vibrated like a stretched wire.
Adrian felt the pressure first.
Not sound.
Not heat.
Pressure.
Like the world itself was holding its breath.
"…That thing is coming through," Adrian said quietly.
Cael didn't look away from the fracture.
"Yes."
Adrian swallowed.
"And we're just… standing here?"
"For now."
The distortion in the air stretched further.
The fracture looked like cracked glass spreading across reality.
And something moved behind it.
At first Adrian thought it was just shadow.
Then the shadow bent.
Folded.
Unfolded again.
His eyes struggled to focus.
"…Aria."
"Yes."
"…My brain doesn't like looking at that."
"…That is a natural response."
The shape behind the Gate pushed forward.
But it didn't move normally.
One moment it looked tall.
The next moment wider.
Then suddenly thinner again.
Like its shape couldn't decide what form it should take.
Adrian rubbed his eyes.
"…Okay."
"…I'm definitely not hallucinating."
Cael's voice remained calm.
"Do not attempt to understand its full form."
Adrian blinked.
"…That's reassuring."
"If you focus too hard on it," Cael continued, "your mind will attempt to resolve something it cannot process."
Adrian sighed.
"Fantastic."
The fracture pulsed again.
And the Watcher stepped through.
For a moment the laboratory lights flickered violently.
The fog in the room twisted around the shape.
Adrian saw fragments of it.
A long limb.
Then something like wings.
Then dozens of thin strands of light extending outward.
Then nothing.
His eyes watered.
"…I hate this."
The Watcher's presence filled the room.
Not physically.
But everywhere at once.
Adrian felt like gravity had shifted.
Like the air itself was heavier.
Then a voice spoke.
But it didn't come from the creature.
It came from everywhere.
From the walls.
From the floor.
From inside Adrian's own thoughts.
"The seal has been broken."
Adrian stiffened.
"…Did that thing just talk inside my head?"
"Yes," Cael said quietly.
The Watcher moved slightly.
Reality warped around its outline.
"The Door Opener stands before us."
Adrian rubbed his face.
"Fantastic."
He pointed at himself.
"Yeah, that's apparently me."
The Watcher shifted again.
Its attention moved from Adrian…
…to the monitors.
To Aria.
The voice returned.
"The Exiled Queen."
The laboratory grew colder.
Aria's voice sharpened through the static.
"…Watcher."
"You were sealed beyond the Veil."
"Yes."
"Yet you stand again within the fracture."
Aria's glowing eyes darkened.
"…I did not cross it."
The Watcher's form shifted again.
The distortion in the air intensified.
"The balance is broken."
Adrian folded his arms.
"Yeah, I'm getting that impression."
Cael stepped forward slightly.
"You don't need to destroy this world to repair the fracture."
The Watcher turned toward him.
For a moment the distortion intensified.
Then the voice spoke again.
"Defector."
Adrian looked at Cael.
"…That doesn't sound friendly."
"No."
The Watcher's presence pressed heavier against the room.
"You abandoned the Order."
Cael didn't deny it.
"Yes."
"Your interference is noted."
Adrian sighed.
"…This conversation is going exactly how I feared."
The Watcher's attention returned to Adrian.
"The Door Opener must be removed."
Adrian froze.
"…Removed?"
Aria's voice cut through the static immediately.
"No."
The distortion around the Watcher intensified.
"The Gate must close."
Adrian raised a hand.
"Before anyone starts erasing me from existence…"
"…can we talk about alternatives?"
The Watcher moved again.
Its form expanding slightly.
"The fracture threatens all worlds."
Adrian nodded.
"Okay."
"That sounds bad."
"But killing me won't close the Gate."
The room fell silent.
Even the vibration beneath the floor paused.
Then the Watcher spoke again.
"Explain."
Adrian exhaled slowly.
"…Because if I opened the door…"
"…I might be the only one who can close it."
The Watcher's impossible form shifted.
For the first time since it appeared…
It hesitated.