The change did not go unnoticed.
Kael sensed it before anyone said anything, not because something obvious had shifted, but because the space around him felt different. The faint distance created by the restriction remained, yet the alignment itself had become easier to recognize, clearer at its edges, as though the barrier placed between him and the field had begun to lose its precision.
That alone was enough to confirm what he had already suspected.
The restriction was not absolute.
He stood at the edge of the training ground, testing the sensation again with measured restraint. Instead of reaching directly for the alignment, he traced its perimeter, following the subtle structure that formed around it.
The response came faster than before.
Not stronger.
Not uncontrolled.
Consistent.
Kael exhaled slowly, lowering his hand.
"…That shouldn't be improving," he said quietly.
"No," Lyra replied. "It should not."
The sound of footsteps interrupted them.
Kael turned.
The authority figure stood a short distance away, their presence unchanged but their focus sharpened. This time, they had not approached quietly or indirectly. Their arrival carried intent.
"You continued to train," they said.
Kael nodded. "That tends to happen."
"The restriction was applied to prevent deviation."
"It slowed it down," Kael replied. "It didn't stop it."
The figure studied him carefully.
For a brief moment, there was no response.
Then they raised their hands.
The air shifted again.
Kael felt it immediately.
The distance between him and the alignment increased.
The connection dulled further.
"…You reinforced it," he said.
"Yes," the figure replied.
Kael frowned slightly, testing the sensation again.
The alignment was still there.
Fainter.
Further.
But not gone.
He lowered his hand and looked back at them.
"That won't hold," he said.
The authority figures did not respond immediately.
Instead, they observed him.
"You are adapting to imposed limitation," they said.
Kael tilted his head slightly. "That sounds like a normal response."
"It is not expected within human parameters."
Kael exhaled quietly.
"…Then your expectations are wrong."
This time—
The figure did not correct him.