The moment Aiden stepped forward, the space reacted.
It was not a violent response, nor was it immediate, but the change was unmistakable.
The air thickened, carrying a faint distortion that spread outward from the point where he stood, as though the environment itself had become aware of his presence.
Aiden did not stop.
His gaze remained fixed ahead, where the unstable distortion hovered, its form flickering as if struggling to maintain its shape.
Unlike the figure he had encountered before, this one felt incomplete, fragmented in a way that suggested it had not fully manifested.
“…You’re unstable.”
The words were quiet, but they carried through the stillness.
The distortion shifted in response.
Not aggressively.
But noticeably.
The space trembled faintly, the edges of the environment bending as though something deeper had been disturbed by his voice alone.
The system reacted.
“Warning: Interference increasing”
Aiden’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“…So it’s not just you.”
The instability extended beyond the entity.
It was the entire space.
The entire zone.
He took another step forward.
The ground beneath him did not feel solid, though it held his weight without resistance.
It was as if he walked on something that existed between states, neither fully real nor entirely formed.
Then—
The distortion surged.
Without warning, its form expanded, stretching outward before collapsing inward again, as though it had been forced to stabilize under sudden pressure.
The movement disrupted the space around it, sending a ripple through the environment that reached Aiden in an instant.
He did not retreat.
Instead, he moved through it.
The distortion passed over him like a wave, bending around his presence before dispersing into the air.
Aiden exhaled softly.
“…It reacts to proximity.”
Or—
To him.
The thought settled quietly.
And then—
Something changed.
The system flickered.
Not violently.
But enough.
“Core resonance detected”
Aiden stilled.
“…Resonance.”
So it was connected.
The fragment within him responded, faint but unmistakable, as though something ahead had triggered its awareness.
Aiden stepped closer.
The distortion steadied slightly.
Then—
It shifted.
Not randomly.
But deliberately.
It moved back.
As if creating distance.
Aiden followed.
The space stretched. Get faster updates on g.com.
Not physically.
But perceptually.
Each step carried him further into the zone, yet the environment did not seem to change in any clear way.
It remained vast, undefined, its boundaries unclear.
And yet—
He was not alone.
A faint pressure appeared at the edge of his awareness.
Different from the distortion.
Sharper.
More grounded.
Aiden stopped.
“…Someone else is here.”
Arthur felt it the moment he crossed the boundary.
The shift was immediate, the world around him collapsing into something unfamiliar as the city disappeared without transition.
The air inside the zone pressed against him, heavier than expected, carrying a presence that did not feel natural.
“…This isn’t normal.”
He stepped forward cautiously, his attention sharp, his instincts already on edge.
The space around him lacked structure, lacking even the crude formation of a dungeon.
There were no walls, no clear ground, no direction to follow.
Only—
Stillness.
Arthur frowned slightly.
“…Aiden.”
The name left him without thought.
Because if anyone was here—
It would be him.
Not far from him, another presence entered.
Edward did not react outwardly to the shift in environment, though his gaze moved quickly, taking in the lack of structure, the instability of the space, the absence of clear boundaries.
“…It’s contained, but not stable.”
He spoke quietly, more to himself than anyone else.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“…This is different from the previous zones.”
More controlled.
More deliberate.
And yet—
Incomplete.
Edward stepped forward, his attention already moving ahead.
“…Which means there’s a source.”
Aiden felt them before he saw them.
The presence grew clearer, no longer distant, no longer uncertain.
Arthur.
Edward.
He did not turn immediately.
“…So they followed.”
The thought carried no irritation.
Only acknowledgment.
Behind him, the distortion reacted again.
Stronger this time.
The moment the others entered, the space trembled more violently, as though the presence of multiple variables had disrupted whatever fragile balance existed within the zone.
The system responded.
“Warning: Interference escalating”
“…Of course.”
He turned slightly.
Arthur appeared first, his steps steady despite the unstable ground, his gaze locking onto Aiden the moment he saw him.
“…You got here before us.”
Aiden faced him fully.
“…You weren’t far behind.”
Arthur glanced around briefly before looking back at him.
“…This place is wrong.”
“I know.”
Edward arrived moments later, his expression calm, though his eyes were sharper than usual.
“…The distortion is reacting to all of us now,” he said.
Aiden nodded slightly.
“…It was reacting to me before.”
Arthur frowned.
“‘Before’?”
Aiden didn’t explain.
Because there was no time.
The distortion surged again.
This time—
It did not retreat.
It expanded.
The unstable form stretched outward, its shape collapsing and reforming rapidly as the space around it twisted under the pressure.
The environment began to fracture, thin lines of distortion spreading outward like cracks in glass.
Edward’s gaze sharpened.
“…It’s losing stability.”
Arthur shifted his stance.
“Or it’s about to do something worse.”
Aiden stepped forward.
“…It’s reacting to the interference.”
Both of them looked at him.
“Then what do we do?” Arthur asked.
Aiden’s gaze remained fixed on the distortion.
“…We stabilize it.”
Arthur blinked.
“…That’s your plan?”
Aiden didn’t look at him.
“Yes.”
Arthur let out a short breath, something between disbelief and reluctant acceptance.
“…You’re insane.”
“Probably.”
Arthur smirked faintly.
“…Fine.”
Edward didn’t interrupt.
But his gaze lingered on Aiden a moment longer.
Not questioning.
Not doubting.
But understanding one thing clearly—
Whatever Aiden was about to do—
It would change everything again.
The distortion surged.
And this time—
It did not hold back.