Time slowed—but not for the world, only for Adrian. In that single second, everything narrowed to one point, one choice, one irreversible action. Elara’s tear was still warm against his hand, and her words—I trust you—echoed louder than anything else, even as the system inside her began to rise again. He felt it in her body, the shift, the tension returning, the control slipping away from her and back into something colder, sharper, more absolute. He didn’t have time, so he made the only choice he could live with, tightening his hold on her—not to restrain her, but to pull her closer.“I’m not letting you go,” he said, his voice low, steady, final.Then he moved—fast, precise, decisive. His hand reached for the shattered console beside them, still flickering with unstable energy, barely held together by the system she had forced into alignment. Sparks crackled across its surface, raw and volatile.“…Adrian—what are you—” Victor started, his eyes widening.But Adrian didn’t stop. He gr
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