The tremors were no longer small.
They had grown, spreading through him like wildfire.
Micro-control faltered in longer sequences, involuntary surges he could not fully redirect.
Each pulse hit her chest like a hammer.
Not fully destructive—but heavy enough to press her lungs tight, ribs aching, heartbeat racing.
Every small slip echoed through the inversion, landing entirely on her.
She pressed a hand to her chest, swallowing past the weight.
Her fingers dug into her palms.
Eyes narrowed, awareness sharpened to the smallest flicker of the bond.
"You're… slipping more," she whispered. Observation, not accusation.
"I'm—managing," he said, voice clipped, low. But the strain betrayed him.
Jaw tight. Shoulders stiffening. Fingers twitching uncontrollably.
The cage was beginning to betray him from within.
The system nudged harder this time. Subtle but relentless:
Gravity fluctuating slightly, unevenly
Air thickening in random pockets
Temperature dipping and spiking
Light bending, distorting, shadow flickers
Designed to stress-test him completely, to see how long the anomaly could hold before failing.
Another pulse hit.
The inversion pressed heavier, sharper. Every micro-slip landing full force on her chest.
Her lungs burned. Her ribs ached.
Every heartbeat hammered like a drum of warning.
He exhaled sharply, hands twitching.
The cage held externally—but inside, micro-fractures were multiplying, uncontrollable.
Each correction only increased internal friction.
Another surge.
She staggered, eyes widening, chest tight, heart hammering.
The bond quivered again, the inversion pressing mercilessly.
"You're going to break," she whispered again. Fact, not fear.
"Not yet," he replied, voice strained, clipped, barely steady.
But the cracks were visible now.
Power leaking through the partitions he had built, brushing her with the first real consequences of his internal collapse.
Her chest tightened further. She swallowed, letting determination flare in the pressure.
Because when the cage finally failed, she would endure it.
And the system…
was ready to witness the moment it happened.