The chamber had been stripped of benches, bunks, and most equipment. The med-techs, under strict instructions, left only minimal restraints and observation equipment — enough to monitor, but not enough to stop.
Elias stood in the center, chalky sweat on his forehead, mind racing through patterns. He had watched them all, calculated trajectories, and knew that if they didn't coordinate, someone would die before the day ended.
"Alright," Elias said, voice firm. "We test. One at a time. Small movements. Learn your limits."
Aria cracked her neck, bone popping like thunder. "Limits, huh? And what if my limit is smashing through walls?"
Elias met her gaze without flinching. "Then we calculate before you do it."
Magnus raised an eyebrow, sparks flickering faintly from his fingertips. "And if I fry the lights trying?"
"You won't," Elias said, his voice calm. "Not if you follow the pattern."
Nora, hovering slightly in the shadows, murmured, "Patterns exist even in dreams… even in fear."
Elias nodded. "Exactly. Your fear is part of the equation. Recognize it, control it, and it becomes strength."
The First Exercise
Step 1: Coordination
Aria flexed her arms, bone armor shifting. Elias calculated angles. "Move toward the door slowly, one step at a time. Magnify your force only if needed. Magnus, monitor magnetic interference around her."
Aria obeyed grudgingly, spines creaking. Magnus raised his hands, electricity crackling harmlessly around her armor. The chamber hummed with tension.
The narcoleptic boy twitched, murmuring in dreamlike patterns. Elias observed, noting that his slipping in and out of consciousness caused subtle disturbances in probability — small anomalies they would need to account for.
Nora floated closer. "He's like a… catalyst within the catalyst," she whispered. Elias understood immediately: the boy's sleep states amplified the instability in the room.
Step 2: Focus & Control
Magnus stood in the center. Sparks leapt from his fingers into the air, arcing in precise curves. Elias projected probabilities: the arcs would bend harmlessly, following his calculations.
Aria winced, bone armor rattling. "Careful! Those things could split the wall in half!"
"Not if we control it," Elias said, tracing invisible lines in the air. "Magnus, follow my cues. Watch Nora. Watch Aria. Flow with their force, don't fight it."
Magnus gritted his teeth, letting Elias's calculations guide the arcs. Slowly, carefully, the sparks danced without damage. The first success.
Step 3: Trust in Numbers
Nora drifted forward, voice low. "I can show a path. But you must trust it."
Elias watched, calculating the probabilities of every movement, every dream-influence she could exert. "Do it."
She blinked. The boy trembled. The patterns in the air twisted, shimmering like faint auroras. The chamber responded: no shocks, no fractures. For the first time, all five of them existed in harmony.
Elias allowed himself a breath. "We can do this," he said softly. "But only if we trust each other… completely."
Aria smirked faintly. "I hate trusting people."
Magnus rolled his eyes. "Welcome to quarantine."
Even the narcoleptic boy gave a weak nod, murmuring dreamlike numbers that only Elias understood.
And for the first time, they were not alone in the dark.