The tear widened.
Not explosively. Not violently.
It opened the way something living opens its eyes.
Darkness spilt downward, thick and slow, as oil poured into the sky. The air around Hollow Square warped, bending light, swallowing sound. Screams dulled into muffled echoes as if the space itself was being smothered.
Evan struggled to stand.
His legs trembled beneath him, muscles screaming in protest. Blood dripped from his nose, splashing onto the cracked pavement. Each drop felt heavier than it should have been, as if gravity itself was pulling harder on him.
The pressure was unbearable now.
It did not feel like resistance anymore.
It felt like judgment.
"Evan."
Marcus's voice cut through the haze. Strong. Anchoring.
Evan forced his head up. Marcus stood a few feet away, braced against a streetlight that bent under the strain of the distorted air. Luke crouched beside him, eyes wide, face drained of colour. Noah stood further back, staring at the tear with an expression Evan had never seen before.
Fear.
"You need to move," Marcus shouted. "Now."
Evan tried to answer, but the words stuck in his throat. The hum roared in his ears, drowning out everything else. His vision tunnelled, the edges darkening.
The presence stirred.
Not inside the tear.
Behind it.
Evan felt it turn its attention fully onto him.
Not angry.
Not curious.
Certain.
The air vibrated.
"You interfered," the voice whispered.
This time, it was not everywhere.
It was inside his head.
Evan clenched his teeth. "People were going to die."
Silence followed.
Then a response, colder than before.
"They always do."
The tear pulsed.
A wave of force slammed outward, knocking people off their feet. Evan was thrown back, skidding across the pavement until his shoulder struck the curb. Pain exploded through him, sharp and blinding.
Luke hit the ground hard beside him.
"Okay," Luke coughed, scrambling up. "I officially hate this city."
Marcus dragged Evan upright, gripping him firmly. "Stay with me."
"I'm trying," Evan rasped.
Above them, something moved.
Not emerging.
Testing the boundary.
A shape pressed against the edge of the tear, distorting it outward like a hand pushing against thin fabric. The darkness rippled, struggling to hold its form.
Noah's voice shook as he spoke. "It's destabilising the area. If that thing comes through fully…"
He did not finish the sentence.
He did not need to.
Sirens wailed closer, distorted and uneven. Emergency vehicles screeched to a halt at the edges of the square. Firefighters and police officers rushed forward, then slowed, confused by the warped air and the unnatural darkness overhead.
"What the hell is that?" someone shouted.
Panic spread like wildfire.
People ran in every direction, pushing, falling, screaming.
The tear expanded again.
Evan's vision blurred. The pressure inside him surged violently, like something being forced awake. His chest burned. His heartbeat thundered.
He felt it then.
A pull.
Not outward.
Inward.
Something inside him resonated with the tear, vibrating in response, as two tuning forks struck at the same frequency.
Evan shook his head weakly. "It's connected to me."
Marcus's grip tightened. "Say that again."
"The tear," Evan gasped. "It's reacting to me."
Noah's eyes snapped to him. "That confirms it."
"Confirms what?" Luke demanded.
"That Evan is acting as an anchor," Noah said, voice tight. "Or a trigger. Possibly both."
Evan's stomach twisted. "Then get me out of here."
Noah shook his head slowly. "That might make it worse."
The tear pulsed violently, as if reacting to the conversation.
The shape behind it pressed harder.
A crack split the air.
People screamed.
Evan felt the pressure spike to unbearable levels. His knees buckled again, and this time Marcus could not hold him up.
Evan collapsed.
The ground felt cold against his palms.
His vision dimmed.
And then something snapped.
Not the pressure.
Not the tear.
Him.
The world went quiet.
Not silent.
Focused.
The screaming dulled into background noise. The sirens faded. Even the hum softened, becoming something almost… understandable.
Evan lifted his head.
The tear slowed.
The shape behind it hesitated.
Evan pushed himself to his feet.
Marcus stared at him. "Evan?"
The pressure was still there.
But now, it obeyed.
Not fully.
But enough.
Evan took a step forward.
The ground did not resist.
Another step.
The tear quivered.
"You will worsen the imbalance," the voice warned.
Evan looked up at the darkness. His hands trembled, but he raised them anyway.
"Then tell me how to stop it," he said.
The presence paused.
For the first time, it hesitated.
A ripple passed through the tear.
"You cannot," the voice replied. "You are already misaligned."
Evan swallowed hard. "Then why are you still talking to me?"
Silence.
Then, something changed.
The pressure shifted.
Not heavier.
Sharper.
The tear contracted slightly, its edges pulling inward.
Noah's eyes widened. "It's responding to negotiation."
Luke blinked. "We can negotiate with that?"
"Apparently," Marcus said grimly.
Evan felt sweat drip down his spine. His entire body ached, as if he had been carrying a crushing weight for hours.
"People are scared," Evan said. "They're going to die if this keeps going."
"That is not your concern," the voice replied.
"It is," Evan snapped, anger flaring despite the pain. "It's always been my concern."
The hum spiked violently.
The ground cracked beneath Evan's feet, spiderweb fractures racing outward. He staggered but did not fall.
The shape behind the tear surged forward, pressing hard against the boundary.
"You insist on interference," the voice said. "Then you will accept the consequence."
Evan's heart pounded. "What consequence?"
The tear shuddered.
Then it began to close.
Not sealing.
Collapsing.
The darkness folded inward violently, pulling air, debris, and sound toward it. A roaring wind tore through Hollow Square, ripping signs from walls, shattering remaining windows.
People screamed and clung to anything they could.
Evan felt himself being pulled forward.
Marcus grabbed him from behind, planting his feet and holding on with everything he had. Luke wrapped an arm around Marcus, teeth clenched.
Noah shouted something Evan could not hear.
The tear shrank rapidly, its edges tearing at reality itself.
And then, with a deafening crack, it snapped shut.
The wind died instantly.
Silence fell.
Hollow Square stood frozen in the aftermath. Smoke drifted lazily upward. Broken glass littered the ground. Sirens wailed normally now, no longer distorted.
The sky looked… normal.
Evan collapsed to his knees.
Marcus let go and dropped beside him, breathing hard. Luke stumbled backwards, hands on his knees, laughing weakly.
"Nope," Luke said. "Did not sign up for that."
Emergency crews rushed in, shouting orders, helping the injured, and securing the area. No one looked at the sky anymore.
As if they had already forgotten.
Evan lifted his head slowly.
The pressure was gone.
Not completely.
But reduced.
Like a tide pulling back, leaving wet sand behind.
Noah approached him cautiously. "You did something."
Evan wiped blood from his nose. "I talked."
Marcus frowned. "To it."
"Yes," Evan said.
Luke stared at Evan. "You're saying the universe has customer service now."
Evan did not smile.
"It wasn't the universe," he said. "It was something enforcing it."
Noah's face went pale. "An administrator."
The word hung heavy in the air.
Emergency lights flashed across their faces.
Emily was not there.
The realization hit Evan suddenly, sharp and painful.
He grabbed Noah's arm. "Emily. Where is she?"
Noah's eyes flicked toward the edge of the square.
Evan followed his gaze.
Emily stood behind the barricade, hands covering her mouth, eyes locked on him.
Relief flooded through him.
Then the pressure surged again.
Brief.
Sharp.
Warning.
Evan froze.
Emily took a step forward.
The air around Evan rippled.
He cried out, clutching his head as pain exploded behind his eyes.
"Emily, stop," Marcus shouted.
She froze instantly, terror flooding her expression.
The pain eased.
Emily's face crumpled. "I'm sorry," she whispered, voice breaking.
Evan forced himself to stand, though every instinct screamed not to move.
He met her gaze from a distance.
"This isn't your fault," he said loudly, so she could hear him over the noise.
But he did not step closer.
The gap between them felt wider than the square itself.
Sirens faded into the background as the scene stabilised. Police began clearing the area. Paramedics moved among the injured.
Life resumed.
But something fundamental had shifted.
Noah spoke quietly. "The tear closed because you were here."
Evan nodded slowly. "And it opened because I was."
Luke let out a long breath. "So you're basically a walking disaster switch."
"Or a lock," Marcus said. "We just don't know which yet."
Evan stared at the spot in the sky where the tear had been.
The voice echoed faintly in his mind.
"You accepted the consequence."
His phone vibrated in his pocket.
He pulled it out with shaking hands.
Unknown number.
A single message.
Alignment temporarily restored. Further interference will escalate the response.
Evan's chest tightened.
This was only the beginning.
Because now he knew the truth.
The world did not break randomly.
It broke in response to him.
And next time, it would not hesitate.