I couldn't catch my breath.

The creature was massive, its form towering over us, and it didn't move like the others we'd faced before. This one felt different, like it was studying us, watching us closely with eyes that burned with an unspoken threat. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, my body on high alert, but I couldn't move. Not when Lyra was frozen, not when Finn was looking at the creature like it had just sentenced us all to death.

And yet, the worst part was that I didn't know what to do.

I was supposed to protect them, right? That's what I always did. I kept the group safe, looked out for Lyra, but right now? I had nothing. No plan. Just the overwhelming need to keep them from getting hurt.

Finn's body went rigid, his face twisted in concentration, and I watched as something shifted in the air. It was like time itself was stretching, pulling, making everything feel impossibly slow. The creature, the world—it all seemed to freeze.

And then Kai spoke.

"Stop."

It wasn't a plea or a shout, but something else. A command.

The creature's massive form paused, lowering its head, and for a split second, I thought it was going to attack. But instead, it slowly backed away into the shadows, as if it had no choice.

I couldn't believe it. I was still trying to process what had just happened when I looked at Kai. His eyes were wide, like even he couldn't fully grasp what had just occurred. But he'd done it. He'd made the creature stop.

I turned to Finn, trying to figure out how he fit into this. What had happened to make the air so thick with tension, so heavy? Why had everything felt wrong—like something was on the verge of breaking?

Kai looked at us all, his gaze lingering on the creature's retreating form, and then back to me. He seemed shaken, but he didn't say anything. The silence was deafening, and I was still too stunned to speak.

We were all still standing there, taking in what had just unfolded. I was just about to say something when I caught Finn's eyes. He looked exhausted, like the weight of something deep inside him was crushing him. But he'd held it together. He'd protected us.

And yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed. That whatever we'd just witnessed, whatever powers Kai and Finn had just tapped into—it wasn't over.

"We need to talk about what just happened," I finally said, my voice quieter than I intended.

It wasn't a question. It was a warning.