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My throat tightens.

“Together… they normalize permanent control.”

No one speaks.

Because they understand.

Not just the damage.

The shift.

Aaron steps closer. “And if you stop it?”

I finally look at him.

And this part…

This is the trap.

“If I stop the cascade cleanly,” I say, “he flips a kill switch on one of the systems—something catastrophic enough that it looks like interference caused it.”

A beat.

“He blames me.”

Silence slams into the room.

Heavy.

Final.

Jace’s voice cuts through it—quiet, almost thoughtful.

“He’s her mirror.”

I nod once.

“Yes.”

Because that’s exactly what this is.

Not an attack.

A conversation.

A challenge.

A test.

“And he built it,” I say softly,

“so only I can see it in time.”

Which means—

I’m the only one who can fail.

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