They didn't move for a while after that.
Not because they were afraid.
Because they were thinking.
Jovian stood still, replaying the moment in his head. The timing. The precision. The way the attack had stopped the second they pushed back properly.
"…He pulled back," Lucien said quietly.
Jovian nodded.
"On purpose," he added.
Iggy frowned. "Why? He had the advantage."
"No," Alaric said.
They looked at him.
"He had information," Alaric continued. "That was the point."
Jovian understood immediately.
"…He wanted to see how we'd respond to something we couldn't see."
Lucien nodded. "And now he knows."
Silence settled again.
This time, heavier.
Because this wasn't a guess anymore.
It was confirmed.
Voss wasn't just watching them from afar.
He was interacting.
Carefully. Precisely.
Testing very specific things.
Jovian clenched his fist slightly.
"…Then we stop giving him clean answers."
Iggy smirked faintly. "Finally, something I'm good at."
Alaric stepped forward. "We need to adjust."
Lucien glanced at him. "How?"
Alaric didn't hesitate.
"We stop fighting reactively," he said. "Everything we've done so far has been responses to what he sends."
Jovian nodded slowly.
"…So we force him to respond instead."
Lucien's expression sharpened. "…You want to draw him out."
"Yes," Jovian said.
"But not recklessly."
Iggy rolled his shoulders. "So what's the plan?"
Jovian looked ahead, his eyes steady now.
"We create pressure," he said.
"Enough that he has to step in."
Alaric crossed his arms. "That's risky."
"It's necessary," Jovian replied.
Lucien didn't argue.
Because they all knew—
Waiting wouldn't work anymore.
They moved again, but this time with purpose.
Not chasing.
Not reacting.
Setting something up.
The location wasn't random.
An open area. Limited cover. Controlled space.
If Voss wanted to observe—
He'd see everything clearly.
Jovian stepped into the center, Vital Mirage appearing instantly.
"This is it," he said.
Iggy cracked his knuckles. "Feels like we've said that a lot."
"This time we mean it," Lucien replied.
Alaric took position beside them. Golden Cavalier formed, steady and ready.
Jovian exhaled slowly.
Then—
He raised his voice slightly.
"Voss Calder."
Silence answered him.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
The air shifted.
Subtle.
But unmistakable.
Jovian didn't move.
"…You wanted to see what remains," he said.
The pressure built slightly.
Not overwhelming.
Present.
"Then stop watching," Jovian continued.
His voice didn't waver.
"Step in."
The silence stretched—
Then broke.
A voice, calm and distant, yet closer than before.
"You've learned to provoke."
Jovian's eyes sharpened.
"Then respond."
A pause followed.
Longer than before.
Heavier.
Then—
"…Very well."
The presence changed.
Not fading.
Condensing.
Focusing.
Jovian felt it instantly.
This wasn't observation anymore.
This was arrival.
Vital Mirage tensed beside him.
The air grew heavier—
And for the first time—
It didn't feel like something watching from afar.
It felt like something stepping in.