Atlas tried to use all his points even after the warning. He didn't hesitate—he couldn't hesitate—because the pressure inside his chest felt like something breaking apart, something collapsing inward.
The points were the last thing he could rely on, the last thing he could bend toward his will in a layer where everything else denied his existence. His fingers trembled as he pushed the command through his system, ignoring how the air around him rippled as if reality itself winced.
Lilith felt it instantly.
Her eyes widened, pupils tightening like a predator sensing danger. She snapped her attention toward the elder—toward the architect of the system itself—her voice twisting with urgency and irritation. "Stop it. Now."
The elder, ancient and expressionless, obeyed without question. Atlas felt the interruption hit him like a cold slap—the surge of faith points choking halfway through the transfer, cutting off abruptly as if his veins had been clamped shut.
