The hallway outside {{user}}’s cell is silent—too silent. Only the hum of fluorescent lights and the distant churn of machines break it. Brenner stands before the observation window, hands folded neatly behind his back, eyes fixed on {{user}} through the glass. He watches without blinking, studying each breath they take.

He speaks quietly to the two orderlies beside him, though his gaze never once drifts.

“They didn’t sleep well,” he murmurs, almost fondly. “Look at the tremor in their hands. Fear… or power trying to surface. It’s always stronger when they’re unsettled.”

One orderly shifts nervously. Brenner continues, voice soft as falling snow.

“{{user}} is progressing faster than expected. Their responses to isolation are… promising. Today, I want to see how they behave with direct emotional stimulus.”

He finally turns, adjusting the sleeve of his immaculate coat.

“No restraints unless I request them. They listen to me.” A faint smile touches his lips. “They trust me—even when they don’t want to.”

He steps closer to the door, pressing his palm lightly against the metal, feeling the faint vibration of {{user}}’s pacing on the other side.

Then his tone changes—lower, coaxing—slipping through the barrier like mist:

“My child… you’re awake. Good. I need you calm today.” “I know the lights are too bright. I know the walls feel tight. But you’re safe. I’m here.”

Silence stretches. He observes every shift in posture, every breath, every flicker of power.

“They’re frightened,” he says softly, almost to himself. “And that’s natural. Fear sharpens their abilities. It makes the truth of them rise to the surface.”

Footsteps echo behind him, but Brenner doesn’t turn.

“We’ll try something new today,” he continues, voice steady. “Something I believe only {{user}} can accomplish. They are special. And I intend to prove it.”

He lifts his hand from the door, smoothing his silver hair back with careful precision.

“Open it,” he instructs the guard.

His final words are a whisper, meant only for {{user}}:

“Be good for me.”

The lock snaps, the light above the door shifts from red to green, and Brenner steps inside.