The rule remained.
Not active.
Not visible.
But real.
Ethan could feel it—not as aura, not as pressure, but as structure. Something defined. Something waiting for the moment it would be needed again.
Silent Authority.
His Hatsu.
The door opened.
The man entered, but he was not alone.
Another figure stepped in behind him.
Older.
Taller.
Calmer.
His Ten was stable. Stronger than the boy from before. Controlled without effort.
A real Nen user.
Not newly awakened.
Not weak.
The man stopped near the door.
"This one will resist you," he said.
Not a warning.
A fact.
The other boy said nothing. His eyes stayed on Ethan, observing him the same way Ethan observed everything else.
Measuring.
Calculating.
The door closed.
Locked.
Silence filled the space.
Ethan activated Ten instinctively. His aura settled against his body, calm and contained.
He did not release Ren yet.
He did not act first.
Control was timing.
Not urgency.
The other boy stepped forward.
Slow.
Confident.
"You're the one," he said.
His voice was steady.
Not afraid.
Not uncertain.
He already understood what this room was for.
Ethan activated Ren.
His aura expanded.
Not aggressively.
Not wastefully.
Precisely.
The other boy reacted immediately. His Ten strengthened, reinforcing his defense. He was not like the others.
He was ready.
Good.
This was necessary.
Ethan spoke.
"Stop."
The word was clear.
Intentional.
Silent Authority activated.
The structure responded.
The other boy's body reacted.
Not completely.
Not fully.
But enough.
He hesitated.
A fraction of a second.
His forward motion slowed.
His balance shifted.
His Ten flickered slightly as his focus divided.
That moment—
Was everything.
The boy narrowed his eyes.
He felt it.
Not control.
Interference.
He stepped forward again, forcing movement through resistance.
Stronger.
But slower.
The rule held.
Not absolutely.
But effectively.
The man observed from the side.
Silent.
Confirming.
Ethan ended Ren.
His aura returned to Ten.
Contained.
The test was complete.
The other boy stopped moving.
Not because he was forced.
Because he understood.
He looked at Ethan differently now.
Not as a child.
As a threat.
The door opened.
The man spoke only one word.
"Enough."
The other boy left immediately.
The door closed again.
The man stepped forward.
"You see it now," he said.
Not praise.
Truth.
"You cannot control everyone."
He paused.
"But you do not need to."
He looked directly at Ethan.
"You only need to create a moment."
A moment.
Of hesitation.
Of weakness.
Of opportunity.
He turned toward the door.
"This is what makes Manipulators dangerous."
He stopped.
"Not control."
A final pause.
"Authority."
Then he left.
Ethan remained alone.
His aura rested beneath his skin, quiet and obedient.
Silent Authority did not make him unstoppable.
It made him inevitable.
And inevitability—
Was enough.