The two pulls met in the doorframe.
On the right, the Aegis access worker tightened his line with a brief announced use of his grip talent. On the left, Eli and a local worker took weight on the ordinary mechanical lever while Kellan checked the release. Each movement had been described as preliminary. Together they loaded the frame from different angles before Juno had finished the baseline.
The upper joint shifted.
“Stop,” Juno said.
The Aegis worker released his talent. Eli let the lever settle back without snapping it free. The line stayed under ordinary residual tension until its keeper eased it onto the securing point. For a few seconds, everyone watched the door as though a collective stare could put the seam back where it belonged.
Dust fell from above the lintel.
Kellan moved both access groups out of the sweep before kneeling at the adjoining support. A fine fracture ran through the visible stone beside the frame. It continued into an area hidden by plaster. One edge had shifted enough to crush a thin strip of old surface material into powder.
“No more force here,” he said.
