The analysis ran through the night, and by the time Ashworth emerged from the equipment tent at dawn, dark circles under her eyes told Victor everything about how much sleep the process had allowed her.
"The artifact appears stable," she said, gathering the group along with Samuel near the cave entrance. "No corrupted resonance, no signs of degradation despite three centuries of exposure. Wren's sensory reading, combined with the equipment data, suggests activation carries considerably less risk than the Dark Forest confrontation did."
"Considerably less isn't the same as none," Corvin added.
"No. It isn't."
"I still want to do it," Victor said.
"I assumed you would." Ashworth's expression carried grudging respect beneath the exhaustion. "We proceed carefully. Wren guides the process, exactly as before. Any sign of instability, we stop immediately, regardless of how close we are to completion."
