Anastasia didn't answer immediately.
Rianor's question hung in the silent, circular hall, and she let it hang a few seconds longer than what was considered polite. In the center of the room, the Annihilator remained dead, its optic lenses pitch-black. Behind the pillar, the lead box containing the Mana Core didn't emit a single speck of light. The only thing moving was the pale blue glow spilling from the newly opened corridor, pulsing softly like the breath of a sleeping man.
"He's dead," she finally said, her voice flat, as if reading a fact from a report. "Orion. You said it yourself on the recording—he shut himself down."
"I know." Rianor didn't take offense. He stood with both hands shoved into his coat pockets, his shoulders slightly slumped. "I was there when he did it. But that isn't a reason not to speak with him."
