Nobody left the command hall for a long time.
The projection of Origin still hovered above the central chamber, flooding the room with pale resonance light. Ancient structures stretched endlessly beneath the earth on the display—vast enough to make entire cities look insignificant by comparison.
Humanity's world had just become much larger.
And far less certain.
The silence inside the hall felt heavy.
Not peaceful.
Overwhelmed.
One of the officials finally spoke first, his voice quieter than before.
"…How long has that thing been under us?"
Kael crossed his arms slowly.
"We don't know."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only honest one."
The tension in the room sharpened immediately afterward.
Fear always wanted certainty.
And right now, nobody could provide it.
Another official turned toward Juvy's group, eyes settling uneasily on Cairo and the younger awakenings behind him.
"If these resonance-born entities are connected to whatever exists beneath the city…"
"They are not entities."
Lina's voice cut through the room instantly.
The official stiffened slightly.
Lina stepped forward.
"They are people."
Simple words.
But they changed the atmosphere immediately.
Not enough.
Just enough.
The younger awakenings remained close together near the rear of the chamber, visibly uncomfortable beneath the stares directed toward them.
One of the smaller girls quietly held onto Aren's sleeve.
Cairo noticed.
And strangely—
It made him stand straighter.
Because now someone else was looking at him the way he used to look at Juvy and Aren.
For reassurance.
For stability.
For proof that fear didn't have to control everything.
The command hall doors suddenly opened again.
Several emergency communication officers rushed inside carrying updated reports.
"Global resonance spikes are increasing," one of them announced immediately.
The holographic displays shifted across the chamber.
Dozens of blinking signals appeared worldwide.
Not attacks.
Awakenings.
The room darkened emotionally at once.
Kael stared at the numbers carefully.
"…The resonance network is accelerating."
One official looked horrified. "You're saying more of them are appearing?"
"Rapidly," Kael confirmed.
Fear spread openly through the chamber now.
Juvy watched it happen in real time.
People weren't just afraid of Origin anymore.
They were afraid humanity itself was changing.
Maxruell leaned against the side wall with visible exhaustion.
"Well," he muttered, "this is exactly how panic starts."
Nobody disagreed.
Because everyone felt it.
The world stood on the edge of something irreversible.
Then another officer spoke carefully.
"There are already protests forming in the outer districts."
Lina frowned. "Already?"
"They're demanding isolation zones for resonance-born individuals."
The younger awakenings visibly flinched at that.
Cairo's jaw tightened.
"…Isolation."
The word alone sounded cruel.
Because it was.
Juvy looked toward the officials near the center platform.
"You cannot respond to fear by treating people like threats."
"And what happens if they lose control?" one official fired back immediately.
Silence.
Painful silence.
Because that fear wasn't entirely irrational either.
Everyone in the room remembered the collapse.
Remembered cities breaking apart beneath unstable resonance storms.
Remembered death.
Kael finally spoke again.
"The awakenings become unstable primarily through emotional overload and social rejection."
Several officials looked toward him sharply.
Kael continued calmly.
"In simple terms, fear makes the problem worse."
One woman folded her arms tightly.
"So what are you suggesting? We just trust them?"
Before Kael could answer—
Cairo stepped forward.
The room shifted immediately.
Fear flickered across several faces the moment fragments drifted visibly around him.
Cairo noticed.
Of course he noticed.
But this time—
He didn't retreat from it.
"When I awakened," he said quietly, "I hurt people."
The chamber fell silent.
"I lost control because I was terrified."
His voice remained steady despite the tension pressing against him from every direction.
"Then people looked at me like I was a monster."
Several officials lowered their eyes slightly.
Not from guilt.
Recognition.
Cairo looked around the hall carefully.
"At first, I thought they were right."
The younger awakenings behind him stared silently.
Listening.
"But fear made everything worse."
He glanced briefly toward Aren.
Then toward Juvy.
"The only reason I'm standing here now is because someone reached out to me before I completely broke."
No grand speech.
No dramatic declaration.
Just honesty.
And somehow—
That affected the room more than arguments ever could.
The command hall remained quiet for several long seconds afterward.
Then, softly—
The smallest awakening near the back of the chamber stepped forward beside Cairo.
Not hiding anymore.
One by one, the others slowly followed.
Afraid.
But standing anyway.
Juvy watched the room carefully afterward.
Some faces still held fear.
Some always would.
But others had changed slightly.
Not trust.
Not acceptance.
Understanding.
Small.
Fragile.
Human.
And deep beneath the world—
Origin felt it too.