The silence didn't fade.
It stayed.
Not heavy.
Not crushing.
But present.
Adrian stood where the space had fractured before, where presences had disappeared, where the system had failed to hold everything it tried to carry.
And for the first time—
He didn't look away.
Because now—
He couldn't.
Lyra didn't speak immediately. For once, her usual confidence didn't return right away. She watched the stabilized presences, the ones that remained, and let out a slow breath.
"…Yeah…"
A pause.
"…That hit harder than expected."
Kaelith stood still, observing, but her tone had changed. It wasn't just analysis anymore.
"System loss recorded."
Another pause.
"Impact… significant."
Seraphine lowered her gaze slightly, her voice softer than usual.
"…They trusted us."
Aria didn't hide it.
"…We couldn't save them."
The words didn't accuse.
But they didn't comfort either.
They were—
True.
Adrian exhaled slowly.
Because now—
This wasn't something he could fix.
