The world didn't move.
It waited.
Not actively.
Not consciously.
Passively.
As if existence itself had given up on deciding.
Adrian stood in the center of it.
The First Wound dim, but not silent.
Because this—
Wasn't a wound of conflict.
It was the absence of it.
Lyra crossed her arms.
"…So let me get this straight."
Pause.
"…They deleted choice."
Kaelith nodded.
"Confirmed. Decision-making pathways inactive."
Aria frowned.
"…Why would anyone do that?"
The figure answered.
Still flat.
Still empty.
"To eliminate suffering."
Seraphine closed her eyes briefly.
"…Again…"
Elara's voice came sharp.
"…Every time."
Adrian exhaled.
"…People keep solving pain by removing what makes life real."
The figure looked at him.
"We no longer feel loss."
Adrian stepped closer.
"…You also don't feel anything else."
Silence.
Because it was true.
The world was stable.
Safe.
Predictable.
Dead.
Adrian looked around.
No chaos.
No harmony.
No growth.
Just—
