The room felt different once it was over.
Not quieter.
Just… finished.
James sat for a moment longer, his hand still resting where the device had been.
The faint buzz under his skin hadn't disappeared.
If anything, it felt clearer now.
Smaller.
Tighter.
"Report to the front desk," the woman said.
That was it.
James nodded and stood.
No explanation. No follow-up.
Like nothing unusual had happened.
He glanced at his hand.
Focused.
A spark flickered across his fingertips—
Gone.
Too fast to hold.
"…Inconsistent," he muttered.
No one responded.
The evaluators had already moved on.
That should've been the end of it.
But something about it didn't sit right.
Not the result.
The feeling.
That moment—
when everything surged—
Then collapsed inward.
Compressed.
James exhaled slowly.
Maybe that was normal.
First awakenings weren't clean.
That's what they said.
He turned toward the door.
Paused.
Then stepped out.
The corridor stretched ahead.