Five days.
The number sat at the edge of my vision like a pulse I couldn’t ignore.
Outside the Tower’s inner chamber, the corridors were brighter than before—alive, almost excited.
Light flickered along the walls in synchronized ripples, like the Tower itself was breathing faster.
Kira walked beside me, her expression tight but alert.
“Everything feels… different.”
“Because it is,” I said. “It’s reorganizing its architecture based on the new template.”
“Your template,” she reminded.
Our footsteps echoed on a floor that wasn’t really solid—more like a sheet of memory pretending to be metal. The surface shifted subtly underfoot, adjusting to weight and intention.
Not just responding.
Learning.
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The whole world was changing outside these walls.
You could feel it in the air—pre
