The console did not light up when Calyx touched it.
That was wrong.
This chamber had been designed to respond to presence—any presence. Heat, bio-signature, even the echo of neural intention. It woke for technicians who barely understood it. It woke for ghosts, if the logs were to be believed.
But under Calyx’s palm, it stayed dark. Silent. As if it had decided he didn’t qualify.
For a moment, no one spoke.
The corridor hum seemed to thin, stretching itself into something brittle. Sera’s breath caught—not sharply, but enough for him to feel it shift the space between them. She stepped closer, her shoulder almost brushing his arm, as if proximity alone could force reality to acknowledge him.
“Try again,” she said quietly.
Calyx didn’t move.
He knew that look. He’d seen it in reflect
