White didn’t stay white for long. It fractured, like glass, remembering it had edges.
Aiden blinked once, then reality snapped back in uneven layers. His knees almost gave out, but he forced himself upright before anyone could notice the slip.
Adrian noticed anyway. His eyes always did.
Seraphina didn’t, or maybe she did and simply didn’t care anymore. The air felt thinner, not physically. Structurally, it was like the rules holding breath inside this space had been loosened. A voice was still hanging in the system. The original architect, Calm, was too calm.
“You opened what was sealed,” the voice said again, as if repeating a correction rather than an accusation.
Seraphina tilted her head slightly.
“No,” she replied. A pause.
“You sealed what was already open.” Silence snapped.
A
