Life in the Transparent Shard settled into a rhythm that was both liberating and exhausting. Without the "Narrative Momentum" of the old multiverse, every act—from drawing water to building a fence—required genuine physical and mental effort. There were no shortcuts, no "fast-travel" menus, and no sudden montage sequences to skip the boring parts.
Jian spent his mornings with Han, teaching him the Art of the Ordinary.
"Focus on the grain, Han," Jian said, guiding the boy’s small hands over a piece of raw timber. "The wood doesn't want to be a table yet. You have to convince it. Not with a command, but with patience."
Han frowned, his brow furrowed in concentration. "In the dream, the wood just changed when I thought about it."
"That was a simulation, Han," Jian replied gently. "It was
