The hallway didn't feel the same anymore.
It was the same space same polished floors, same faint echo of footsteps stretching down the length of it, same muffled crowd noise pushing through the walls—but something about it sat heavier now. Not loud. Not chaotic. Just… weighted.
Dayo walked through it at his usual pace, shoulders relaxed, posture steady, nothing about him outwardly rushed. Anyone passing would think everything was exactly where it should be. That he had just finished competing, that he was moving to the next thing like he always did.
But his mind wasn't moving as cleanly.
It wasn't scattered either. That wasn't how he worked.
It was layered.
