The moment the Origin said, "Then answer," everything else faded into the background.
Not erased.
Not removed.
But rendered secondary.
The Source didn't move.
The fracture didn't expand.
The world didn't shift.
Because none of it mattered right now.
Only one thing did.
Adrian.
For the first time since everything began, there was no pressure forcing him forward, no opponent pushing him to act, no system guiding him toward a result. There was no outcome to interrupt, no law to defy, no structure to break.
There was only—
A question.
"…Why do you struggle?"
It echoed again.
Not as sound.
Not as thought.
As meaning.
Adrian stood still.
Because for the first time—
He couldn't answer immediately.
Not because he didn't have an answer.
But because this wasn't something he could respond to the way he had before.
Not with power.
Not with control.
Not with decision.
This—
Required something else.
Lyra's voice was quiet for once. "…That's annoying."
