Eloy woke to grey light through a window he didn't remember closing. The ceiling was the same Academy stone he'd stared at on day one. Same cracks. Same shadows.
Three hours of sleep. Maybe four.
He sat up. His left hand was wrapped in fresh bandages. Valen's work, from the look of the knots. Clean, efficient, military issue. The glyph was warm against his collarbone. Background radiation, steady as a heartbeat. No new messages from the network, nothing but the dim pulse.
[ REST — 4 HOURS — INCOMPLETE ]
[ STATUS — MILD DAMAGE — LEFT HAND 68% — RIGHT ANKLE 74% ]
[ EFFECT — DEXTERITY PENALTY — 12% ]
[ VOID PROTOCOL — 52 HOURS REMAINING ]
Fifty-two hours. Down from sixty. The timer hadn't stopped while he slept.
He swung his legs off the bed and stood. The floor was cold. The dormitory hall was quiet outside his door. Academy hours. Most students were at breakfast. First bell wouldn't ring for another twenty minutes.
[ghostrunner_x]: timer's ticking. 52 on the clock.
