The space didn't reset.
Didn't shift.
It stabilized.
Too clean.
Ashar finally spoke.
"…We're close."
Mira wiped her face quickly.
"To what?"
Ashar looked at Eryx.
"To the origin."
Eryx's eyes narrowed.
"…The system?"
Ashar nodded.
"It wasn't always like this."
A pause.
"It was built to test outcomes."
Mira frowned.
"…Test what outcomes?"
Ashar answered simply.
"Human deviation."
Silence.
Eryx stepped forward slightly.
"…So we're experiments."
Ashar didn't deny it.
"Yes."
A pause.
"But not all of you were random."
That hit differently.
Mira whispered.
"…What does that mean?"
Ashar's voice lowered.
"Some subjects were chosen."
Eryx didn't move.
"…Chosen for what?"
Ashar met his eyes.
"To break it."
Silence.
Everything tightened.
Mira looked at Eryx.
Slowly.
"…You?"
Ashar nodded once.
"He's not a mistake."
A pause.
"He's a correction attempt."
Eryx's voice dropped.
"…And Soren?"
Ashar hesitated.
"…A failed correction."
Silence collapsed in.