The countdown ended quietly.
There was no siren, no final chime. Just a shift in the air, subtle but unmistakable, like the system itself had taken a breath.
Jin stood still in the courtyard. The First Sapling pulsed behind him, leaves swaying gently in the morning breeze. Seul stood to his right, arms folded. Joon cracked his knuckles on the other side. Echo rolled one of his disks between his fingers, the edge of it catching the light.
Behind them, the recruits lingered near the cafeteria doors, watching. Not speaking. Not stepping forward. Just there. Waiting, like the world had paused.
And then the sky changed.
The clouds froze. The wind died.
And the voice returned.
Smug. Heavy. Amused. The same voice that had fallen from the sky three weeks ago.
But louder now.
Everywhere.
"Three weeks… and you're still breathing. Honestly? I'm shocked."
Jin didn't flinch.
"I had my doubts. Thought you'd all collapse under the weight. Some of you did. But not everyone, it seems."
