One of the Heart's lower labs was too bright for this hour.
Hikari stepped in first. Esen followed, boots softer than usual like he was trying to be polite to the floor. The door sealed behind them with a small sigh.
Feris floated in the center of the room. She slept with her hair drifting around her face. She didn't rise or fall. She just floated.
Alteea stood at the console, one hand flat on the glass, the other tapping through readouts without looking. Numbers ran like rain. A single green line sat across one of the larger panels. Not moving. Same exact metrics, every second.
"You're here" Alteea said, voice even. "Good."
Hikari came closer. Esen stopped beside the ring and tilted his head, watching Feris like you watch a friend who does a trick you don't understand.
"What changed?" Hikari asked.
"Nothing" Alteea said. She gestured to the green line. "That's the problem."
Hikari looked. The axis tags made the story simple. Internal Eon retention, normalized to baseline.
