Other students had given up.
The Sentinel remained between the two pillars, neither hostile nor friendly. Present in the way stones are present: without a choice in the matter.
Genius was still sitting on the courtyard floor.
They had been like that for hours, the Sentinel standing, Genius sitting, the silence between them the kind that didn't need to be filled but eventually would be because every conversation that begins has to end.
"You're still here." The Sentinel said.
"I am."
"The others left."
"I know."
Silence.
"Why?"
Genius kept looking at the pillars.
"Because the answer is here. Not somewhere else."
The Sentinel was silent for a moment.
"You said I don't know what I guard."
"I did."
"And you think knowing would change anything?"
Genius processed the question, not immediately, carefully. It was the kind of question that seemed simple but had layers that, if answered incorrectly, could close a door that would take time to reopen.
