Chapter Eighteen: Accounting
Soren let the hot water run for a full fifteen minutes after the match ended. The steam filled the stall
Chapter Seventeen: Aftermath
Dinner tasted wrong the moment Julian lifted his fork. Not badly prepared. Neurovia did not prepare food badly.
The meat
Chapter Sixteen: Recovery
Leena lay perfectly still beneath an array of monitoring devices. Her dark hair was sectioned methodically and clipped away from
Chapter Fifteen: Contact
When the horn sounded, Julian moved before its echo faded. In his mind the arena unfolded: cold stone underfoot, an
Chapter Fourteen: After Hours
Theo lay awake. His body wasn’t tossing or turning; it simply wasn’t demanding sleep. His limbs rested motionless
Chapter Thirteen: Commitment
The bay dimmed. Frost crept across the transparent partitions until the glass turned translucent, suggesting shapes and movement without granting
Chapter Twelve: Table Talk
The dining hall calibrated the plates to biometric readings nobody at the table wanted to discuss.
Behind a pane of
Chapter Eleven: Training
The observation balcony above the training hall was not technically restricted, but it functioned that way. Students passed below it
Chapter Ten: Signal
Dr. Patel's office felt exactly the same each time Aisha stepped through its door, and that constancy mattered
Chapter Nine: Throughput
Nobody called it a competition. Nobody needed to.
The bay had reconfigured before they walked in. The floor was no