The door sealed with a soft hiss behind him. The quiet was instant and heavy, as if the room had been waiting in stillness for his return.
Zenryx walked in without a word, unhurried, letting the silence stretch. The dim lights adjusted automatically to his presence, casting muted shadows across steel walls and polished floors.
It had been eleven days.
Eleven days since the system had gone silent.
He sat down slowly, his fingers tapping once against the glass desk surface. He didn't bother speaking.
The system would either wake up, or it wouldn't.
Ding.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
A cascade of mechanical chimes echoed in his mind — not melodic, not even rhythmic. They were cold. Precise. The sound of a machine that had just rebooted after a long, deep sleep.
Zenryx smiled.
"Finally."
The interface blinked into his vision — translucent blue panes unfolding like petals in a digital bloom. He sat back, eyes scanning the first panel as the familiar presence returned.
