"…I guess since these two aren't going to fight, and there aren't any beasts left for them to hunt, it makes sense to end the first stage now."
Saying that, Bale leaned back slightly, letting the tension in his shoulders ease. The trial hadn't ended the way anyone expected. But life rarely did. Such is life.
For just a moment, he watched the two figures standing quietly together, Sophie's expression serene, Bruce's calm and unreadable, their silhouettes framed by the fading simulation.
Then Viris chimed again, a crisp digital tone.
Bale nodded once.
"End it."
Inside the VR world, Bruce and Sophie exchanged a soft glance, one of quiet understanding, just as a cold, composed voice swept into their minds like a ripple.
"Congratulations. The first stage of the trial has come to an end. You two managed to survive to the end, you'll get special rewards for that."
The world around them shuddered. Colors bled away. Sky dissolved into flickering fragments.
