Silence followed.
Barit blinked once. Slowly. Then he tilted his head back and laughed — loud, unforced, like I'd just made his day.
Jolyn didn't move. Her eyes shifted to me, but her body stayed exactly where it was. Balanced. Unreadable.
"Fight you?" Barit repeated, still grinning. "You sure you don't want a sandwich first? Maybe a nap?"
I didn't answer. Just kept my eyes on him, unblinking.
Barit exhaled through his nose, then waved a hand like he was brushing away a bad smell. "Darian, I like you. I do. But I still can't tell if you're brave, suicidal, or just very, very stupid."
I stepped forward. Once. Just enough to make Jolyn shift her stance. Her weapon twitched — not raised, just readied. She was fast. But not faster than me.
I reached inward, testing the system.
The Crown was still caged, suppressed under whatever dampening tech G had rigged into this place, but the System itself was active. Not fully cut off.
Good.
