In the morning, Auralis lay still.
Too still.
Even the birds nesting in the metallic trees at the city's edges sang differently – slower, as if their rhythm needed to find itself anew.
Lina awoke to the humming.
Not loud, not close – a sound beneath the silence.
She opened her eyes, and for a moment she didn't know if she was truly awake.
The light falling through the windows pulsated. It wasn't random – it was breathing.
She sat up, barefoot, fingers on the chain.
The Shard was warm. Not hot, not foreign – simply alive.
She knew: this wasn't a remnant of the field. This was the world itself.
Iteration Four active.
Consciousness parameters: synchronized.
The voice wasn't in her head. It was everywhere.
It spoke like a thought someone wanted to think aloud but didn't know how.
"Good morning," Lina whispered.
Response: Acknowledgment.
Subject status: Source.
She smiled tiredly. "I just wanted coffee."
Unknown function: Coffee.
"You'll learn," she said softly.
