The silence within the Vault of Binary was a heavy, suffocating entity, far more oppressive than the pitch-black tunnels of the Root Way. Outside, the sounds of nature—the rhythmic drip of mineral water or the tectonic groan of ancient wood—provided a faint texture to the auditory landscape. Here, inside the gargantuan cylindrical metallic structure, every sound was devoured by the cold, composite walls.
Dayat pressed the pause button on his digital music box just as the final, lingering notes of "Orange" by 7!! faded away. The sharp, plastic click of the button resonated unnaturally through the hollow metallic corridor, echoing with a metallic tint that forced them all to hold their breath instinctively.
"It's too quiet," Dayat whispered. His voice sounded flat, stripped of its natural resonance by the room's bizarre acoustics.
