Ten minutes passed without a signal.
That alone was abnormal.
NULL measured time precisely. When it allowed ambiguity, it was intentional.
The priestess finished her chant and lowered her hands. The glow faded quickly, leaving only exhaustion behind. Whatever healing had occurred was minimal—enough to keep her functional, not enough to make her confident.
The third survivor shifted his weight. "Time."
Eiran nodded. "We move."
No system confirmation followed. No corridor shifted to accommodate them. Floor Twelve remained unchanged, its pale stone stretching forward without markers or threat indicators.
They advanced.
After several dozen steps, the corridor subtly forked. Not cleanly—no sharp division, no signposting—but a gradual divergence, like a path deciding to be two things at once.
Left: narrower, darker, the stone slightly rougher underfoot.
Right: wider, evenly lit, deceptively calm.
The priestess slowed. "This feels wrong."
The third survivor glanced at Eiran. He waited.
Eiran did not speak immediately.
This was new.
On previous floors, NULL forced decisions with urgency—countdowns, enemies, collapsing terrain. Here, it had removed pressure and replaced it with expectation.
If he spoke, they would follow.
If he didn't, they would still wait—until waiting itself became the failure condition.
SYSTEM NOTICE: COMMAND LATENCY — OBSERVED
THRESHOLD: APPROACHING
Eiran exhaled slowly.
"Right path," he said.
No justification. No explanation.
They moved the moment the words left his mouth.
As soon as the last foot crossed the threshold, the left path collapsed inward—not violently, but conclusively. Stone folded over stone, sealing the alternative as if it had never existed.
The priestess stiffened. "If we'd gone—"
"We didn't," Eiran said.
The corridor ahead dimmed slightly.
SYSTEM NOTICE: DECISION REGISTERED
OUTCOME: ACCEPTABLE
SECONDARY VARIABLES: UPDATING
The third survivor's voice was quiet. "You didn't hesitate."
Eiran kept walking. "I did."
"No," the man said. "You thought. But you didn't hesitate."
There was a difference. NULL knew it. So did Eiran.
Hesitation was delay caused by fear.
Thinking was delay caused by responsibility.
Floor Twelve was beginning to separate the two.
As they continued forward, Eiran became aware of something unsettling: the Tower was no longer reacting after his commands.
It was reacting before them.
Subtle shifts in lighting. Changes in floor texture. Corridors resolving into certainty the moment he committed to a direction.
NULL was not waiting to see if he would lead.
It was assuming he would.
And the danger was no longer whether his commands would kill someone.
It was whether not giving them would.