Ding.
Eli flinched. The sound was sharp, too loud, slicing through the heavy silence like a blade.
For a second, he thought he imagined it.
The timing was too perfect—too cruel. As if the system had waited for him to calm down, to process just how terrifying Kairo and Caelen truly were beyond their strength—before deciding to remind him that things could still get worse.
The system had been silent all this time. Not a single notification since it helped him break free from the octopus's control. No guidance. No updates. Nothing.
And now—
Now it chose to speak.
Eli's hands twitched, his chest tightening as he hesitated to look.
'What is it this time…?' he thought, forcing himself to turn his gaze toward the glowing blue panel that had appeared in front of him.
His breath caught. His pulse skipped.
He froze.
"Eli."
Kairo's voice broke through the silence. Flat. Cold. Detached. "How are you feeling?"
Eli didn't answer. He couldn't.
