Inside a wide control room, guards moved back and forth with quiet urgency. Some held thick folders under their arms, others sat at long desks, eyes fixed on glowing screens. Fingers tapped on keyboards. Orders were whispered, then carried out.
Everything here existed for one purpose—to watch the Maze.
At the center of the room stood a large glass table. Above it floated a hollow, three-dimensional projection of the Maze, glowing faintly. Pathways shifted slowly within it. Around the table, dozens of screens lined the walls, each showing live footage of the children scattered across different sections of the Maze. The images switched every few seconds, never lingering too long.
Freya stood with her arms crossed. Beside her were Kyle and three chief guards, all of Adept Rank except Freya, a Meister Rank Alchemist. None of them spoke for a while. They only watched.
