The ocean returned to its quiet geometry.
Fragments of the shattered projection dissolved into faint particles that sank into the air and vanished. The terrace platform dimmed, the engraved symbols losing their glow.
But the atmosphere had changed.
Not tense.
Heavy.
The elders stood in a half circle around Shunya now. Not aggressively. Not protectively.
Assessing.
Feng Xia remained slightly behind him, golden eyes watching the elders rather than Shunya.
The first elder spoke.
"You corrected the system."
Shunya wiped sweat from his forehead.
"I stopped it from replacing me."
"That is not the same thing," the elder replied calmly.
Shunya frowned.
"What do you mean?"
The elder gestured toward the ocean.
The geometric waves shifted. Patterns aligned. The water surface began forming shapes again, but this time not mirrors of Shunya.
Cities.
Mountains.
Civilizations.
A map of the world appeared across the water.
"This world has hosted systems before," the elder said.
