The corridor did not correct him when he stopped.
Eiran remained still for several breaths after crossing the threshold, testing the space the way one tests a wound—carefully, without hope. No pressure built. No distortion formed. The Tower did not urge him forward.
It adjusted.
SYSTEM NOTICE: TIME VARIANCE — ACCEPTED
EFFICIENCY LOSS: MINIMAL
That was new.
NULL had always treated delay as a flaw to be punished or refined. Now it tolerated inefficiency so long as it did not propagate.
Eiran moved again.
The path ahead fractured—not through collapse, but through design. Three corridors unfolded in parallel, separated by translucent stone thin enough to betray motion but thick enough to deny contact.
He saw them.
The priestess to his left, posture tight, jaw clenched.
The other survivor to his right, already favoring one leg.
Close enough to witness. Too far to interfere.
SYSTEM NOTICE: PARTIAL COHABITATION — ACTIVE
INTERFERENCE PERMISSION: DENIED
A sharp sound cut through the space—pain drawn in too fast.
The priestess struck an unseen obstruction. Her shoulder twisted sharply before she caught herself against the wall, breath shuddering as she forced it back into alignment.
Eiran turned instinctively, hand lifting toward the partition.
The Tower did nothing.
No warning. No opening. No reprimand.
Her corridor stabilized on its own.
SYSTEM NOTICE: EXTERNAL DEPENDENCY — UNREGISTERED
CORRECTION SOURCE: SELF
Eiran lowered his hand slowly.
NULL was not denying compassion.
It was refusing dependency.
His own corridor changed next. The air thickened, not enough to crush but enough to demand precision. Every step now carried resistance. Too fast and the pressure pushed back. Too slow and it dragged, heavy and clinging.
Eiran adjusted within three steps, breath syncing to motion without conscious thought.
SYSTEM NOTICE: ADAPTATION RATE — ABOVE AVERAGE
To his right, the other survivor failed the adjustment. The pressure caught mid-stride. Bone held. Flesh did not.
The scream was brief but sharp, distorted as it passed through the stone.
Eiran did not move.
He listened.
The scream broke down into controlled breathing. A limp followed. The survivor continued forward alone.
SYSTEM NOTICE: DAMAGE LOCALIZED
CASCADE RISK: NONE
OUTCOME: ACCEPTABLE
Acceptable.
NULL was no longer counting survival.
It was counting spread.
Ahead, the three corridors angled inward toward a shared platform. They would arrive together—but separately. No shared timing. No formation. No chance to synchronize.
Not a group.
Variables.
SYSTEM NOTICE: UPCOMING EVALUATION
METRIC PRIORITY: ISOLATION STABILITY
COHESION WEIGHT: DEPRECATED
Deprecated.
Leadership had not been rejected.
It had been rendered inefficient.
Eiran stepped forward as the platform came into view, understanding settling with cold clarity.
Floor Twelve was no longer asking whether a leader could guide others.
It was determining whether a leader still had value—
When the Tower no longer needed one.