The message [GAME OVER. LIFE BEGINS.] had faded from the vision of every inhabitant of New Astora, but the transition was far from seamless. While the "System" was dead, the "Residue" remained. In the weeks following the fall of the Architect's Garden, the world had begun to settle into its new, unscripted rhythm. The silver grass stayed green, the sun rose without a script, and for the first time, people felt the bite of true hunger and the heaviness of genuine sleep.
Kaelen sat in the tall grass on the outskirts of the city, far from the bustling reconstruction of the Great Plaza. He was staring at his hands. They were calloused, scarred, and entirely devoid of the violet "Null-glow" that had once defined his existence.
"It's quiet, isn't it?"
