"…that could've gone better."
The tunnel's silence lingered after Elric's words.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
No one laughed this time.
They moved again.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Deeper into the lower levels.
The air changed first.
Warmer.
Thicker.
Then the space opened up.
An abandoned maintenance hub.
Old consoles.
Dead screens.
Cables hanging like vines from the ceiling.
Pix stopped immediately.
"…Oh this is perfect."
Lyra sighed.
"…That's never reassuring."
Pix was already moving.
Hands brushing across panels, kicking aside debris, scanning everything like a kid dropped into a playground.
"This place is disconnected," she said quickly. "Old network. Isolated nodes. No active corporate oversight..."
She turned back toward Elric.
Eyes lit up.
"...which means we can test things."
Elric froze mid-step.
"…We just escaped being tested."
Pix pointed at him.
"Exactly. Now it's our turn."
Mii blinked.
"…I don't like how excited she is."
Kaida-9 stepped forward.
"…Clarify objective."
Pix spun dramatically.
"Simple!"
She pointed at Elric again.
"We figure out what the hell he actually does."
Silence.
Elric rubbed his face.
"…I survive."
Pix waved that off.
"Yeah, yeah, baseline ability: dumb luck."
She leaned in closer.
"But it's not just luck anymore."
Sera stepped forward slightly.
"…Agreed."
Everyone looked at her.
"…During the last encounter," she continued,
"…his actions didn't just avoid outcomes."
A pause.
"…They altered them."
Elric blinked.
"…That sounds like a big difference."
Lyra crossed her arms.
"…It is."
Pix grinned.
"Which is why we test it!"
Kaida-9 shook her head.
"…Risk level?"
Pix shrugged.
"…Medium?"
Lyra immediately:
"High."
Sera added:
"…Unknown."
Mii raised her hand.
"…Terrifying."
Elric sighed.
"…Yeah, I'm with terrifying."
Pix groaned.
"Oh come on, we just need small tests."
She held up her fingers.
"Tiny probability shifts."
Elen, who had been quiet until now, spoke softly.
"…And if it doesn't stay small?"
Pix paused.
Just for a second.
Then grinned again.
"…Then we learn faster."
Lyra stepped forward.
"…That's not how this works."
Pix stepped closer too.
"…That's exactly how this works."
Tension.
Elric raised a hand.
"…Okay, timeout."
They both stopped.
"…Let's say," he said slowly,
"…we do this."
A beat.
"…What exactly am I doing?"
Pix's grin softened slightly.
Less chaos.
More focus.
"…You don't force anything," she said.
"…You nudge."
Sera nodded faintly.
"…Micro-decisions."
Kaida-9 added:
"…Controlled movement."
Mii tilted her head.
"…So like… walking but important?"
Pix snapped her fingers.
"YES."
Elric stared at all of them.
"…That sounds fake."
Pix stepped closer.
Right in front of him now.
"…Then prove it," she said.
A pause.
"…One step," she added.
"…That's all."
Silence settled.
Elric looked around.
At all of them.
Lyra... watching carefully.
Kaida-9... ready.
Sera... analyzing.
Mii... nervous.
Elen... quiet.
Pix... excited.
"…One step," he repeated.
Pix nodded.
"…One step."
Elric exhaled slowly.
"…Alright."
He shifted his weight.
The room felt still.
Too still.
Then...
He stepped forward.
Nothing happened.
Pix blinked.
"…Huh."
Mii let out a breath.
"…Oh thank god."
Elric shrugged.
"…See? Fake."
Pix frowned.
"…No, wait..."
A panel behind them sparked.
Everyone turned.
A dead screen flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then turned on.
Static.
Sera's voice dropped.
"…That shouldn't be active."
Elric slowly turned back.
"…I only took one step."
Pix's grin returned.
Slow.
Wide.
"…Exactly."
The screen flickered again.
And this time...
Something moved inside the static.