"Let's see how it feeds," Keleran murmured.
But then—a flicker.
Just one.
"Eh?"
So fast that even the mana-sensitive lenses failed to track it properly.
Then came the sound.
A ping.
Subtle, crystalline, and deadly final.
A red glyph bloomed in midair before one of the analysts—an alert beacon, stark and pulsing with quiet urgency.
"…No," the mage whispered.
Another ping. The same glyph. Now louder. Then a third.
Keleran's brow furrowed. "Report."
"I—I think it's a glitch," stammered the analyst. "The system's reading one of the apex test constructs as… neutralized."
A silence cracked through the chamber like thunder in a monastery.
Levrinne's eyes narrowed. "Which construct?"
The analyst's voice caught in his throat. "Vekorith."
The word fell like a curse.
"Timestamp?" Keleran snapped.
