Lucian took a breath and blinked once.
And the world stopped moving.
Literally.
The flickering lights froze in place. Dust in the air hovered mid-fall. Even the hum of the dampener systems halted like someone had cut the audio from the scene.
Everything paused.
Except them.
Class Zero stood still, but breathing. A subtle glow shimmered around each of them—faint, like the edge of a dream, but enough to show they weren't caught in it.
Reia looked around. "Time…"
"Stopped," Silas finished, stunned. "You stopped it?"
Lucian didn't answer. He just turned and walked toward the door.
It opened like nothing was wrong. The hallway outside was frozen too—faculty mid-step, students halted mid-conversation. No sound. No movement.
Reia followed, then Silas. Evelyn hesitated, then stepped through.
Only Vyn stayed behind for a second longer.
She walked up to Garos—her father.
He stood completely still. Caught in the frozen moment. A faint line of tension on his face.
