"NO!"
The word cut through the suspended silence—short, flat, unmistakable.
For a heartbeat, nothing reacted.
Then the world exhaled.
The tension that had wound itself tight around the arena loosened all at once, spilling outward in murmurs that rippled through the broken stands like water released from a cracked dam.
"See? I told you." "That was the only sensible choice." "He's human—what did you expect?" "No one would throw their life away like that." "Smart. Very smart."
The voices weren't cruel. They weren't mocking.
They were relieved.
Relief carried the faint aftertaste of disappointment.
