The platforms hummed with residual energy as fighters returned to their designated spaces, the tournament's structure reasserting itself after the unprecedented interruption. Akhil stepped back into his box and felt the barrier solidify behind him—not trapping him, but defining the boundaries again, reminding everyone where they belonged.
The arena had gone quiet in that particular way crowds go quiet when they've witnessed something they're still processing. Fighters on other platforms stood uncertainly, weapons half-raised, looking between their own opponents and the space where three people had just walked out and somehow walked back alive.
A voice rippled through the metaphysical architecture of the tournament:
**{Round suspended. Momentary recess granted for structural recalibration.}**
