Back at the prepared heart court the following morning, Hajin found two stools beside Ferra's bench and suspected neither had been put there for the tools.
He had slept after the return journey, though the bruise along his side still complained when he bent over the captured plates.
Ferra fitted the first key into a practice receiver, turning it until its concealed catch opened the pressure channel beneath.
The three trial stations stood inside the existing heart connections, their routes marked on the same survey that had governed the earlier test.
"Nine seconds," she said, releasing the key for Hajin to try, "the first wheel needs to stay held while the others catch up, no running between them once the pressure starts."
Aria drew the unfinished body pattern above the bench, keeping the second branch dim while the original split remained available.
"The prototype permission lasts for this trial, completing it is what makes the second body stable."
