The silence that followed was heavy, stretching across the ruins like a weight pressing down on the very air. Jude's body still crackled with the remnants of energy coursing through him, his breath even but deep as he tried to steady himself. The figure in front of him had not moved, still watching, still assessing, but something had changed. The oppressive presence that had loomed over him before had shifted, not lessened but altered, as if the test had reached its conclusion. The words it had spoken still echoed in his mind. You are ready. But for what?