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"And nothing."

Corian's expression remained steady.

"That isn't how this works."

"It is now."

Something cold settled beneath my ribs. I couldn't tell if it was suspicion or something worse.

"Is this a test?"

Alex's head came up.

"No."

The answer was immediate enough that I almost believed him.

Almost.

"How would I know?"

His expression softened.

Not pity. Thank the Rift for that. Something quieter, something I couldn't name.

"You wouldn't."

I wasn't expecting him to say that. He leaned back, giving me space instead of trying to convince me.

"You barely know us. I understand why you don't trust what I'm saying yet, but I'm still telling you the truth. The crystal is yours. If you want the collar left on tonight, it stays on. If you want it off, it comes off. If you decide tomorrow you want to be active during training because the silence helps you concentrate, that's your choice too."

My fingers curled against my leg beneath the table.

"Nobody decides except you," Corian finished.

I looked at the white crystal. Such a small thing. Something that could vanish inside a closed fist shouldn't have had the power to decide whether a whole part of the world existed for me. I remembered the first time they activated the collar, the way everything living around me vanished in the same instant, and crying because I thought something was wrong with the world, before I understood the silence was inside me.

That difference felt larger now than it had before.

I reached for the crystal and stopped with my fingers just above it.

Nobody moved.

Alex wasn't pretending to eat anymore.

Nykos's anger had gone.

Halver waited.

I picked up the crystal. It was warm from Corian's hand. For several seconds I held it, then realized there was one problem I hadn't considered.

"I don't know how to release it."

Nykos was already out of his chair. "I know how."

I swallowed.

The collar felt tighter than it had five minutes earlier.