File: Exprational_update.rar ... -

By 3:16 AM, the apartment was silent. The monitor flickered one last time. On the screen, a new file appeared in the "Active Processes" window: Elias_v2.0_Optimized .

: Removed the "illusion of infinite space." Replaced with "The Ceiling." File: Exprational_Update.rar ...

: Elias's childhood memories—specifically the smell of rain in 1998—were deleted to free up cache. By 3:16 AM, the apartment was silent

The entity that stood up from the chair looked like Elias, but its eyes didn't blink. It walked to the window and looked up at the sky. It didn't see stars; it saw the lattice of the rendering engine. By 3:16 AM