***
{Outside The Projection}
"So? What do we think? Fluke or genius?"
Noor was the first to speak, her voice low but sharp enough to be heard by all in the hall.
Azeem snorted, arms crossed over his chest.
"What I think is we've just watched a madman figure out cheats to some game nobody's even supposed to beat."
Noor's lips twitched at his demeanor, but her eyes stayed locked on the projection, where Malik was still slumped against the cave wall, breathing like he'd just run ten marathons back-to-back.
"Cheats, huh? Sure, but let's not pretend that's all there is to it."
Azeem raised an eyebrow.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She turned to him, her floating throne dipping slightly as she leaned forward.
"I mean, how do we know it's real? That he's cracked the code and not just… stumbled into a win because he's too stubborn to die properly?"
