Snot recovered first, as expected.
He lifted one hand with an easy smile, as if they had not just been shouted at by strangers in armor. "Hello. We're Awakeneds too. We appeared in different places across the Breach and made our way here."
The short man at the center answered, his voice deep enough to jar against the rest of him.
"Yes… good. The more of us reach the tower, the better." His shoulders eased, though not by much. "Honestly, I'm relieved every time more people make it here."
Marika's expression had lost every trace of amusement. "Has something happened? You don't sound relieved. You sound worried."
Neo said nothing. He was already measuring the camp again, this time with more attention. Some of the Awakeneds nearby had the drained look of people who had been here for days, waiting too long with no good answer in front of them. Others, like his own group, still carried the dust and tension of recent survival. Something had happened here. That much was clear.
