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canon:ace30:chapter16 [05/04/2026 14:39] – removed - external edit (Unknown date) 127.0.0.1canon:ace30:chapter16 [05/04/2026 14:39] (current) – ↷ Page moved from chapter16 to canon:ace30:chapter16 kkurzex
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 +======   CHAPTER 16 — Aftermath   ======
 +
 +The door was still open.
 +
 +----
 +
 +That mattered.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace stepped out first.
 +
 +----
 +
 +The air outside—
 +
 +----
 +
 +louder.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Heavier.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Messier.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Correct.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Behind her, the church remained.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Unchanged—
 +
 +----
 +
 +if you didn’t know where to look.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai stepped out next.
 +
 +----
 +
 +She didn’t turn immediately.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not because she didn’t want to.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Because she was still mapping—
 +
 +----
 +
 +what had been—
 +
 +----
 +
 +and what hadn’t.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“It’s contained,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not certain.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not uncertain.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Functional.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Shammy followed last.
 +
 +----
 +
 +The moment she crossed the threshold—
 +
 +----
 +
 +the air shifted.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Relief.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Subtle.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +The pressure—
 +
 +----
 +
 +belonged here again.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +She exhaled slowly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“It’s not pushing anymore,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace nodded once.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Good.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Behind them—
 +
 +----
 +
 +Padre didn’t move.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +He stood at the doorway.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not crossing.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not retreating.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Watching.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…You didn’t fix it,” he said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai turned slightly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“No.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“We prevented resolution.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Padre’s expression didn’t change.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…And that’s better.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai didn’t answer.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Because “better” depended on perspective.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace did.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“It’s still contained.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That was the only metric that mattered to her.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Padre nodded slowly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…For now.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Silence settled.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not heavy.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Measured.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +V leaned against the wall nearby.
 +
 +----
 +
 +They hadn’t moved.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Hadn’t intervened.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Hadn’t needed to.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…That looked expensive,” they said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace glanced at them.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“It was.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +V smirked faintly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Good.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“That means Rogue’s gonna like it.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai looked down at the object.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +It sat in her hand—
 +
 +----
 +
 +not resisting—
 +
 +----
 +
 +not agreeing—
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +just—
 +
 +----
 +
 +present.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“It changed,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Shammy nodded.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“It stopped trying to finish.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That was the key.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai’s gaze sharpened.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Which means it can still start again.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace didn’t react.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Then we don’t let it.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Simple.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +V pushed off the wall.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Yeah,” they said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…that’s kind of how this place works.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Padre stepped back—
 +
 +----
 +
 +just one step.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Enough to reclaim his space.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“This stays here,” he said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not a request.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A statement.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai considered it.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“No,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Padre didn’t flinch.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…Explain.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai lifted the object slightly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“It is not anchored here.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“If it remains, it will attempt to resolve again.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Padre watched her carefully.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…And if you take it.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai didn’t hesitate.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“It remains incomplete.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That was the trade.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Padre exhaled slowly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…Then take it.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +No argument.
 +
 +----
 +
 +No negotiation.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +He understood enough.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace turned away.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Done.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +No ceremony.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +No aftermath ritual.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Just movement.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +They stepped back into the city.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Noise returned.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Movement.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Life.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Everything that didn’t care what had just happened—
 +
 +----
 +
 +continued.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That was Night City.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +V fell into step beside them.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“So,” they said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…you always do that?”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace didn’t look at them.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“No.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Only when it matters.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +V let out a quiet breath.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Yeah,” they said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…figured.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai walked in silence.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Processing.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mapping.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +The structure in the church—
 +
 +----
 +
 +unfinished.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +The object—
 +
 +----
 +
 +still wrong.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +The connection between them—
 +
 +----
 +
 +not broken.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Just—
 +
 +----
 +
 +deferred.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Shammy glanced back once.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not at the building.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +At the space around it.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +It held.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +For now.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +But the pressure—
 +
 +----
 +
 +deep beneath it—
 +
 +----
 +
 +hadn’t gone away.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +It had simply—
 +
 +----
 +
 +found somewhere else
 +
 +to exist.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +And as they moved deeper into the city—
 +
 +----
 +
 +the distance between that place—
 +
 +----
 +
 +and everything else—
 +
 +----
 +
 +felt just a little less certain
 +
 +than it had before.
 +