He watched the percentage tick up, not in smooth increments, but in fits and starts: 2%... crash... restart... 4%... crash... restart... 11%. He became a sentinel of the download bar, a guardian of the gigabyte. He learned the rhythms of his own internet connection—the 9:00 PM dip, the 2:00 AM surge, the 20-minute dead zone when the neighbor upstairs used her microwave.

The download restarted from .

At 4:17 PM on the third day, the bar turned blue. The notification chimed, a sound so pure and triumphant that Leo nearly wept. He didn't cheer. He just sat there, staring at the icon for Starfall Odyssey , now fully formed and ready to launch.

It happened at 11:47 PM. The download was at 34%, the estimate a reasonable 14 hours. Leo was finally dozing off on the sofa when the familiar bloop of a system notification yanked him awake. His heart seized.