Change was imperfect and slow. Eli remained within the loop for months, but his internal scenes gradually shifted: the sister who had once offered eternal comfort suggested he visit the real world for a while, using small, believable urges. One afternoon, when the tutor’s chime aligned with a low-frequency alarm outside the simulation, Eli opened his eyes in the lab. He was disoriented, then tearful, then incredulous. He could not name what had changed inside him, only that the need to stay had loosened.