***
{Outside The Projection}
"...Did Lord Sinbad just—"
"Yes."
The bird that flew spoke.
And all the hall's words paused.
He had shut them down before they could even be let out.
Everyone nearly had their jaws fall to the marble ground.
They simply could not process this truth.
Malik was going to survive, of course he was... and they...
They knew that it'd require a sacrifice; that was how the world worked.
It was how the world would continue to work.
But never... never did they think it was going to be this.
Finally, Malik had regained a bit of happiness.
Not all of his past was unending tragedy.
And yet now, that last bit...
The last grain...
It was taken away.
He was alone once more.
More alone than he ever was.
Most of the crowd had gotten back on their feet, but a few remained on their knees.
And those 'few' only lowered their heads further.
They could not bear to look at what was going to happen next.
They could not bear to look at Sinbad...
