Episode 9

I pushed past the heavy lantern door and stepped back out onto the terrace tiles. A small glass marble was resting near the terracotta planter, slightly off-axis against the stone slope. I positioned my left footplate behind it and delivered a measured forward nudge. The sphere broke friction instantly, tracing an accelerated spiral path along the shallow incline of the floor until its polished curve lodged neatly against the metal drainage grate. The rotational balance of the smooth surface held entirely true.