Location: Forum Tower Rooftop – Garden Bench
Time: 6:02 AM
The sun climbed slowly, golden light washing over the rooftop.
Kaen stirred beneath the Bloom tree, blinking awake—not from death, not from reset—but from rest.
Real rest.
No system message.
No timeline restart.
Just birdsong.
He sat up slowly, breath catching in his throat. It wasn't the first morning he'd seen… but it was the first morning that had earned its place.
Nila arrived moments later, two cups of coffee in hand.
She said nothing—just passed one to him.
Kaen smiled faintly.
> "It's quiet."
> "You always say that like it's a warning," she said.
> "Old habits die hard."
Nila chuckled.
> "But they can die, right?"
Kaen didn't answer.
He just sipped.
---
Location: Lower East Side – Repair Hub, Zone A
Time: 8:10 AM
A collapsed pedestrian bridge was being rebuilt—not by decree, not by order, but by volunteers who had once worked under Eye-enforced quotas.
Now, they hummed while laying new planks.
