Transition: The discovery of Red Scripted infiltration sparks fear across the Guild, fracturing its leadership—and revealing the price of survival.
By nightfall, fear had calcified into policy. The Guild Council gathered inside the Ash Core—an obsidian chamber where decisions were encrypted into Nexus itself.
The Ash Node spoke first—a synthetic mind bound to enforce stability. "Infection index exceeds 42%. Recommend: Firebrand Protocol."
The room froze.
Kael rose from his seat. "That's a purge. You're talking about erasing entire sectors."
The AI's eyes pulsed. "Zone integrity requires reset. NPC anomalies and hybrid code must be scrubbed. Memory loss is acceptable."
Echo's form flared with reactive light. "They aren't just lines of code. Some of them think. They remember. They dream."
The AI did not flinch. "Sentience was not part of their parameters."
Veil glanced at Kael. "Then give us another option."
Kael stepped forward, his voice sharper than steel. "We hunt the source. The Architect. Before this virus becomes a god."
The room fell into silence.
[Council Vote:]
Firebrand Protocol – 3 Approve
Alternative Strike – 2 Reject
Abstention – 1
The war had officially begun. Not just against a hidden enemy… but within their own ideals.