CHAPTER 131 — WHEN THE CENTER NO LONGER HOLDS
The first sign was not collapse.
It was confidence.
That was what unsettled Elena most as dawn crept over the city—the quiet confidence with which people acted without seeking alignment, approval, or protection. The system had crossed an invisible line. It no longer measured stability by cohesion.
It measured it by resilience.
And resilience, she knew, was far harder to predict.
From the upper balcony, Elena watched the city breathe itself awake. No synchronized schedules. No unified cadence. Different districts moved to different tempos, shaped by needs rather than orders. The result was messy. Uneven.
Alive.
Power had not vanished. It had dispersed.
And dispersion carried risks no single authority could contain.
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The morning briefings reflected that reality.
