Trust was a fragile thing.
It didn't shatter loudly.
It cracked quietly—
right when you believed it was solid.
---
The city entered a false calm.
Sirens faded.
Containment fields stabilized.
Authority Enforcer hovered high above, no longer suppressing, no longer attacking.
Watching.
Waiting.
---
I stayed lower now.
Closer to rooftops.
Closer to the living.
Not because it was safer—
But because distance made it easier to forget faces.
---
"…Your presence density is increasing," Mira warned softly.
"I know," I replied.
"I'm doing it on purpose."
---
Below, temporary shelters formed. Emergency lights painted the streets in blue and red. Humans whispered, pointed, speculated.
And among them—
Ethan Hale moved fast.
---
He wasn't supposed to be here.
Not this close.
Not without protection.
But he was.
Running up a stairwell with two devices strapped to his back, breath uneven, eyes burning with something reckless.
Hope.
---
> [System Alert: Human — Intent Unclear | Risk Level: Rising]
"…Ethan," I muttered.
I felt him before I saw him.
That stubborn will.
That refusal to step back.
---
He reached the rooftop and froze.
There I was.
Not monstrous.
Not divine.
Just… present.
---
"…So it's true," he whispered.
"You're real."
I hovered a meter above the concrete, Chaotic Flow kept tight and restrained.
"…You shouldn't be here," I said.
His eyes widened.
Then—
He smiled.
---
"You talked," he said.
Not accusing.
Not afraid.
Relieved.
---
That was my first mistake.
---
"…I heard you," Ethan continued quickly.
"When the pressure dropped. When the field stabilized."
"You chose not to hurt anyone."
He swallowed.
"People like that don't deserve to be hunted."
---
Mira whispered urgently.
"Rei. Emotional proximity spike. Be careful."
"…I know," I replied.
But I didn't leave.
---
"What do you want, Ethan?" I asked quietly.
He hesitated.
Then unclipped one of the devices from his back.
A compact, angular machine etched with containment runes and modern circuitry.
---
"I want to help you," he said.
"…By pointing a trap at me?" I asked flatly.
He flinched.
"It's not a trap," he said quickly.
"It's a bridge."
---
> [System Scan: Device — Hybrid Containment/Anchor Unit]
Mira inhaled sharply.
"…Rei. That technology interfaces with higher-order systems."
My stomach dropped.
"…Where did you get that?"
Ethan looked away.
"…We weren't the first to notice you."
---
The air grew colder.
---
"The Church?" I asked.
"No."
"Authority?"
"…Indirectly."
That was worse.
---
"You think," I said slowly,
"you can negotiate with things that erase realities?"
Ethan stepped forward.
"I think," he said, voice shaking,
"that if they're already watching you…"
"…Then humanity needs leverage."
---
That was the second mistake.
---
> [System Alert: Authority Enforcer — Attention Spike]
Chains shifted in the sky.
Subtle.
Precise.
---
"…You sold me out," I said quietly.
"No!" Ethan snapped.
"I didn't give them your location—"
The device activated.
---
A pulse erupted.
Not violent.
Not painful.
But binding.
---
Chaotic Flow seized—
Then froze.
---
"—Ethan," I breathed.
The world felt… heavy.
Like gravity had remembered me.
---
> [CRITICAL SYSTEM ALERT: Chaotic Flow — TEMPORARILY LOCKED]
Integrity: Falling]
Mira screamed.
"REI—DISENGAGE—"
I couldn't move.
---
Ethan's hands shook violently.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"I didn't know it would be this strong."
---
Authority Enforcer descended.
Not attacking.
Not raging.
Just… arriving.
---
Chains wrapped the air around us.
Reality stabilized unnaturally.
---
> [Authority Enforcer: Protocol Initiation — PRELIMINARY DETENTION]
"…You promised," I said softly.
Ethan dropped to his knees.
"I thought," he sobbed,
"if I could just get them to listen—"
"To see you weren't a monster—"
---
The unknown entity appeared at the edge of the rooftop.
Watching.
Silent.
Satisfied.
---
"That was never your choice," I said.
"…It was theirs."
---
Authority Enforcer extended a single chain toward my core.
Not to destroy.
To catalog.
---
> [System Emergency: Core Exposure Imminent]
Mira's voice cracked.
"…Rei. If they finish scanning you—your future paths collapse."
"…Then we don't let them," I whispered.
"But I can't move."
---
Ethan looked up, tears streaming.
"…Is there anything I can do?"
I stared at him.
Really looked.
At a human trying to save the world with tools he didn't understand.
---
"…Yes," I said quietly.
"Make a choice."
---
The Church's suppression signal surged.
Authority Enforcer recalculated.
The unknown entity leaned closer.
---
Ethan screamed.
And smashed the device against the ground.
---
It shattered.
The binding field collapsed violently.
---
> [System Alert: Chaotic Flow — UNLOCKED (Unstable)]
Power surged back.
Wild.
Angry.
Unfiltered.
---
Authority Enforcer reacted instantly—
Too late.
---
Chaotic Flow exploded outward.
Not as destruction.
As rejection.
---
The rooftop cracked.
Chains snapped.
Reality buckled.
---
I screamed—not in rage—
In pain.
---
"…Ethan," I gasped.
He lay unconscious, thrown back by the shockwave.
Breathing.
Alive.
---
The unknown entity retreated sharply.
Authority Enforcer stabilized—damaged.
---
> [System Notification: Trust Anchor — DESTROYED]
Mira whispered.
"…Rei. Something important just broke."
I hovered unsteadily, form flickering.
"…Yeah," I replied hollowly.
"I felt it."
---
I looked at my hands.
At the city.
At the enemies regrouping.
---
"I trusted him," I said.
"And that trust almost ended everything."
---
> [Status Update:]
— Human Betrayal: Confirmed (Unintentional)
— Authority Enforcer: Partial Data Acquired
— Unknown Entity: Tactical Advantage Gained
— Chaotic Flow: Volatility Increased
— Rei: Emotional Safeguards Compromised
---
I rose higher.
Away from the rooftop.
Away from the unconscious human who wanted to help.
---
"…From now on," I whispered, voice empty,
"I won't mistake hope for safety."
---
Above, Authority Enforcer began forming new chains.
Below, the city trembled.
Inside me—
Something fragile had snapped.
---