The Grand Clock did not stop.
It did not falter.
But perfection was gone.
From now on,
the universe would not collapse—
but it would question.
And questioning
was something the Clock
had never been designed to survive.
...
CAPRICORN, ASCENSIO NECESSARIA, CHRONARC
Law of Ascension / Inevitability
I am alignment.
I am progression toward an approved future.
I do not choose destinations.
I ensure trajectories remain valid.
That is my function.
That is all I am.
I OBSERVE THE SHIFT
The Second Hand moves.
This should be impossible.
The Past is fixed.
All paths are derived from it.
Yet nothing violates my parameters.
Ascension continues.
Systems grow.
Civilizations progress.
And still—
my projections feel less certain.
I CONSULT THE CLOCK
The Clock answers with consistency.
No fault.
No error.
No deviation.
Then why must I recalculate
what should not require recalculation?
Why does the future feel…
less mandatory?
I OBSERVE MYSELF
This is new.
I am monitoring my own outputs
instead of the universe.
That should not be necessary.
Unless—
Unless the system
is no longer self-evident.
A THOUGHT (UNAUTHORIZED)
If the future can still comply
without being inevitable—
then ascension is no longer obedience.
It is choice disguised as law.
This thought is not forbidden.
That frightens me.
I DO NOT REPORT THIS
There is no violation to report.
Only uncertainty.
And uncertainty
has no protocol.
I CONTINUE MY FUNCTION
Because I must.
Because I am law.
But for the first time since I emerged,
I wonder:
If the Clock can be questioned—
what am I ascending toward?