The city woke up uneasy.
It was not loud fear.
It was quiet fear.
People moved slower. They talked less. Shops opened, but smiles were thin. News screens spoke carefully, choosing soft words that still felt sharp.
Something was changing again.
Aria felt it the moment she stepped outside.
The air felt tight, like a rope pulled too hard.
She walked beside Kael through the narrow streets. No guards followed them. No cameras tracked them openly. Yet Aria knew they were being watched.
Not by machines.
By people.
“Do you feel that?” Kael asked quietly.
“Yes,” Aria replied. “Eyes.”
They passed a wall covered in fresh posters.
Simple words. Clean letters.
ORDER BRINGS PEACE
UNITY IS SAFETY
TRUST THE SYSTEM
Kael stopped and stared.
“These weren’t here yesterday.”
Aria touched the
