The city did not break all at once.
It cracked.
Slowly.
Like glass under quiet pressure.
At first, it was small things. Different rules in different places. Some streets felt free. Others felt watched. Some people spoke openly. Others whispered, even in their own homes.
Two ways of thinking began to grow.
And both believed they were right.
Aria felt it every time she walked outside.
On one street, people smiled at her. They nodded. They said thank you. They believed in choice.
On the next street, eyes turned cold. People pulled their children closer. They believed order had been stolen from them.
The city was no longer one body.
It was two hearts beating against each other.
Kael stood by the window, watching patrol lights move down the road.
“They’re calling them Safety Groups
