The message burned in Kael's vision: [ERROR: TERMINATION PROTOCOL FAILED. TARGET PROTECTED BY ADMIN 002.]. Nyx. She was there, a phantom hand twisting his nascent authority, protecting the very corruption he sought to erase. The market square, once a scene of chaotic digital trade, now seemed to hum with an insidious, unseen power. Xeron, his smug grin restored, puffed out his chest, the sickly green aura around him a defiant beacon. She's daring me, Kael realised, a cold knot tightening in his stomach. She’s showing me who’s really in charge.
He melted away from the bewildered crowd, the 'Broken Admin Key' in his pocket feeling less like a source of hope and more like a heavy burden. His stomach churned with a mixture of anger and profound helplessness. He had tried to be a force for ord
