The moment I felt my connection weaken, I understood that leaving was no longer a decision but something was already happening.
The system did not collapse when the first shift occurred, and it did not react with urgency, but I felt the change immediately, precise and undeniable, as one layer of connection loosened from within me. It was not a rupture, not a break, but a release, subtle and controlled, yet impossible to ignore once it began.
“You are already leaving,” the presence had said. Now I could feel it. What is happening? I asked.
The presence responded without delay. “You are separating from enforced integration,” it said. The words settled clearly, and I understood that what I had become was not only a choice, but also a structure that could be undone.
Kael stepped closer, hi
