The second arrest does not need to be explained.
That is how everyone knows it is different.
There are no soft words this time. No tea. No smiles meant to soothe the edges of fear. There is no pretense of reset or support or temporary stabilization.
There is only urgency.
And urgency always reveals what kindness was hiding.
It begins just after dusk.
A small gathering forms near the old canal, where voices have been allowed to rise again in the evenings since Kael tore down the notices. Not shouting. Not singing. Just talking. Arguing. Remembering.
A man named Hareth speaks too sharply.
He isn’t yelling, but his words cut. He names things people have been avoiding since the flood. Missing bodies. Uneven aid. The fear that safety has started asking for obedience.
People listen.
Th
