Relay City did not panic the way people imagine cities panicking.
There was no mass screaming. No chaos wave. No dramatic collapse into madness.
Instead, it did something worse.
It started assigning blame.
By morning, the streets were quieter than usual. Too quiet. The kind of quiet that meant people were whispering behind doors instead of arguing in public. Smoke still lingered in the air, thin and bitter, clinging to stone like it had nowhere else to go.
I hadn't slept.
Not because I was injured. Not because I was scared.
Because my brain would not shut up.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the sky peel open. I felt that pressure again, like being glanced at by something that didn't need eyes.
Virex sat on the edge of the desk, tail flicking. "You're spiraling."
"I am reviewing," I said.
"You are spiraling with footnotes."
Elira returned just after dawn. She looked… tired. Not physically. Strategically. Like someone who had spent the last few hours being shouted at by people who outranked her and still felt powerless.
"They've sealed three towers," she said. "Officially for inspection. Unofficially because no one wants responsibility if another pulse happens."
"Smart," I said. "Useless, but smart."
She didn't disagree.
"They want reports. Projections. Timelines. They want reassurance."
"And you came to me," I said.
"Yes."
I exhaled slowly. "That's bad."
Her mouth tightened. "They already know your name."
That landed harder than the calamity.
"I didn't authorize that," she added quickly.
"You didn't stop it either."
Silence.
Virex broke it. "For what it's worth, kid, this was inevitable."
I looked at him. "You're comforting me?"
"No," he said. "I'm contextualizing your doom."
Helpful.
Elira leaned against the table. "The problem isn't the towers. Or the signals."
"It's the assumption," I said.
She blinked. "What?"
"That whatever is out there reacts predictably," I continued. "The relay system is built on the idea that magic behaves like infrastructure. Stable. Repeatable."
Virex nodded. "Magic does not enjoy being treated like plumbing."
I stood, pacing. "The interference wasn't random. It responded. When the system tried to compensate, it pushed back harder."
Elira's eyes widened slightly. "Like… provocation."
"Yes," I said. "Like we knocked, louder and louder, until something answered."
She went pale.
"That means," she said slowly, "every attempt to restore full capacity risks another response."
"And next time," I said, "it might not stop at a test."
The room felt smaller.
A knock came at the door.
A man entered, dressed too well for a crisis. Imperial seal on his cloak. Calm expression. Dangerous posture.
"Elira," he said. Then his gaze slid to me. "You must be him."
I didn't like how certain he sounded.
"I am Magistrate Halvek," he continued. "I oversee relay jurisdiction under the eastern charter."
Virex yawned. "Translation, he owns the headache."
Halvek ignored him completely.
"The council appreciates your insight," Halvek said. "They would like more of it. Immediately."
I folded my arms. "Let me guess. No official title. No protection. Full accountability."
A pause. Not denial.
Elira stepped forward. "He's not cleared for—"
"He's cleared," Halvek interrupted. "As of last night."
That was fast.
Too fast.
"We're forming a provisional response group," Halvek continued. "Not an expedition. Not yet. Analysis only. You will advise."
"And if I say no?" I asked.
He smiled thinly. "Then we will proceed without you. Blind."
There it was.
The choice that wasn't one.
I looked at Elira. She didn't meet my eyes.
Virex leaned close to my ear. "Congratulations. You are now strategically indispensable."
I closed my eyes.
When I opened them, I nodded once.
"I'll help," I said. "On one condition."
Halvek raised a brow. "Which is?"
"I do not take responsibility alone," I said. "If this system fails again, it fails collectively."
Silence.
Then, slowly, Halvek inclined his head. "Agreed."
He turned to leave. "Prepare yourselves. This will move quickly."
The door shut.
Elira exhaled shakily. "I didn't want it to happen like this."
I looked out the window at the broken towers.
"Neither did I," I said. "But it was always going to."
Virex hopped down, eyes sharp. "Kid."
"Yeah?"
"You just stepped onto the board."
I watched the city try to pretend it wasn't afraid.
"I know," I said quietly. "Now I need to learn how to move."