Reality didn't shatter.
It slipped.
The air in front of Ethan folded inward, like glass pressed by an invisible thumb. The approaching Enforcers froze mid-stride—armor creaking, visors flickering—as space itself twisted around them.
Ethan felt it immediately.
Not power.
Drain.
His vision blurred. A sharp pressure bloomed behind his eyes, as if something inside his skull was tightening its grip.
> [Authority Command — Distort: Activated]
Synchronization +2.4%
The numbers burned brighter than the soldiers' weapons.
"Move!" one Enforcer barked, raising his rifle.
Too late.
The distorted zone collapsed.
The first Enforcer screamed as his left arm bent the wrong way—bone tearing through armor with a sickening crunch. Another was flung sideways, body sliding along a wall that briefly behaved like liquid before snapping solid again.
The corridor fell silent except for labored breathing.
Ethan staggered back, bracing himself against the wall. His hand trembled uncontrollably.
That… cost too much.
> [Warning]
Cognitive Load Exceeded.
Identity Stability: 92%
Ninety-two.
He didn't know what it had been before—but instinct told him the drop wasn't normal.
The hooded figure stared at him now, no longer distant. No longer amused.
"You used it raw," they said. "No filter. No restraint."
Ethan laughed weakly. "Wasn't exactly time for a tutorial."
Sirens wailed louder. Red lights strobed through the corridor.
More Enforcers were coming.
The figure turned sharply. "We're out of time."
"Wait," Ethan said, pushing off the wall. "You said there was a price. That wasn't all of it, was it?"
The figure hesitated.
"Authority doesn't just change the world," they said at last. "It changes how the world remembers you."
Ethan frowned. "Meaning?"
Before the answer came, the system intervened.
---
[PASSIVE EFFECT DETECTED]
Causal Drift Initiated
Low-Level Memory Desynchronization Active
---
Footsteps echoed again—but this time, hesitant.
An Enforcer rounded the corner, rifle raised… then paused.
His visor scanned Ethan.
"Target?" the soldier muttered. "Command, repeat target ID."
Static crackled in response.
The soldier lowered his weapon slightly, confusion bleeding into his posture.
"I… don't see him."
Ethan's blood ran cold.
"I'm standing right here," he said.
The Enforcer flinched, looking straight through him.
The hooded figure's voice dropped to a whisper. "That's the beginning."
"What beginning?"
"Of being unanchored."
The Enforcer shook his head, clearly disoriented. "Area's clear," he said uncertainly into his comm. "False alarm."
He turned and walked away.
Ethan didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
When the footsteps faded, he looked down at his hands. They were still there. Solid. Real.
But the system interface pulsed again.
---
[NOTICE]
Repeated Authority Use Will Accelerate Causal Drift.
Result: Loss of Recognition, Records, and Eventually… Self.
---
Ethan swallowed.
"So if I keep using this," he said slowly, "people stop noticing me."
"At first," the figure replied. "Later, they stop remembering you ever existed."
"That's insane."
"That's power."
Silence stretched between them, heavy and final.
Then Ethan lifted his head.
"If that's the cost," he said, voice steady despite the fear clawing inside him, "then I'll decide when it's paid."
The hooded figure studied him for a long moment.
Then they smiled.
"Good," they said. "Because the next people hunting you won't forget so easily."
The corridor lights flickered—and somewhere deep in the facility, something ancient noticed him.
---