The first backlash did not come from Oversight.
It came from above them.
Not enforcement.
Not administrative correction.
Funding.
The scholarship board for Class C and D students issued a notice at 08:12.
Merit Allocation Review — Structural Funding Adjustment Pending
The language was technical.
Audited.
Unemotional.
But the meaning was clear.
Cross-tier merit transfers would be "reassessed."
Resource borrowing between class levels would require advisor validation.
No punishment.
No suspension.
Just friction.
Lucas read it once and immediately understood.
"They can't attack you directly," he said quietly, standing beside Dreyden in the walkway above the training hall. "So they're attacking flow."
"Yes," Dreyden said.
Flow was oxygen.
Merits meant supplies.
Supplies meant autonomy.
Autonomy meant coordination.
Choke flow, and coordination grew expensive.
"That didn't come from enforcement," Lucas added.
"No," Dreyden agreed. "This is board-level."
