The first thing Aris noticed was the air.
It was warm. Sweet.
Filled with birdsong that wasn't real.
The Harmonic Garden was famous in Ascender records as a "recovery floor"—a safe zone between brutal climbs. It mimicked a gentle forest clearing, complete with flowering trees, reflective pools, and ambient music playing from unseen instruments.
But there was something off.
The birds didn't sing in variation.
They repeated.
Looped.
Exactly every twelve seconds.
It wasn't harmony.
It was control.
She stepped cautiously into the clearing. Her repaired baton hung at her hip, wrapped in new rhythm thread Sereth had given her—black wire that hummed faintly when she moved.
The Sovereign mark was still hidden under a bandage. Just in case.
"This is too peaceful," she muttered.
Then the system chimed.
[Warning: Identity Mismatch Detected]
[Registered Sovereign Mark – Unauthorized]
[Initiating Stability Enforcement Protocol 4-A]
A hiss of steam came from the treeline.
