Location: Sector 7 Broadcast Relay Center
Time: 6:03 AM
The city woke in silence.
No alarms. No sirens. No morning news.
For the first time in decades, the controlled broadcast grid was dark.
Instead, a soft, simple message played on every screen, every tablet, every phone:
> "If this is your first real day… breathe."
People stood still in kitchens, paused at bus stops, sat on rooftops. No chaos. Just stillness. A moment of... disconnection. Or was it reconnection?
Some wept without knowing why.
Some smiled, instinctively.
Kaen watched from a side alley camera feed, his team silent behind him. No orders now—just observation.
"This is it?" Nila whispered.
Kaen nodded. "This is what it looks like before a world chooses."
---
Location: Council Tower – Surveillance Room Alpha
Time: 6:45 AM
Councilor Vora stared at the black screens.
No feeds. No control. Their grip—gone overnight.
"Status on blackout recovery?" she barked.
