The Council's world was crumbling.
The authority they'd ruled with for years now stared back at them in open defiance.
Their power wasn't gone — but it was bleeding.
And bleeding authority is lethal.
---
### 06:00 — *Emergency Directive: Protocol Black Veil*
In Chamber Aegis, Director Veyne activated a contingency no one thought would ever be used.
> "Protocol Black Veil is designed for systemic reset."
> "We isolate leadership. Dismantle nodes. Sever external communication. Apply psychological fractures."
The plan was brutal.
- Arrest key figures.
- Discredit Neo.
- Collapse the grid he built.
The system wouldn't recover fully—but it would survive.
Or so they thought.
---
### 09:00 — *The Arrest*
The Academy's security units swarmed.
Vina, Elias, and Kaito were seized at their dorms.
Devices confiscated.
Data wiped.
They were paraded in front of the academy.
The Council thought fear would return.
Instead, the students watched silently.
Coldly.
As if daring the Council to do more.
---
### 12:00 — *Neo's Contingency Activation*
Neo stood inside a hidden archive beneath the East Wing.
Elin handed him the secure drive.
> "All backup nodes encrypted. The shadow grid is still alive."
Neo nodded.
> "The Council thinks they're cutting off my hands."
> "But they forgot—"
He pressed a single button.
> "The mind controls the hands."
Across campus, hidden terminals activated.
Messages flashed anonymously across private networks:
> *"Truth has already escaped."*
> *"You can't erase