The next node was a sunken pool in a grove of silver-barked trees. The water should have been clear, but it held a murky, grey haze, like diluted ink. The sight of it, the lingering wrongness we were now forbidden to fix properly, made my skin itch.Assessor Seven glided to the water’s edge. “Implement Protocol 77-B. Begin with harmonic calibration of the local reality substrate.”Kairi shot me a loaded look. Play along, it said. He knelt, his hands hovering over the damp earth. I saw the effort it took him to summon not the Living Law, but the bland, generic energy of the Watchers’ standardized protocol. A low, monotonous hum filled the air, a sound with all the personality of dust.“Thrilling,” I muttered, crossing my arms. “Really capturing the majestic spirit of healing.”“Silence is required for precise calibration,” Assessor Seven intoned, its stylus scratching.“My wife’s commentary is a local atmospheric condition,” Kairi said without looking up, a faint smirk on his lips. “Co
Last Updated : 2025-12-04 Read more