The change did not announce itself. It never did. That was how real shifts happened. Not with alarms or fire but with a subtle rearranging of balance. Mira felt it before she saw it. A tension beneath routine. A question hiding inside normal days. The city moved. Work continued. Voices rose and fell. Yet something leaned inward. As if listening for permission.She noticed it in the guards first. Not fear. Not doubt. Awareness sharpened past habit. Eyes lingered longer on passing strangers. Patrol routes overlapped more than required. No one had given the order. The city was adjusting itself.By the third day reports began to surface. Small things. Traders rerouting without explanation. Messengers delayed by hours. Signals missed then recovered. No loss. No damage. Just friction. Enough to notice. Not enough to panic.Mira gathered the inner circle that evening. Not the full council. Only those who understood silence as well as speech. Alder stood at her side. His posture calm. His att
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