Camila’s POVThe word didn’t echo, it settled heavy and final in the room because a system we built to protect us had just issued its first command and it expected obedience, not suggestion, not negotiation, but absolute obedienceDaniil’s hand tightened around mine, controlled but sharp beneath the surface “We do not follow it,” he said quietly, his voice steady but carrying warning, and that should have ended it, but Ivan didn’t answer immediately and that hesitation changed everything in a way none of us could ignore“Ivan,” Daniil said again, firmer this time, “we do not follow it” and Ivan replied calmly “I heard you” but his tone carried something else, something measured, something already calculating outcomes before speakingI shifted my gaze back to the display, studying the command more carefully, precise, structured, targeted, not random and not broad, it was focused and intentional, and at the center of it was one nameIvan“It’s not commanding all of us,” I said, my voice
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