The First Real Day

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.