The stars did not look the same after Concordance.They still burned. They still wheeled through the black. But Kai felt the difference the way one feels a wound after the adrenaline fades—not pain, not weakness, but awareness. Every light now carried weight. Every choice left residue.They departed the stasis world in silence.No alarms. No pursuit.That frightened Kai more than resistance would have.On the bridge, Mandy finally exhaled. “So… that’s it? We just pissed off an Accord Custodian and rewrote how gods negotiate with reality?”Sylvia gave a thin smile. “You say that like it’s not a normal Tuesday for us.”Simon stood rigid near the forward viewport, wings folded tight. “The Accord will not forget this,” he said. “Custodian Threx will escalate.”“I know,” Kai replied.He felt it already—the system’s presence was quieter now. Not absent. Careful. Like something walking on cracked ice.[System status:]Authority output reduced by 6.4%Concordance integration ongoingPredicti

The universe did not retaliate immediately.That was the most unsettling part.Kai had learned—through storms, systems, and gods—that when reality was angered, it did not hesitate. It fractured. It screamed. It punished. Silence, on the other hand, meant calculation.The stars beyond his realm shifted subtly, their light bending in ways only someone who had once been absolute would notice. Causality did not break.It adjusted.Kai stood at the center of the sanctum, feeling the afterimage of Concordant Will still humming through his bones. It was not like lightning. It did not surge or roar.It resonated.As if reality itself had leaned closer and asked, Why?[System update:]Concordant Will registered as non-authoritative forceClassification: Emergent PrincipleWarning: Principle cannot be enforced—only invokedKai exhaled slowly. “So even you can’t control it.”[Response delayed: 0.8 seconds]Correct.Observation: This limitation increases system survivability.He smiled faintly.