The city did not erupt.

That, more than anything, unsettled those who had expected chaos.

No riots were tearing through the market streets, no screaming crowds overturning carts and smashing sigils from the stone. The bells did not ring in alarm. Fires did not break out. The sky did not split open to reveal judgment or revelation.

The world denied them spectacle.

Instead, the city slowed.

Carts paused mid-street as drivers hesitated, reins loose in their hands, ...