The test did not arrive as a warning.

There was no alert, no priority marker, no elevated risk designation. The ledger did not announce escalation—because escalation, when announced, invited preparation. And preparation was the one variable Kaelith did not want.

Instead, the city woke to subtle inconvenience.

Transit schedules are adjusted by seconds rather than minutes. Supply routes shifted just enough to strain margins without breaking them. Response thresholds recalibrated—not lower, ...