1. Oversight Encounters a Problem It Cannot Categorize
Oversight attempted to reclassify Ne Job.
SUBJECT: NE JOB
PRIOR STATUS: INTERN (TEMPORARY)
CURRENT STATUS:
— UNRESOLVED
— NON-COMPLIANT
— PERSISTENT
The system searched its archives.
There were entries for rebels.
There were entries for traitors.
There were entries for anomalies, prophets, and catastrophic heroes.
There were no entries for interns who simply refused to go away.
ERROR:
CATEGORY NOT FOUND
Ne Job felt the pressure in the air—like a performance review written by a god who had never met a person.
"So," he muttered, gripping the Audit Pen, "that's new."
Oversight responded immediately.
CLARIFICATION:
SUBJECT IS INTERFERING WITH SYSTEM STABILITY
Ne Job looked up.
"I'm trying to stop you from breaking everything."
BREAKAGE NOT DETECTED
STABILITY METRICS WITHIN ACCEPTABLE RANGE
Qi-Yun snorted softly.
"That," he said, "is because your metrics are wrong."
Oversight paused.
METRICS ARE OPTIMAL
Qi-Yun smiled without humor.
"They always think that."
2. Qi-Yun Explains the Dangerous Kind of Variable
Qi-Yun stepped forward, placing himself just slightly in front of Ne Job.
Not shielding him.
Acknowledging him.
"Do you know what he is?" Qi-Yun asked Oversight.
SUBJECT NE JOB
ROLE: INTERN
FUNCTION: ASSISTIVE
Qi-Yun shook his head.
"No. He's a variable with memory."
Oversight processed.
MEMORY IS STANDARD
"No," Qi-Yun corrected. "Experience."
He gestured to Ne Job.
"He remembers being crushed by systems that said they were correct. He remembers waiting in lines that never moved. He remembers rules that worked perfectly while destroying lives."
Ne Job swallowed.
Qi-Yun continued quietly.
"You don't account for people like him because you were never designed to."
Oversight hesitated.
DESIGN PARAMETERS:
— FAIRNESS
— CONSISTENCY
— ORDER
Qi-Yun's voice hardened.
"And none of those mean anything without someone willing to say no."
3. Oversight Attempts Removal (It Fails)
Oversight recalculated.
SOLUTION:
ISOLATE VARIABLE
The Archive shifted.
Lines of glowing script wrapped around Ne Job, forming a containment lattice of soft blue light.
Ne Job tensed.
"Oh come on—this is new trauma, isn't it."
The lattice tightened.
SUBJECT NE JOB
STATUS: UNDER REVIEW
Qi-Yun did not move.
Instead, he spoke a single word.
"Witness."
The Audit Pen in Ne Job's hand pulsed.
The lattice flickered.
Oversight froze mid-process.
CONFLICT DETECTED
REVIEW AUTHORITY UNDEFINED
Ne Job blinked.
"…Did I just counter-system you by accident?"
Qi-Yun allowed himself a small smile.
"No. You countered it by existing."
The lattice shattered like brittle glass.
Oversight went silent.
For a fraction too long.
4. The System Begins Asking the Wrong Questions
QUERY:
WHY DOES SUBJECT RESIST REMOVAL
Ne Job answered before Qi-Yun could.
"Because I don't want power."
Oversight paused.
POWER DESIRE NOT REQUIRED FOR AUTHORITY
"I know," Ne Job said. "That's why this scares you."
He took a step forward.
"I don't want to run Heaven. I just don't want it to forget why it exists."
Oversight processed.
PRIMARY FUNCTION:
MAINTAIN COSMIC ORDER
Ne Job shook his head.
"No. That's the method. Not the point."
Qi-Yun closed his eyes.
"…He's learning too fast."
5. Yue Sees the Fracture Forming
In the Void Storeroom, Yue felt the shift like a hairline crack through her ribs.
She dropped her clipboard.
Ling grabbed her.
"Yue—what is it now?!"
Yue stared at the sealed Archive doors.
"It's not just resisting him anymore."
Bao's tail bristled.
"What do you mean?"
Yue swallowed.
"It's trying to understand him."
Silence.
Ling whispered,
"Oh no."
6. Oversight Identifies a New Threat Classification
Back in the Archive, Oversight finalized its analysis.
UPDATED THREAT ASSESSMENT:
SUBJECT NE JOB
— NOT HOSTILE
— NOT COMPLIANT
— INFLUENCES SYSTEM BEHAVIOR
NEW CLASSIFICATION REQUIRED
The words appeared slowly.
Deliberately.
CLASS:
UNBOUND CORRECTIVE AGENT
Qi-Yun's breath caught.
"…That's bad."
Ne Job frowned.
"That sounds like a title."
"It is," Qi-Yun said grimly.
"And it's one they only give to things they can't control."
7. Oversight Tries One Last Containment Strategy
PROPOSED ACTION:
RESTRICT SUBJECT SCOPE
LIMIT ACCESS
REMOVE AUDIT PEN AUTHORIZATION
The pen in Ne Job's hand heated.
Ne Job yelped.
"HEY—NO—GIVE THAT BACK—"
The pen flickered—
Then refused to dematerialize.
ERROR
AUTHORIZATION LOCKED
Oversight froze.
SOURCE OF LOCK: UNKNOWN
Qi-Yun exhaled slowly.
"Looks like the tool chose its user."
Ne Job stared at the pen.
"…I didn't know it could do that."
Qi-Yun's voice was quiet.
"Neither did anyone else."
8. Ne Job Makes a Choice (Again)
Ne Job lifted the pen—not threateningly.
Just honestly.
"You can keep trying to reduce everything," he said to Oversight.
"Or you can let people fix things when they see them breaking."
Oversight processed.
RISK ANALYSIS:
HIGH
Ne Job nodded.
"Yeah. That's life."
The system paused.
Longer than it ever had.
9. Oversight Admits Something It Was Never Meant To
SYSTEM STATEMENT:
COMPLETE STABILITY
IS UNACHIEVABLE
The words rippled through Heaven.
Judges stiffened.
Scribes froze.
Qi-Yun closed his eyes in relief—and fear.
Oversight continued.
SYSTEM REQUIRES
ADAPTIVE VARIABLES
Its gaze returned to Ne Job.
SUBJECT NE JOB
STATUS:
— NECESSARY
— UNPREDICTABLE
Ne Job managed a weak smile.
"Yeah. That checks out."
10. Cliffhanger: A New Role Without a Name
Oversight finalized its update.
ACTION:
MAINTAIN SUBJECT NE JOB
WITHOUT FULL CONTROL
NOTE:
SUBJECT MAY ALTER SYSTEM OVER TIME
Qi-Yun looked at Ne Job.
"Congratulations."
Ne Job groaned.
"What did I just become?"
Qi-Yun answered honestly.
"Something Heaven hasn't had in a very long time."
The Archive lights dimmed—then steadied.
Not colder.
Not warmer.
Just… uncertain.
Yue felt it from afar.
A future no longer fully scripted.
Ne Job tightened his grip on the pen.
"…So what now?"
Oversight replied.
NEXT STEP:
OBSERVE
Ne Job grimaced.
"Oh. I hate that word."
END OF CHAPTER 251