The Triangle responded the way all institutions did after a failed show of force.
It pretended nothing had happened.
No announcements.
No sanctions.
No visible changes to policy.
On the surface, campus life resumed its familiar rhythm. Training schedules repopulated. Ranking boards updated normally. Instructors returned to their rotations with carefully neutral expressions.
But underneath—
Every interaction shifted.
Dreyden noticed it immediately.
The first indicator was absence of friction.
Requests processed without resistance. Merit transactions cleared instantly. His name stopped triggering secondary verification checks. Even minor infractions that would normally earn warnings—accessing restricted equipment without reservation, exceeding recommended output thresholds—were silently ignored.
Freedom without boundaries.
That was never a gift.
It was a lure.
They were giving him room to move.
And watching how he used it.
By midweek, the indirect pressure began.
