I didn't move far.
Just high enough to watch.
Just close enough to feel it.
---
Below me, the hunters regrouped.
No shouting.
No celebration.
Just quiet discussion.
---
"That thing didn't attack."
"It stabilized the wraiths."
"Still a spirit."
---
Their words drifted upward like smoke.
---
> [Emotional Scan:]
Fear: Present
Doubt: Growing
---
Doubt was dangerous.
For everyone.
---
I could leave.
Disappear.
Let the world argue without me.
---
> [System Prompt:]
Decision Point Detected.]
"…You're kidding."
> [Negative.]
---
A child cried.
Small.
Panicked.
---
I snapped my focus downward.
An alley.
Two blocks away.
---
A girl—maybe eight—stood frozen.
A shadow behind her feet moved on its own.
---
> [Entity Detected:]
— Latent Possession (Early Stage)
Hunters were too far.
Minutes away.
---
> [Outcome Prediction:]
Intervene: Exposure Risk High
Ignore: Fatality Likely
---
"…Damn it."
---
I descended.
Fast.
---
The girl looked up.
Eyes wide.
She could see me.
---
"Don't be scared," I said gently.
"Okay?"
---
The shadow hissed.
Defensive.
---
> [Chaotic Signature: Reacting]
I pushed it down.
Firmly.
---
> [Skill Used:]
Emotional Grounding (Focused)
Calm flowed.
Not force.
Reassurance.
---
The shadow loosened.
Unwound.
Slipped back into the pavement.
Gone.
---
The girl blinked.
"…Are you an angel?"
"…No," I said.
"Definitely not."
---
She laughed.
Just a little.
Then ran.
---
I rose.
Heart pounding.
Core flickering.
---
The hunters arrived.
Too late.
They looked at me.
I didn't hide.
---
"You saved her," one said.
Not accusing.
Not praising.
Stating fact.
---
"Yes."
---
"That violates protocol."
---
I nodded.
---
> [Status Change:]
Public Interaction Recorded
---
The lead hunter exhaled slowly.
"…What are you?"
---
I considered.
Freedom.
Chaos.
Choice.
---
"I'm someone who won't watch kids die."
---
Silence.
---
> [Reputation Shift:]
— Human Witnessed Protector (Minor)
— Authority Disapproval: Increased
---
I turned away.
Before they decided.
---
Above—
The city felt different.
Heavier.
More aware.
---
> [Path of Return:]
Deviation Confirmed
---
"…Guess that's my line."
> [System Response: Line Recorded.]
---
I vanished into the sky.
A spirit.
Unregistered.
Unowned.
---
But no longer neutral.
---