The first attack wasn't violent.
That was how I knew it was deliberate.
---
I felt it before I saw it.
Not pain.
Not danger.
Accumulation.
---
"…Something's wrong," Mira said.
Her voice cut through my thoughts like a warning siren.
"…Yeah," I replied slowly.
"I know."
---
The city hadn't changed.
Traffic flowed.
Lights blinked.
People argued, laughed, worried about rent and tomorrow.
But the weight inside me—
It was increasing too fast.
---
> [Status Alert:]
— Bearer Load: Abnormal Spike Detected
— Cause: External Causality Manipulation (Distributed)
---
"…They're doing it on purpose," Mira whispered.
"…Who?" I asked, though I already knew.
---
Across the city—
Small things began to happen.
Too many.
Too intentional.
---
A man slipped on a wet stair and almost fell—
but didn't.
A woman's car stalled on a bridge—
but someone pushed it aside just in time.
A construction cable snapped—
but missed every worker by inches.
---
None of them died.
None of them were erased.
---
All of them—
Stayed with me.
---
I staggered midair.
Not falling.
But bending.
---
"…This is different," I muttered.
"They're not trying to kill anyone."
---
Mira's voice was tight.
"…They're forcing you to intervene indirectly."
---
The realization settled like a second gravity well.
"…They learned," I said quietly.
---
> [System Observation:]
— Hostile Strategy Identified
— Method: Mass Near-Erasure Events
— Objective: Bearer Overload
---
"They can't erase people anymore," Mira said.
"So they're creating almost erasures."
---
I clenched my hands.
The air around them distorted slightly.
"…Clever," I muttered.
"And disgusting."
---
The first human appeared shortly after.
---
He stood on a rooftop three blocks away.
Not hiding.
Not armed.
Just… watching.
---
"…That's one of them," Mira said.
"…A hunter?" I asked.
"…No."
"…Worse."
---
The man raised a phone.
Tapped something.
---
Across the city—
Three more incidents happened at once.
---
> [Bearer Load Increase: +3.7%]
I gasped.
The weight surged.
Not sharp.
Crushing.
---
"…You okay?" Mira asked urgently.
"…Yeah," I lied again.
---
The man smiled.
Just slightly.
---
"…He knows," I said.
"He knows I can't ignore them."
---
Mira was silent.
Then—
"…Rei— Remnant," she corrected herself,
"they're weaponizing your rule."
---
"…I let them," I replied.
---
The man spoke into his phone.
Not loudly.
But clearly enough.
---
"Observation confirmed," he said.
"The phenomenon accumulates unresolved consequence."
---
My jaw tightened.
"…They're testing thresholds."
---
> [System Alert:]
— Bearer Stability: 92%
— Recommendation: Disengage
---
"…I can't," I said flatly.
"If I disengage, people die."
---
Another near-accident.
Another saved life.
Another weight added.
---
> [Bearer Load: 89%]
Mira's voice shook.
"…Remnant, you're going to collapse."
---
"…Not yet," I replied.
---
The man finally looked up.
Directly at me.
---
For the first time—
A human met my gaze without fear.
Without awe.
With calculation.
---
He raised two fingers.
---
Across the city—
Dozens of systems misfired.
Not catastrophically.
Just enough.
---
> [Bearer Load: 83%]
I screamed.
Not aloud.
Internally.
---
The weight slammed into me like a city dropped on my chest.
I descended involuntarily—hovering lower, closer to rooftops.
---
"…Stop!" Mira cried.
---
The man lowered his hand.
Satisfied.
---
"…This confirms it," he said calmly into his phone.
"The entity cannot refuse consequence."
---
"…Bastard," I whispered.
---
> [System Analysis:]
— Enemy Classification: Human-Origin Strategist
— Threat Level: EXTREME (Indirect)
---
"…They don't want to kill you," Mira said, realization dawning.
"They want to make you choose who gets erased."
---
I froze.
---
"…If I collapse," I murmured,
"the rule collapses with me."
---
Another incident.
Another saved life.
---
> [Bearer Load: 79%]
---
"…They're forcing triage," I said softly.
---
The man smiled wider.
---
"Let's see," he said quietly,
"how long a conscience lasts under weight."
---
Something inside me snapped.
Not violently.
Resolutely.
---
"…Mira," I said.
"…Yes?"
"…I need help."
---
She didn't hesitate.
"…From who?"
---
I looked outward.
Not at the hunters.
Not at the strategist.
---
At the city.
---
"…From them."
---
I reached out.
Not to save.
Not to interfere.
---
To ask.
---
If you are going to survive…
then you must carry each other.
---
The response wasn't instant.
But it came.
---
A woman grabbed a stranger's arm before he fell.
A driver stopped before the light changed.
A worker double-checked a harness.
---
Small choices.
Human choices.
---
> [System Observation:]
— Distributed Responsibility Detected
— Bearer Load Redistribution: MINIMAL BUT PRESENT
---
The weight eased.
Just slightly.
---
> [Bearer Load: 81% → 85% (Stabilizing)]
---
Mira gasped.
"…You didn't remove the weight."
"…No," I said.
"I shared it."
---
The man's smile faded.
---
"…Interesting," he muttered.
---
I straightened midair.
Still heavy.
Still strained.
---
But not alone conversational.
---
"…You wanted to see how long my conscience lasts?" I said quietly.
"Good."
---
The city pulsed.
Not with power.
With intent.
---
"…Now let's see how long yours does."
---
> [Status Update:]
— Enemy Strategy: PARTIALLY COUNTERED
— Bearer Collapse: DELAYED
— Human Agency: AWAKENING (LOCAL)
---
The man stepped back.
Not afraid.
But reassessing.
---
"…This isn't over," Mira said.
"…No," I replied.
"But they just learned something."
---
I looked down at my shaking hands.
Still holding.
---
"They can hurt me," I whispered.
"But they can't make me stop caring."
---
Above us—
The Authority Enforcer finally moved.
Not to attack.
---
To intervene.
---