The city noticed before I did.
---
It wasn't fear.
Fear spreads fast—sirens, screams, panic.
This was different.
It was silence.
---
Traffic slowed without cause.
Birds stopped mid-flight.
Digital clocks across the city desynced by exactly one second.
---
"…Mira," I said quietly.
"…Do you feel that?"
Her response came instantly.
"…Yes."
She didn't elaborate.
She didn't need to.
---
> [System Alert: HIGH-ORDER PRESENCE DETECTED]
— Classification: Authority Enforcer
— Jurisdiction Level: GLOBAL / ABSOLUTE
---
The air felt… audited.
---
I straightened instinctively.
The park lights dimmed.
Not malfunctioning.
Deferring.
---
"…So," I muttered.
"This is what they send when paperwork fails."
---
Mira's voice was low.
"…Remnant. Do not provoke it."
"…I didn't plan to," I replied.
"…You never plan to," she said.
---
The presence didn't manifest immediately.
It didn't need to.
Authority doesn't rush.
---
A ripple passed through the city.
Every system—supernatural and mundane—paused to check whether it was still allowed to exist.
---
The weight inside me reacted.
Not increasing.
Condensing.
---
> [Bearer Load:]
— Compression Detected
— Resistance: AUTOMATIC
---
"…It's pressuring you," Mira whispered.
"…Yeah," I said.
"Like gravity asking me to justify myself."
---
I rose from the bench.
Carefully.
The stone didn't crack this time.
---
"…Progress," I murmured.
---
The Authority Enforcer appeared without spectacle.
One moment the air was empty.
The next—
It wasn't.
---
A tall figure stood at the center of the park.
Humanoid.
Featureless.
As if someone had sculpted a person out of the idea of rules.
---
No eyes.
No mouth.
Yet—
I felt watched.
---
Remnant.
The word didn't echo.
It registered.
---
"…That's me," I replied.
---
You exist outside approved parameters.
"…So I've been told."
---
Mira hissed.
"…Don't joke."
---
I didn't.
---
The Enforcer turned—its head movement precise, economical.
You carry unresolved consequence.
"Yes."
You distribute causality without authorization.
"Also yes."
---
The grass around its feet flattened.
Not crushed.
Complied.
---
Explain.
---
I exhaled slowly.
"…The world erases too easily," I said.
"And I don't."
---
Silence followed.
Not disbelief.
Evaluation.
---
Erasure maintains stability.
"…It maintains efficiency," I corrected.
"There's a difference."
---
The Enforcer shifted its attention.
For the first time—
I felt it examine the city.
Every life.
Every near-miss.
Every choice people made when they thought no one was watching.
---
Instability remains within tolerance.
Mira's breath caught.
---
"…You're not here to destroy me," I realized.
---
Incorrect.
The Enforcer faced me again.
I am here to determine whether you are temporary.
---
The words were worse.
---
"…Temporary how?" I asked.
---
Whether your existence is a deviation…
A pause.
Then—
…or a correction.
---
The weight inside me surged.
Not as pain.
As scrutiny.
---
> [Bearer Load:]
— Authority Interaction: DIRECT
— Structural Integrity: HOLDING
---
"…You're judging the wrong thing," I said quietly.
---
Clarify.
---
"You're asking whether I should exist," I said.
"You should be asking whether erasure still deserves to."
---
The Enforcer didn't respond immediately.
Time slowed.
Not stopped.
Deferred.
---
Mira whispered.
"…Remnant. Careful."
"…I am," I replied.
---
The Enforcer extended a hand.
Space folded inward.
---
In an instant—
I saw it.
---
A simulation.
A version of the city without me.
Clean.
Efficient.
Countless lives quietly erased at the margins to preserve optimal flow.
---
Then—
Another version.
With me.
Messy.
Heavy.
People surviving when they shouldn't.
Systems adapting slower.
---
Both outcomes remain viable, the Enforcer stated.
---
"…Then what's the problem?" I asked.
---
The cost is unbalanced.
---
I laughed softly.
"…Welcome to humanity."
---
The Enforcer's head tilted a fraction.
---
Your existence increases suffering.
"Yes."
And reduces erasure.
"Yes."
---
Silence.
---
Define priority.
---
I didn't hesitate.
---
"…Suffering can be healed," I said.
"Erasure can't."
---
The city pulsed.
Not with power.
With agreement.
---
A dog barked.
A bus honked.
Life asserted itself.
---
The Enforcer paused.
For the first time—
It hesitated.
---
> [System Observation:]
— Authority Decision Path: UNCERTAIN
---
Mira gasped softly.
"…It's actually considering it."
---
The Enforcer lowered its hand.
The simulation dissolved.
---
Your rule contradicts foundational logic.
"…Good," I replied.
"That logic killed me."
---
Another pause.
Longer.
---
If you persist, conflict will escalate.
"I know."
Human actors will continue exploiting your limitations.
"I know."
---
The Enforcer turned away.
Half a step.
---
But…
It stopped.
---
Your existence has produced distributed agency.
I blinked.
---
"…Say that again?"
---
Humans are intervening without prompting.
Responsibility is propagating.
---
Mira whispered.
"…That's… not supposed to happen."
---
The Enforcer faced me one last time.
---
This is not a verdict.
It is a stay of execution.
---
The presence began to fade.
---
Remnant.
"…Yeah?"
---
Do not become indispensable.
---
And then—
It was gone.
---
The city exhaled.
Hard.
---
I sagged slightly in midair.
"…That was terrifying."
Mira laughed shakily.
"…You argued with Authority and lived."
"…Low bar," I muttered.
---
> [Status Update:]
— Authority Enforcer: WITHDRAWN (TEMPORARY)
— World Evaluation: ONGOING
— Remnant: CLASSIFIED AS POTENTIAL CORRECTION
---
I looked down at the city.
Still standing.
Still flawed.
Still trying.
---
"…So," I said quietly.
"…They're watching now."
---
Mira answered softly.
"…Yes."
---
I nodded.
"…Good."
---
Because now—
It wasn't just me anymore.
---