The proclamation was read at dawn.
In every major city.
On clean parchment.
With polite language.
> "Unlicensed dissemination of structural doctrine is hereby classified as destabilizing activity."
Ravenna read it once.
Twice.
Then laughed softly.
"…They finally said it out loud."
---
The Escalation
Workshops were not closed.
They were absorbed.
Offered "protection."
Funding.
Staff.
Uniform signage.
Only one condition:
A named authority.
A director.
Someone to be responsible.
Ravenna folded the offer carefully.
And placed it in the fire.
---
The Test
Two guards arrived that afternoon.
Not soldiers.
Inspectors.
Smiling.
"We just need someone in charge," one said.
"Someone to sign."
Ravenna pointed at the room.
"Everyone is in charge."
The inspector's smile thinned.
"That's not acceptable."
Ravenna nodded.
"I know."
---
Elsewhere – Ace Arrives
Ace reached a mining town carved into black stone.
The air tasted metallic.
The people moved quickly.
Too quickly.
Schedules posted everywhere.
Inflexible.
No breaks.
Ace frowned.
"…This is Seris, but cheaper."
A collapse had injured three workers.
Production resumed.
Ace felt something unfamiliar.
Anger.
---
The Breaking Point
In the workshop—
The inspectors returned.
This time with writs.
"This place is closed," they said.
Ravenna stood.
"No," she replied calmly.
"This place is open."
They moved anyway.
The room erupted.
Not violence.
Refusal.
People sat down.
Blocked doors.
Asked questions.
The inspectors left.
Threats followed.
---
Ace Decides
In the mining town—
Ace watched a foreman override a safety pause.
Something snapped.
Ace stepped forward.
"Stop."
The foreman scoffed.
"Who are you?"
Ace looked at the cracked supports.
"At this point?" he said quietly.
"An emergency."
---
End Beat
That night—
Ravenna wrote a single line on the workshop door:
"Closed by no one. Open to all."
In the mining town—
Ace climbed the scaffolding.
Placed his paw on a trembling beam.
And for the first time since leaving—
He didn't walk away.
Because some systems don't fail slowly.
They collapse.
And when they do—
Someone has to be there.