Seren Virel noticed immediately.
Of course she did.
---
The reports came in wrong.
---
"Route deviation—unexplained."
"Merchant hesitation—non-local."
"Inspection delays—internal."
---
That was impossible.
---
She stood in the command carriage, reading the reports twice.
Then a third time.
---
"They're not attacking us," one of her officers said.
"No," Seren replied.
"They're reflecting us."
---
Silence.
---
Because that was worse.
---
"Kael," she said softly.
---
Interesting.
Very interesting.
---
Back at the node—
Kael watched the results.
---
Small disruptions.
Not enough to collapse Virel.
But enough—
to irritate.
To destabilize.
To force attention.
---
Dren laughed.
"They don't like it."
"No," Kael said.
"They understand it."
---
Liora folded her arms.
"So now what?"
Kael looked south-east.
---
"Now they stop testing."
---
Elara's eyes lit.
"And start fighting."
---
Yes.
---
Because systems only mirrored each other for so long before one tried to overwrite the other completely.
---
And that—
was coming.