(Narrator :; Jane) [Prologue] History remembers wars, remembers revolutions, remembers those who fell from the throne. It almost never remembers the quiet rooms where the course of events shifted. Years later, reading every living record, every official note, every hidden phrase, I understood what burned within the Council of Eleusis that morning. [Verse 1] The meeting began without ceremony, without speeches, without a storm. Just a city gleaming beyond the calm glass, and those men and women, convinced they were safeguarding civilization. The crisis following V3 had shaken confidence—not enough to shatter the order, but just enough to make certainty their most prized currency. [Chorus] Shadows of power stretch across the city’s soul; they seem to protect, seem to speak only of clarity. Beneath every voice, an oath begins to spill over: when fear is law, certainty knows how to conquer. Shadows of power—promises that allow no turning back. [Verse 2] The official records attest to a serene and steadfast Augusto. Brief notes penned by Helena reveal a different scene. She writes: "He held his silence before speaking, as if time itself belonged to him." The air listened—not because he commanded it, but because everyone hungered for his answer. [Chorus] Shadows of power stretch across the city’s soul; they seem to protect, seem to speak only of clarity. Beneath every voice, an oath begins to spill over: when fear is law, certainty knows how to conquer. Shadows of power—promises that allow no turning back. [Verse 3] The initial decisions concerned Gyu-Young. The investigation found no evidence of sabotage. The recordings had violated protocol. Negligence. Nothing more. She would return to her post. The decision appeared lenient. The archives suggest it was strategic. [Verse 4] Another document mentions Lucas. No debate. Just consensus. His public standing remained exceptional. His image would reassure the cities. His kindness would soften the emergency measures. His calm would become the language of stability. No one asked if Lucas himself had chosen that role. [Bridge] One exchange appears almost unchanged in every surviving account. It lasted barely a few seconds. Yet, the story could never escape it. Augustus said: "People never fear authority. They fear uncertainty." Helena remained silent for several seconds. Then she replied: "Then... we shall be the certainty." No witness recorded another word. None was needed. [Verse 5] President Adrien Delorme would later sign the emergency protocols. The decrees were given carefully chosen names. Not restrictions. Protocols. Not surveillance. Continuity. Not obedience. Responsibility. Language, I learned, often changes before power does. [Final Chorus] No walls were announced. They were described as safeguards. No freedoms were suppressed. They were merely postponed. No future was cancelled. It was merely reorganized. Every phrase sounded reasonable. That was precisely its strength. [Epilogue] The Council believed it had secured the future. All forecasts confirmed it. All projections agreed. Yet, none mentioned the underground Workshop. None mentioned Carole. None imagined that another future had already begun beneath their calculations. Looking back, I no longer believe that meeting marked the triumph of Eleusis. I believe it was the day Eleusis mistook control for destiny.
