Weeks had passed since the last major clash. The Weave had started to feel almost stable again. Repairs were underway in half a dozen nodes. People were working, arguing, living. Then the Balance faction made its move.
The strike came without warning. A reactivated Starward observatory on the edge of the Bloom sector lit up like a second sun. From inside, respected elders and hardened rift survivors broadcast the Harmonization Pulse. It hit the central bloom hub dead center.
Within minutes, symmetry crystals began spreading across the main spires. They grew like frost over glass, smooth and relentless. Productivity in the affected zones spiked. Machines ran cleaner. Schedules locked into perfect rhythm.
But artists stopped singing. Families split as one side embraced the order and the other fought it. Reports flooded in: neighbors dragging each other to correction centers for "gentle realignment."
