When Memory Became Inconvenient
The first sign was not defiance.
It was boredom.
A training session on dispute logging drew half the expected attendance. A workshop on witness rotation ended early because participants believed the process was obvious. A review meeting was postponed without urgency.
Cassian brought the numbers to me without alarm, but with concern.
"Engagement is down," he said quietly. "Not dramatically. Consistently."
Lucien leaned back against the outer wall. "They are tired."
"No," Cassian corrected softly. "They are comfortable."
I said nothing.
Comfort had always been the goal.
But comfort had a shadow.
The ledger still filled, but the tone shifted.
Dispute resolved quickly.
Procedure followed.
No dissent raised.
The entries were efficient.
Smooth.
Unquestioned.
The fifth presence, faint but not gone, stirred again.
"This," he said quietly, "is erosion."
"Yes," I replied.
Not collapse.
Not sabotage.
Just gradual forgetting.
