Correction Events did not begin with thunder. They began when the world realized the wrong person had been seen.
The bell rang during dinner.
That was not allowed.
Astral Zenith had rules for everything: which bridges low-tier students could cross, which dormitories could receive guests after sunset, which dining halls served fresh fruit instead of boiled root vegetables pretending to be virtue. Bells were stricter than nobles. They marked classes, curfew, emergencies, duels, and death.
This bell marked none of those.
Every student in Obsidian Hall stopped eating.
A spoon hit a bowl.
Someone whispered, "Again?"
Again was a dangerous word.
It meant pattern.
Pattern meant memory.
Memory meant the correction had witnesses before it even began.
[THE VILLAIN'S LEDGER]
Correction Event #01: Public Witness
Status: Active.
Witness Density: Sufficient.
Target Environment: Public social structure.
Primary Criterion: The Villain Protects the Team.
