1. The Meeting Notice That Arrives Like a Threat
The notice arrived without sound.
No chime.
No announcement.
No dramatic lightning.
It simply existed on Ne Job's desk.
Ne Job stared at it.
It stared back.
The paper was perfectly white. No texture. No grain. No warmth. It felt less like paper and more like a decision.
Stamped across the top in cold, precise ink:
> MANDATORY CONTINUITY REVIEW SESSION
ATTENDEE: NE JOB
SUPERVISOR: QI-YUN
WITNESS: YUE
STATUS: NON-NEGOTIABLE
Ne Job slowly raised his head.
"…I didn't schedule this."
Yue leaned over his shoulder, eyes narrowing.
"They did."
Qi-Yun did not move.
He already knew.
---
2. The Room That Is Definitely Not a Conference Room
The meeting room was not in the Bureau.
It was between places.
Ne Job felt wrong the moment he stepped inside—like gravity had been politely excused.
The floor was a smooth plane of shifting timelines, each step echoing with faint, unrealized possibilities.
The table was long.
Too long.
There were no chairs.
Ne Job immediately disliked this.
"Why are there no chairs?" he whispered.
Yue answered quietly.
"So you don't get comfortable."
Qi-Yun stepped forward, posture straight, hands behind his back.
"This is a Continuity Arbitration Space," he said. "They don't sit."
Ne Job swallowed.
"…Do they stand?"
"No."
"…Float?"
Qi-Yun hesitated.
"They observe."
The lights dimmed.
The walls folded.
And they arrived.
---
3. Continuity Enforcement Manifests (Politely, Horrifyingly)
Three figures phased into existence across the table.
Not walking.
Not teleporting.
They simply resolved—like errors corrected mid-sentence.
Each wore a robe of interwoven cause and effect.
Each had no face.
Where faces should be were shifting symbols:
• a closed loop
• a severed thread
• an unresolved ellipsis
The middle one spoke.
> THIS SESSION IS CALLED TO ORDER
Ne Job flinched.
The voice wasn't loud.
It wasn't quiet.
It simply overwrote silence.
> SUBJECT NE JOB
STATUS: UNSTABLE RETURN
AUTHORITY ACQUISITION: IRREGULAR
BEHAVIOR: NON-COMPLIANT
Ne Job raised a hand instinctively.
"I'd like to state for the record that I am very compliant."
One of the figures tilted slightly.
> INCORRECT
Yue placed a steadying hand on Ne Job's arm.
Qi-Yun did not speak.
Not yet.
---
4. They Present the Case (And It's Bad)
A projection unfolded above the table.
Scenes flickered:
— Ne Job refusing erasure
— Un-Dying activation
— Cutting the Red Tape Leviathan
— Interacting emotionally with a fate thread
Each moment froze, highlighted in red.
> PATTERN DETECTED
SUBJECT EXHIBITS AUTHORITY WITHOUT SANCTION
Ne Job frowned.
"I had permission."
All three figures turned to Qi-Yun.
Qi-Yun met their gaze calmly.
"I granted it."
The room vibrated.
> YOU LACKED CLEARANCE
Qi-Yun nodded.
"Yes."
Yue sucked in a breath.
Ne Job whispered.
"…Sir?"
Qi-Yun did not look away.
"I am aware."
---
5. Continuity Enforcement Explains the Problem
The figure marked by the closed loop spoke.
> RETURNS REQUIRE RESOLUTION
SUBJECT NE JOB IS NOT RESOLVED
Ne Job blinked.
"…What does that mean in non-murder language?"
The ellipsis-faced figure answered.
> HE WAS NOT MEANT TO CONTINUE
The words settled heavily.
Ne Job felt cold.
Yue's grip tightened.
Qi-Yun's jaw clenched once—barely.
> HIS CONTINUED EXISTENCE INTRODUCES DRIFT
The severed-thread figure continued.
> DRIFT BECOMES DIVERGENCE
DIVERGENCE BECOMES FAILURE
Ne Job's voice was small.
"So… I'm a bug?"
> YOU ARE AN EXCEPTION
That somehow felt worse.
---
6. Ne Job Asks the Wrong Question
Ne Job swallowed.
"…If I'm not resolved… what happens?"
The ellipsis shifted.
> OPTIONS INCLUDE:
• FORCED RESOLUTION
• EXTRACTION
• RETROACTIVE NULLIFICATION
Yue snapped.
"No."
The figures did not react.
Qi-Yun finally spoke.
"Those options are excessive."
> THEY ARE NECESSARY
Qi-Yun stepped forward.
"And yet you have not enacted them."
The room stilled.
Qi-Yun continued evenly.
"Because you cannot agree."
Silence.
Then—
> INTERNAL CONSENSUS: PENDING
Ne Job's heart pounded.
"…They're arguing about me."
Yue whispered.
"That means you matter."
Ne Job did not find that comforting.
---
7. Qi-Yun Makes It Personal (Very Personal)
Qi-Yun placed a hand on the table.
The surface rippled.
"You claim Ne Job is unresolved," Qi-Yun said. "But you authorized his return."
> TEMPORARILY
"And yet you allowed me to oversee him."
> SUPERVISION WAS DEEMED LOW RISK
Qi-Yun's eyes hardened.
"Then you miscalculated."
The figures went still.
That was not supposed to be said out loud.
Qi-Yun continued.
"He is not drift."
"He is not failure."
"He is consequence."
Ne Job stared at him.
"…Sir?"
Qi-Yun did not look back.
---
8. Continuity Enforcement Offers a Compromise (It's a Trap)
The closed-loop figure spoke again.
> PROPOSAL AVAILABLE
Qi-Yun raised an eyebrow.
"Proceed."
> SUBJECT NE JOB WILL ENTER PROBATIONARY CONTINUITY STATUS
Ne Job blinked.
"…Like work probation?"
Yue hissed.
"No."
The figure continued.
> HIS ACTIONS WILL BE MONITORED
HIS AUTHORITY RESTRICTED
HIS INTERACTIONS LIMITED
Qi-Yun's voice was sharp.
"And the alternative?"
> IMMEDIATE RESOLUTION
Ne Job raised his hand again.
"Okay. I hate to interrupt the existential sentencing, but—"
The figures turned.
Ne Job swallowed.
"…Do I get a say?"
A pause.
A very long pause.
Then—
> …QUERY ACCEPTED
Yue's eyes widened.
Qi-Yun stiffened.
Ne Job took a breath.
"I didn't ask to come back," he said quietly. "But I did."
"I didn't ask for authority."
"But if I have it… I won't waste it."
The figures watched.
Ne Job continued.
"You're scared I'll break something."
He shrugged weakly.
"…So am I."
"But I'm not done."
The room hummed.
Uncertain.
---
9. The Decision (For Now)
The figures conferred—silently, violently, mathematically.
Finally, the middle one spoke.
> PROBATION GRANTED
Ne Job sagged in relief.
> CONDITIONS APPLY
Of course they did.
> FAILURE WILL RESULT IN FINAL RESOLUTION
Yue clenched her fists.
Qi-Yun inclined his head.
"Accepted."
The figures began to fade.
> SESSION CONCLUDED
The room folded back into nothing.
---
10. After the Meeting (The Quiet Is Worse)
Back in the Bureau, Ne Job sat heavily at his desk.
His hands shook.
Yue sat beside him, silent.
Qi-Yun stood across the room.
"…Sir?" Ne Job finally asked.
Qi-Yun looked at him.
"You are now officially a liability."
Ne Job laughed weakly.
"Wow. Promotion?"
"No," Qi-Yun said. "A warning."
Ne Job nodded.
"…I'll try not to break reality."
Qi-Yun paused.
"Try to understand it first."
Yue watched them both.
Continuity Enforcement had not erased Ne Job.
Which meant one thing.
They were waiting.
---
END OF CHAPTER 203