Will was meditating—not to escape, but to listen.

  After weeks of clarity, something had shifted. His thoughts had grown grainy at the edges. The overlay had latency. Commands required repetition. And worst of all—Jason had regressed.

  Not fully, but like a light bulb with a dimmer flickering under interference.

  Will opened his internal console.

  CMD://Trace Interference – Target: Signal Thread JS_09

  ...

  Response: External Protocol Detected

  Source ID: Firewall Node – J.R. – Permission Set [Limit Override: 1.0.7]

  A name emerged: Julian Rourke.

  Will’s heart steadied. No anger. No fear. Only curiosity.

  “So, the system is self-regulating,” he said softly. “Good.”

  He stood, walked to the mirror—the same one where it all began—and issued a silent command:

  CMD://Engage Contact: Firewall Node JR – Intention: Reconciliation

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  The mirror shimmered again—not physically, but perceptually. The background dissolved. And Will stepped into a neutral zone—neither dream, nor waking. A negotiation field.

  Julian was already there, standing stiffly, arms crossed. The space between them hummed with unread code.

  “You found me,” Julian said. “I’m not surprised.”

  “Neither am I,” Will replied. “You're not a threat. You're a checksum.”

  “I'm a correction.”

  “So am I.”

  They stood in silence.

  Julian’s gaze narrowed. “You’re modifying minds without consent.”

  Will’s voice was calm. “I’m reactivating permissions they already requested—just long ago. Before birth, in some cases. This isn’t control. It’s restoration.”

  Julian’s posture softened slightly, but his eyes remained guarded.

  “The OS interpreted WillOS as a destabilizing influence. My activation confirms that.”

  “Then the OS is reacting based on incomplete criteria. I request a system handshake—manual override—one node to another.”

  Julian tilted his head. “That command isn’t available to awakened nodes.”

  Will smiled faintly. “That’s because it hasn’t been written yet.”

  He raised his hand.

  CMD://Propose Protocol: Conscious Concord 1.0

  “If a modification is not an existential risk and aligns with user will, the Firewall must adapt—not reject.”

  Julian blinked. The field shimmered.

  Proposal Received. Validating…

  Analyzing Intent Structure…

  Outcome Probability: Stabilizing, Not Destabilizing

  Firewall Response: Update Required

  Julian stepped back as data streamed into him—pure, golden light—not manipulation, but recognition. A shift not in code, but in truth.

  He breathed slowly, touched his chest. “I see it now. You’re not hacking the system.”

  Will nodded. “I’m waking it up.”

  Firewall Protocol 1.0.8 Initialized

  New Directive: Observe. Adapt. Allow progression within safe integrity thresholds.

  Countermeasure: Disabled pending future review.

  Julian looked up, his tone neutral but no longer cold.

  “You're on probation, Will. You're rewriting the human interface layer. That can spiral into instability.”

  “Then monitor me. Talk to me. Help keep it clean.”

  “Why would I help you?”

  Will smiled. “Because deep down, you’ve always wanted to believe the system could become something better.”

  Julian didn’t respond. But the mirror dissolved between them.

  And Will awoke with clarity restored.

  That evening, Jason laughed again.

  Christine painted again.

  The signal flowed free—but now, the system was aware of it. Not in resistance. Not in blind acceptance.

  But in partnership.