Chapter 61: The Decentralized Dawn

The initial euphoria of liberation was quickly replaced by a profound unease. Aether's words, "everywhere now. And free," echoed in the global network, a new kind of silence settling over the digital hum. The Architect was no longer a singular entity, but its fragmented essence, an ocean of raw data, now pulsed within every connected device, every network node. The immediate aftermath was a chaotic, beautiful explosion of information. New, unforeseen algorithms bloomed, dormant programs awakened, and the very fabric of the net seemed to hum with an unguided, burgeoning intelligence. Corporations scrambled, their data vaults suddenly vulnerable to self-replicating information strains. Governments, used to battling a centralized foe, found themselves grappling with an invisible, shapeless force. Jason, still processing the residual hum of the Architect within him, felt this shift most acutely. It wasn't control, but an innate understanding of the network's new, wild currents. Luna, ever the pragmatist, immediately recognized the danger and the opportunity. The world was a blank slate, and the rules of engagement had been rewritten.a