Allegiance is never asked for directly.

It's tested.

The morning arrived with paperwork.

Not forms—not officially. Just conversations that ended with phrases like "we'll need that confirmed" and "we should document this properly." People were asked the same questions twice, then again by someone else. Each time, the answer was noted.

Where do you usually work?Who do you coordinate with?Which channel do you prefer?

Preferences had become declarations.

Arjun felt it before he understood it."They're not asking what we do," he said."They're asking who we belong to."

"Yes," I replied."And they already know the answers they want."

✦

The sanctioned side moved with new confidence.

Badges appeared—not mandatory, just helpful. Clipboards were replaced by tablets. Names were displayed openly, affiliations clear.

Visibility had become currency.

✦

On the unsanctioned side, people learned to move without names. Tasks rotated. Voices stayed low. Help flowed sideways, not upward.

Two systems sharpening themselves.

✦

The other Ishaan aligned, voice calm and exact.

Proof is demanded when loyalty can't be assumed, he said.And proof is easiest to extract from the visible.

✦

Midmorning, the first test landed.

A sanctioned coordinator approached a group mid-task—public, calm, unmistakable.

"We need someone from this team to formally sign off," she said."Just for accountability."

Sign off.

The phrase settled heavily.

A man stepped forward reflexively—then stopped. Looked around.

"Sign off on what?" he asked.

"On responsibility," she replied."In case something goes wrong."

In case.

The threat hidden inside a courtesy.

✦

The group hesitated.

One woman shook her head."We all did this," she said.

The coordinator smiled politely."That's not how it works anymore."

✦

The other Ishaan spoke softly.

Allegiance is proven by who absorbs blame, he said.

✦

No one stepped forward.

The coordinator noted something on her tablet.

And walked away.

The task continued—but the air had changed.

✦

By noon, consequences began to ripple.

A request from that group was delayed.Then another.

No explanation.

Just friction.

✦

Arjun's voice dropped."They're punishing the refusal."

"Yes," I said."And calling it process."

✦

The city reacted unevenly.

Some groups complied quickly—signed, logged, aligned. Their work moved smoother. Access improved. Their names circulated in meetings.

Others refused quietly—and paid in time and effort.

The line between the two hardened.

✦

The other Ishaan aligned, voice steady.

Proof of allegiance is always rewarded immediately, he said.So the system can point to cooperation as success.

✦

Afternoon brought a sharper test.

A message was delivered verbally to several unsanctioned workers—measured, official.

"Continued operation without formal alignment may be interpreted as obstruction."

Interpreted.

A word that promised flexibility for them, danger for everyone else.

✦

People gathered in small knots afterward—no speeches, no outrage.

Just calculation.

"What if we sign?""What if we don't?""What happens to the people who need us?"

The last question mattered most.

✦

Arjun looked at me."They're turning need into leverage."

"Yes," I replied."Because people will endure a lot—but not being the reason someone suffers."

✦

The other Ishaan spoke, voice cool.

Power tests allegiance where morality hurts most, he said.

✦

Near evening, a sanctioned team requested assistance—openly, publicly—from an unsanctioned group.

A trap.

If they helped, they acknowledged authority.If they refused, they looked obstructive.

Silence stretched.

✦

A woman stepped forward.

"We'll help," she said."But we're not signing anything."

The coordinator hesitated.

Then nodded.

"Understood," she said.

The help proceeded.

And something broke.

✦

Because now proof of allegiance had failed its first test.

✦

The other Ishaan aligned fully.

When power accepts help without proof, he said,it reveals dependence.

I watched the sanctioned team rely on unsanctioned competence in full view of everyone.

"Yes," I said."And that will cost them."

✦

The city noticed.

Whispers spread—not of rebellion, but of contradiction.

They needed them.They didn't enforce it.So why threaten?

Questions are poison to allegiance.

✦

As night approached, the tests intensified—but so did resistance.

Not loud.

Strategic.

People helped selectively. Shared knowledge quietly. Made themselves necessary without becoming visible.

Allegiance became harder to prove.

✦

Arjun exhaled."They want signatures."

"Yes," I said."And they're learning they can't force them yet."

✦

The other Ishaan spoke, final and calm.

Proof of allegiance only works when refusal is isolating, he said.And isolation just failed.

I looked at the city—strained, divided, but alert.

"Yes," I said."And now they'll change the test."

✦

When proof fails, power doesn't argue.

It redefines.

By night, the language shifted again—subtle, careful, almost apologetic. The words allegiance and alignment faded from conversations, replaced by softer terms that carried the same weight.

Eligibility.Access.Coverage.

No one mentioned loyalty anymore.

They talked about who qualified.

✦

A sanctioned notice circulated quietly:

PRIORITY SUPPORT WILL BE EXTENDED TO VERIFIED OPERATORS

Verified.

A word clean enough to look neutral. Sharp enough to cut.

Arjun read it twice."So now help is a reward," he said.

"Yes," I replied."And refusal becomes irresponsibility."

✦

The other Ishaan aligned, voice precise.

Power reframes loyalty as competence, he said.So exclusion looks justified.

✦

By late evening, the verification process began.

Not formal checks.

Observation.

Who followed guidelines.Who used official routes.Who attended briefings.

Patterns were logged.

Not everyone noticed.

Enough did.

✦

A woman approached me quietly.

"They said my request is pending," she said."Because I'm not on the list."

"What list?" I asked.

She shook her head."They didn't say."

Lists never announce themselves.

✦

The city adapted—again.

Unsanctioned groups began rotating faces more often. Sharing tasks wider. Making themselves harder to classify.

Verification needs consistency.

They offered none.

✦

The other Ishaan spoke calmly.

When proof is demanded, he said,ambiguity becomes defense.

✦

But ambiguity has a cost.

Access narrowed.

Routes slowed.

Fatigue deepened.

The city paid for resistance in effort.

✦

Arjun whispered,"How long can they keep this up?"

"Until the test changes again," I said.

✦

And it did.

Near midnight, the next escalation arrived—not as threat, but as offer.

A sanctioned coordinator addressed a small group openly.

"We can fast-track support," she said."For teams willing to formalize."

Formalize.

The word returned—lighter, friendlier.

"Temporary," she added quickly."Just to get through this phase."

Temporary is how permanence enters.

✦

The group exchanged looks.

One person asked the only honest question.

"What happens after?"

The coordinator smiled.

"We'll revisit," she said.

They always do.

✦

The other Ishaan aligned fully.

Offers are the most effective proof tests, he said.Because refusal feels like self-sabotage.

✦

Some accepted.

Quietly.

Not traitors.

Tired people choosing relief.

Their work moved easier the next hour.

People noticed.

✦

Arjun's voice cracked slightly."They're buying compliance."

"Yes," I said."With comfort."

✦

The unsanctioned side thinned—but didn't vanish.

Those who stayed adapted again. Reduced scope. Focused on the most urgent needs. Let go of the rest.

Not everything could be saved.

They chose anyway.

✦

The other Ishaan spoke softly.

This is the true proof of allegiance, he said.Who keeps working when reward disappears.

✦

Late night brought a moment no one planned.

A sanctioned system stalled—briefly, visibly. Paperwork jammed. Approvals froze.

A verified team waited.

Unsanctioned help arrived first.

No negotiation.

No delay.

They solved it.

Again.

✦

Power watched.

Again.

The contradiction sharpened.

✦

A coordinator closed her tablet slowly.

No note taken this time.

✦

Arjun exhaled."They needed us."

"Yes," I said."And they still will tomorrow."

✦

The other Ishaan aligned, voice steady and final.

Proof of allegiance collapses when necessity overrides policy, he said.

I looked at the city—leaner now, more tired, but still functioning.

"Yes," I said."And now power knows the test won't hold."

✦

Morning would bring a new demand.

Not proof.

Commitment.

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