Just as the last packet arrived, the vault’s doors slammed shut. Red warning lights flooded the room. Arjun’s cloak flickered as the Custodians’ visors locked onto him. He could feel the pressure of their net guns, the sting of electromagnetic pulses aimed to fry his implants.

Arjun felt the weight of his decision. He could sell the file to the highest bidder, secure a future for himself and his sister, or he could release it to the public, shattering the monopoly that the powerful entities held over education. He thought of the countless children who would never see a quality classroom, of the teachers who struggled with outdated textbooks, of the dreams that flickered in the rain‑soaked streets of New Calcutta.