Chapter 139

KAELOS The name *Ascended* settled over our gathering like a mantle of destiny, transforming the atmosphere from revolutionary fervor to something deeper—the weight of becoming something entirely new in human history. Commander Frost broke the reverent silence first. "If we're claiming that name, we need to understand what it means beyond symbolism," she said, her ice-blue eyes scanning each face in the room. "The committee will use it against us, paint us as megalomaniacs who think we're above humanity." "Are we not?" The question came from Commander Chen, but without defensiveness—with genuine philosophical curiosity. "I can reshape continental plates with my thoughts now. Rivera can call down lightning that makes military weapons look primitive. We've transcended human limitations in ways that would have been considered divine a century ago." "Transcended, yes," I agreed, feeling Seraphina's flames pulse in harmony with my words. "But not abandoned. We're still human—we're what huma