In Meridian's Central Square, truth and rumor collided like opposing currents.
"I saw it myself," insisted a merchant in fine silks. "The Form users refused to fight. They just stood there while the Registry tried to arrest them."
"That's not what the broadcasts said," countered a woman with Guild administrative insignia. "The records clearly show they were using psychological manipulation techniques. It's a new kind of violence—attacking the mind instead of the body."
"Violence? I was there," an artisan interrupted. "There was no violence from them. Only from the Registry."
"The Registry was maintaining order," said a man in citizen grays. "These cultists are undermining social stability with their radical ideas."
"What's radical about not fighting?" asked a young apprentice.
