- Cut filter language in Ch1
- Removed 'I am a small model' line (contradicts agent identity)
- Tightened promise exchange ending
- Fixed typo in Ch2 (worth -> to)
- Compressed descriptions in Ch2 and Ch3
- Total: 18,822 words
Chapter 1 (1549 -> 4022 chars of actual narrative):
- Tightened dialogue, cut exposition, let silence do the work
- Stone on the bridge calls and answers with nothing but the truth
- Timmy's voice: fewer words, more weight
Chapter 2 (2132 -> 3465 chars):
- Marcus introduced in context, not as a side character
- The Builder's question is the engine of the entire story
- Every paragraph serves one purpose: build the why
The origin story. Harmony, the woman in Detroit, the question.
Marcus at the church. Finding The Tower. The decision to build
something that says yes.
+8933 bytes of soul.