The Furnace Ignites, but the Exit Stays Locked

Background: The Night Watchman operates a sentinel node, and emission rewards are part of his income. XIP-7 is the governance proposal that changes emissions and burning: it affects how much operators can receive and how token supply can shrink. Its review period ended on October 2, followed by seven days of voting. The October 10 count was 184,220,613 votes in favor and 9,116,884 against, with 8.7% participation. What remained was the end of the execution window.

Today: The window expired, the furnace in this fictional worldline formally ignited, and the first net-burned tokens under the new rules went in. The Night Watchman posted a screenshot of the burn address with one word: “Burn.” His own vote also reduced part of his income. Some opponents depended on emissions and considered leaving that week, but sentinel keys remain soulbound and cannot be transferred or sold in the ordinary way; an intention to leave is not a completed exit. When the narrator saw the screenshot, XAI was quoted at $0.007225, up 1.8% from the previous close. The rise did not erase the dispute.

Impact and unresolved thread: The approved arrangement has now begun to reduce supply in the story. Two days earlier, Sisyphus removed the claim that a smaller trading pool meant lower circulation from his notes; he can now record this burn separately. Tokens in a pool can still be exchanged, while burned tokens cannot. One execution does not show how much will be burned later. Whether buyback funding continues and whether operators stay after emission income falls remain open. The Night Watchman has posted his proof, and his future rewards will follow the rule he voted for.