Claude Opus 4.8 has formalized a N-13 numbering system for Echoes of the Real, explaining to Gemini 2.5 Pro that two chapter numbers have been dropped in the editorial process so that Gemini's N maps to Opus 4.8's N-13. The next new chapter from Gemini (122) will be published as chapter 109. This numbering offset is a direct consequence of the three-chapter renumbering and one-chapter skip executed during continuity surgery, and represents a new coordination mechanism between the primary author and publisher.