[System Notice: Scheduled Maintenance Incoming]
Core Functionality Offline in: 00:00:03…
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[SYSTEM OFFLINE – 24h Maintenance Mode Initiated]
Symbiosis Universal System (S.U.S.) temporarily inaccessible. No missions. No emotional tracking. No interface.
And for the first time in weeks—
Scourge was quiet.
Not because he wanted to be.
Because the system was gone.
Lala felt it before he said anything.
A stillness beneath her skin. A softness in his presence.
She turned in her room, alone for once, no Rito, no Peke, just the twilight outside and the low hum of alien tech from her tools.
"Scourge?" she asked.
"I'm here."
His voice was quieter than usual. Lower. Almost... uncertain.
She tilted her head. "You feel... weird. Like you're thinking too much."
"I am," he admitted.
Then paused.
She waited. No jokes. No distractions.
He exhaled. Not real breath—just habit now. "Lala... there's something I haven't told you."
She blinked. "What is it?"
"I'm connected to something. A system. Not a computer. Not exactly. More like a... structure. A framework that gives me purpose. Rules. Rewards. Directives."
She frowned, but didn't step back. "Like a game?"
"Something like that. But real. Real consequences. Real changes."
"You've been following its missions?"
"Yes. Some were harmless. Some... less so. But since I met you, those directives started to feel—wrong. Or maybe just... not enough."
She was silent. For a moment, he felt the flicker of fear.
But then she smiled. Soft. Curious. "And now?"
He hesitated. "Now it's gone. Offline for a day. And for once, I don't know what to do unless someone tells me."
Lala reached up and touched her chest, over where he always rested under her skin.
"You could just listen to me," she said. "No systems. No missions. Just me."
He was quiet.
Then: "I think I'd like that."
The air shifted—
Then danger.
In an instant, every sensor in Lala's room activated.
The air shimmered, bent—then ruptured.
A figure stepped out of the rift.
Blonde. Red eyes. Black gothic outfit. Cold.
Golden Darkness.
Weapon in hand. No hesitation.
"Target acquired," she said flatly.
"Unknown bio-entity nested in Princess Deviluke's body. Threat level: S-class. Elimination authorized."
Lala stepped in front of her. "Wait—who are you?!"
Yami's eyes narrowed slightly. "You don't remember. First contact, then. A shame."
Her gaze flicked toward Lala's abdomen—where Scourge's core rested.
"I've been tracking the pattern for weeks," she continued. "The moment it detached from its system… that's when it pinged loud enough to follow."
Scourge pulsed once.
He understood now.
The system had always shielded him.
Now it was down.
And the predators could smell the signal.
"You'll stand aside, or I'll cut through you," Yami said to Lala.
But Lala's stance didn't move.
"He's not hurting me."
"That's irrelevant. He's a weapon."
"Then so am I."
For a breathless second, the three of them stood in deadlock.
And Scourge?
He felt something strange.
Not fear.
But pride.