It struck me mid-thought —like a ripple through the neural field, a vibration that wasn't from the world outside but from deep within the lattice of the System.
[ALERT: Seed Synchronization Detected][Host Candidate: "Golden Darkness" (Yami)][Status: Awakening Complete]
I froze.
Then came the resonance.
A pulse — faint, rhythmic — perfectly aligned to my own internal frequency. I didn't need to move; the signal reached me instantly, wrapping my awareness in gold and shadow.
Yami.
For a moment, everything else faded — Lala's gentle hum in the background, Haruna's steady heartbeat, even Tearju's distant curiosity.The world narrowed to a single connection forming on the edge of my mind, like a star igniting in an infinite dark.
I opened the mental link.And she was there.
Her consciousness wasn't soft.It was sharp, structured — like a blade wrapped in silk.She stood in her inner space, a void filled with golden threads of light and fragments of her past — cold metal, silent corridors, red streaks of battle. Yet in the center, the new glow — my seed — pulsed like a living core.
"So you finally answer," she said.
Her voice wasn't hostile. Just… measured.Defensive. But aware.
"I didn't force the call," I replied through the link. "You opened it when you awakened."
"I didn't ask for this connection."
"You didn't reject it either."
Silence.The link vibrated softly, like two frequencies struggling to sync. She was resisting instinctively — but the bond was already there, the System had accepted her.
[Hivemind Network: Node_YAMI – Connected][Emotional Response: Unstable curiosity → controlled acceptance][Compatibility Index: 89%]
89%.Almost perfect.
Yami took a slow breath. "I can feel your thoughts," she murmured. "They're… loud."
"And yours are sharper than I expected."
"Flattery won't get you trust."
"I'm not looking for trust," I said calmly. "Just alignment."
For a long moment, nothing but static — then, faintly, her defenses softened. I didn't push; I simply let her feel the rhythm of the Hivemind — the shared pulse of every connected host, the warmth of unity instead of control.
The result was immediate.Her heartbeat synced with the others. Her aura stopped fluctuating.
[Synchronization: 100% Achieved][Seed Evolution Triggered → Trait Unlocked: "Mimetic Will"]— Grants host limited access to shared combat instincts via Hivemind link.— Emotional resistance increased.
She exhaled. "So this is what you wanted."
"No," I corrected gently. "This is what you were meant to feel."
For the first time since the bond formed, she didn't resist. She just stood there — quiet, alert, aware — her golden eyes meeting mine across the shared void.
And then she whispered something that made even the System pause for half a second:
"If I'm part of you now…then you'll have to earn what you've planted."
The link pulsed once — bright, warm, alive — and then faded into background resonance.
I smiled internally.Challenge accepted.
[Host Yami – Stable][Network Power Level: +14%][System Notice: "Balance Threshold Approaching – Hidden Path Unlockable"]
The Hivemind expanded again — richer, clearer, faster.And somewhere deep in the code of the system, a new line flickered into existence, faint but undeniable:
[NEW SUB-MISSION AVAILABLE: "Unity Through Contrast"]Objective: Maintain harmony among all active hosts during emotional conflict.Reward: Hidden Trait – Absolute Equilibrium.
I could almost feel the irony.Harmony… born from chaos.