Rain fell on Sanctuary Nine.
Black rain.
It hissed when it touched the ground.
And everyone knew something unnatural had been disturbed.
Tess was stable, barely. Naomi stayed at her bedside in the infirmary, whispering lullabies that didn't come from any world Liam knew.
Junia was recovering too — though she hadn't sung again since the Root bled.
The system had gone quiet.
Too quiet.
But that silence was never peace.
It was warning.
[System Notification – Critical Sync Pause]
> The Rot Network has detected hostile action.
Bloomed Hosts will begin active resistance.
Sanctuary Nine Threat Level: RISING
Defensive Phase Begins in 6 Days
Liam met Caleb under the rusted bridge beyond the waste towers.
A neutral zone.
"I've seen soldiers moving near the chapel ruins," Caleb said. "Sera's locking that zone off. Permanently."
"Of course she is," Liam muttered.
"She doesn't know it was you yet. But it won't take long."
"She'll find Tess."
Caleb nodded. "She's already looking."
Liam crossed his arms. "We have to make the first strike."
Caleb raised an eyebrow. "Strike?"
"Not violence," Liam said. "Not yet."
He handed Caleb a drive.
"Data from the Bloom Node. Show it to the council. Not all of them are loyal to Sera."
Caleb took it.
"That's dangerous."
"She made this world dangerous."
Back in the barracks, Artemis laid out the Sanctuary floor plan on the table.
"This is where she's strongest," she said, tapping the central core.
"Medical bay, weapon vault, command tower—all fortified."
"What's this wing?" Liam asked, pointing to a shaded zone marked "Processing."
Maya answered quietly from the corner.
"That's where the girls go… the ones she says are too broken."
Liam stiffened.
"No one's ever come back out from there," she added.
"Then we're going in."
[Side Quest Activated – "The Lost Ones"]
> Objective: Infiltrate Processing Wing
Optional: Retrieve survivors or bondable females
Risk: Hostile Hosts Present | Unknown Experiments Active
Reward: Female Unlock × 2 | Cure Fragment 5 | Moral Breakpoint Unlock
They moved at dawn.
Artemis in the lead, Maya on rear guard, and Liam flanked by two new allies Caleb had introduced: a silent sniper named Vex, and a medic named Halen.
Processing was worse than Liam had imagined.
The doors opened into a white hallway with blood behind the glass.
And inside each chamber—
Girls.
Some with eyes removed.
Some humming to themselves, clawing words into the walls.
Some infected… but still alive.
Not zombies.
Experiments.
They moved through two corridors before the alarm sounded.
An automated voice rang out:
> "Unauthorized system hosts detected. Quarantine protocol initiated."
Doors slammed shut behind them.
A whirring hiss followed.
Gas.
Artemis shoved Liam into a ventilation shaft.
The others followed.
Vex stayed behind to hold the door.
They reached a hidden room—a chamber of old consoles.
Inside was a girl. Naked. Shivering.
Chained to a steel chair.
With cords plugged directly into her skull.
She looked up.
And smiled.
"You're late," she said.
Liam froze.
"Who are you?"
She tilted her head.
"Once? I was Subject #07. Now I'm just Echo."
[System Notification – Potential Bond Detected]
> Name: Echo
Type: Hive-Mind Fragment
Status: Altered | Core Host: Unknown
Bond Conditions: Neural Sync via empathy or shared memory
Risk: Exposure to AI-parasitic code
Reward: Hive-Mind Immunity Passive | Rot Command Subaccess
"Are you… alive?" Liam asked softly.
Echo chuckled.
"Alive. Dead. Looping. I remember everything."
"Do you want to be free?"
She met his eyes, and something human flickered there.
"I want to forget."
Liam stepped closer.
He reached out—touched her cheek.
A thousand voices screamed inside his head.
[System Option – Deep Bond: Echo]
> Do you wish to link memory cores?
Caution: This will create a permanent emotional link with Echo's trauma archive.
Proceed?
[Yes] | [No]
Liam whispered, "Yes."
His world shattered.
He saw her chained to machines, forced to watch the others die.
He felt every drug. Every spike of pain. Every forced system link.
But he also saw her first smile.
Her name once being Lily.
Her mother. Her dog. Her old piano.
He cried.
And held her hand.
"I remember you now," he said. "You're not Echo."
"You're Lily."
She sobbed—and kissed him.
[Bond Level Initiated – Echo/Lily: Rank 1]
> Passive Gained: Hive Immunity (Immunity to mental infection-based control)
Side Effect: Echo Core Voice Active – Random strategic suggestions
Lust Control: 46%
Harem Rite Progress: 4/10
They escaped through the lower waste shaft, carrying Lily with them.
Vex was gone. Blood marked the corridor.
But they had another sister saved.
That night, Sera stood before the council.
A report in hand.
"This is the face of our enemy," she said, holding up a blurred image of Liam during the womb severance.
"System Host. Rogue."
Councilor Brahn folded his arms. "He's a child."
"No," Sera said, voice cold.
"He's a seed."