Liam sat with Echo—Lily—in the rusted observation room Maya had converted into a safe haven.
The others rested in shifts, patched up after the escape from Processing.
But Liam couldn't rest.
Because Echo was dreaming.
And she was pulling him in.
Her fingers twitched as if typing air. Her mouth whispered code.
And Liam's system… responded.
[System Sync Request – Bonded Host: Echo/Lily]
> Permission to access Hive-Mind Residual Archives?
Duration: 3 minutes
Side Effect: Nerve strain / Emotional overlap
Proceed?
[Yes] | [No]
He selected Yes.
The world vanished.
He woke standing in a mirror-hall of memory.
Each pane reflected a version of Echo—young, broken, laughing, dead, smiling.
He walked until he found the one screaming silently.
It cracked.
And Liam fell through.
He stood in a facility.
Clean. White. Rotless.
Yet everyone wore Bloom sigils.
Dozens of girls in tubes, their minds wired to machines. Red moons projected on every screen.
> "This is the next bloom site," Echo's voice whispered. "Hidden beneath Sanctuary Thirteen. Activation in six days."
> "They will bloom ten girls… at once."
Liam gasped.
> "You must stop it."
He turned—and saw a shadow watching him.
A man made of code and bone.
With a smile too wide.
The First Root.
> "Found you," it said.
Liam screamed.
He jolted awake.
Blood from his nose. Echo beside him, clutching his hand.
"You saw it?" she whispered.
He nodded.
"I have to stop it."
Echo nodded, then leaned into him.
"I'll help you. But you'll need more. You need to grow the web."
[System Alert – Bloom Forecast Advanced]
> Next Site: Sanctuary Thirteen
Time Left: 6 Days
Engagements Completed: 4/10
Bonded: 6 (Maya, Artemis, Naomi, Junia, Lily, Sienna)
Required for Interference: 6+ linked bond-engagements
Reward: Cure Fragment 6 | Bloom Disruption Node | Passive: Rejection Pulse
That morning, Liam called a secret meeting beneath the dead greenhouse.
Maya, Artemis, Caleb, Naomi, Echo, and Junia all gathered.
"We go to Sanctuary Thirteen," he said.
Caleb blinked. "That's days out."
"We'll move fast. Silent. Only the inner circle."
"We don't have the numbers."
"We'll make them."
Liam pulled a data chip from his pocket.
"This holds Sera's breeding files. The ones she erased. We drop this at the next council broadcast. We shake the faith in her."
Artemis smirked. "You're thinking like a leader now."
Maya nodded. "Like a threat."
[New Quest – "Burn the Bloom"]
> Phase One: Leak the Red Garden Files to all Sanctuary networks
Phase Two: Infiltrate S13 and prevent the Blooming
Phase Three: Shatter the Root's physical tether
Optional: Bond one more girl before departure
Reward: Lust Control +10%, Passive – "Bloom Rejection", Cure Fragment 6
That night, Liam walked the outer edge of Sanctuary Nine alone.
Thunder roared.
And there—beneath the ruined spire—stood a figure watching him.
A girl.
One of the last Market rescues.
Ava.
She had white hair, one arm missing, and a blade strapped to her hip.
She didn't flinch when he approached.
"You're the one who pulled me out," she said.
"Yes."
She nodded.
"I've been waiting."
"For what?"
"To fight. Or die."
[System Bond Opportunity – Ava]
> Type: War-Touched Survivor
Status: Mentally scarred, emotionally dormant
Bond Trigger: Trust Test – Combat Connection
Outcome: Passive – "Damage Share" | Rank 1 Bond
Side Effect: May imprint trauma back to host
> Engage?
[Yes] | [No]
Liam took a deep breath.
And said: "Then fight with me."
She smiled.
Just barely.