The city was underwater.
Not flooded — buried.
Steel towers jutted from black waters like rusted teeth.
They stood on a ridge above the drowned capital.
Sanctuary Zero was at the center.
Silent.
Half-submerged.
And still alive.
Girl Zero said nothing.
But her hands trembled.
So Liam held one.
"You don't have to go back down there."
She didn't answer.
Only started walking.
Vira adjusted her rig.
"Echo's drones confirm it — final fragment's down there."
Ava squinted through the binoculars. "And something else."
"What?"
Ava handed them over.
Liam looked through.
In the center of the city, in a circular plaza drowned beneath ten meters of black water, pulsed a light.
Shifting.
Alive.
Like a heart.
[System Alert – Sanctuary Zero Approached]
> Final Cure Fragment: Located
Depth: -300 meters
Entry Point: Collapsed rail shaft
Environmental Hazards: Water Pressure | Root Spores | Echo Fractures
Risk: Critical
Optional: Complete Soul Web with Girl Zero before entry
Optional: Interface with Fragment 9 Message Cache
They camped at the shoreline that night.
Girl Zero sat alone by a twisted metal beam.
Liam approached.
She didn't look up.
"Why do you care so much?" she asked suddenly.
"You didn't even know me."
Liam sat beside her.
"I didn't need to."
He reached into his pouch and pulled out Fragment 9.
Held it up to the moonlight.
Then tapped its surface.
A line of glowing script unfolded like fire.
And a message played.
A woman's voice.
Tired.
Wise.
> "If you're hearing this… the Root has nearly reached the Blooming Threshold."
> "My name is Mira. I created the Seed System."
> "I created you, Liam."
He stopped breathing.
Girl Zero looked up.
> "You were a failsafe. A clean spark. One untied to the Network."
> "You died in your world — we pulled your soul through."
> "You were never meant to bond. You were meant to choose."
> "The System's curse is a gift in disguise."
> "The harem wasn't about lust. It was about weaving roots of a different kind — empathy, resilience, defiance."
> "The Root corrupts through isolation."
> "You kill it by planting connection."
The message glitched.
Then whispered:
> "Girl Zero is the last node. She holds the choice."
> "But she needs you. All of you."
> "Complete the Web, Liam."
> "Become the Gardener."
Then silence.
Girl Zero cried.
Not loud.
Just a tear.
One.
It rolled down her cheek and touched Liam's fingers.
He didn't wipe it away.
Just whispered:
"Can I complete the bond?"
She looked at him.
"I'm afraid."
"So am I."
"Then we do it afraid."
[System Bond Event – Girl Zero]
> Soul Web Integration: Initiated
Warning: Final bond will expose Girl Zero's full memory cache
Do you wish to proceed?
[YES] – Confirmed
They didn't kiss.
Not first.
They just sat.
Heartbeats syncing.
Breath matching.
Touch soft.
Eyes closed.
And when it finally happened—
It wasn't lust.
It was acceptance.
A bond formed not from need…
…but understanding.
[System Notice – Final Bond Achieved]
> Girl Zero → Name Restored: Lyra
Trait Gained: Soul Root – Liam and Lyra cannot be mind-controlled or separated by Root psionics
Liam Trait Evolved: The Gardener (Tier II)
> Your presence actively weakens all Root entities in a 10m radius
Final boss resistance: -30%
Cure Fragment 10 Beacon Unlocked
They opened their eyes together.
And she said, finally:
"My name was Lyra."
Liam smiled.
"Then let's finish this, Lyra."
The next morning, they descended.
Diving gear enhanced by Naomi's mods.
Six harem members volunteered to go:
Lyra. Ava. Vira. Maya. Artemis. Echo.
The others would wait at the surface — guarding the exit.
Liam held the beacon.
It pulsed toward the depths.
They entered the old shaft.
Downward into black.
Into the place where the Root was born.
Where Liam would either cure the world…
Or never surface again.