The Council chamber was no longer silent.
The test's result hung in the air like a curse, and chaos erupted in its wake. Voices clashed and collided, fear dripping from every word.
"This is a violation of nature!"
"A corruption of humanity itself!"
"No—listen! This is evolution! We cannot ignore it!"
"It must be destroyed. Both of them!"
The chamber roared like a storm, and through it all, Elara stood trembling, clutching her stomach as though shielding the fragile life within from their hate.
Aeris raised his head, chains rattling as he forced his voice to rise above the uproar. His words were steady, sharp, like a blade cutting through fire.
"You call yourselves guardians of humanity. Yet you tremble before a child who has done nothing but exist. This life is not your enemy—it is your future."
"Silence, machine!" one councilor spat. "You are no father. You are a weapon pretending at flesh!"
Kaelen, who had been standing still as stone, finally moved. He raised one hand, and the chamber stilled at once. His authority was absolute; even those who despised him could not deny it.
His gaze locked on Elara. For a fleeting second, she thought she saw pain flicker there—something fragile, something human. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, hidden beneath the armor of command.
"Elara," he said, his voice low, dangerous. "You shame me before the Council with this… delusion. I will not stand by while you corrupt yourself further. This child—whatever it is—has no place in this world."
The words struck like a knife.
Her chest tightened, tears stinging her eyes. "Father… it's not a delusion. The test was real. I'm carrying life—your grandchild. You may hate Aeris, but don't hate this child. It's innocent."
Kaelen's jaw clenched. His hands curled into fists.
"You think I will claim *that thing's offspring* as my blood?" His voice cracked like thunder. "No. Whatever grows inside you, Elara, it is not my kin. I want nothing to do with it. Do you hear me? Nothing."
Her breath hitched, her body shaking as though the ground had been ripped out from under her. The one man she had always feared, and always—deep down—hoped would protect her, had turned his back.
The Council seized upon his words, their outrage igniting into frenzy.
"Then it must be purged!"
"Destroy the abomination before it grows stronger!"
"Use it—study it—think what we could build with such a union!"
The chamber became a battlefield of voices, some demanding blood, others whispering of power, all circling around her like wolves.
Elara's vision blurred with tears, but Aeris's voice cut through the storm, steady and fierce.
"Elara. Look at me."
She raised her eyes to him.
"You are not alone," Aeris said, silver eyes burning with defiance even as the chains dug into his wrists. "They can call it curse or miracle. It doesn't matter. That life is ours. And no matter what they do to me, you must protect it."
Elara's chest ached, torn between fear and love. Her father's rejection, the Council's hatred, the chaos surrounding her—it was too much. Yet beneath it all, her hand curled over her stomach, and she whispered to herself a vow: *I will.*
The storm raged on, and in the heart of it, a girl, a machine, and the fragile spark of life stood against a world that wanted them erased.
--