MY CRUEL PROTECTOR
Nevan hissed, his hand gripping the edge of the console until the metal groaned.
"It doesn't kill you," Aris said, a ghastly smile touching his lips. "That would be too kind. The Icarus Strain is a de-compiler. It targets the parts of your DNA that allow you to interface with the Sovereign. It burns through the violet-coding, turning your nervous system into a forest of scarred nerves. You’ll live, Gianna Lane. But you’ll be a prisoner in a body that can no longer hear the stars. And the child..."
Aris let out a wheezing laugh. "A god-mind in a brain that can no longer process data? He’ll go mad before he can even speak his own name. His mind will expand, but his flesh will rot."