MY CRUEL PROTECTOR
It was obsessive, jealous, and deeper than anyocean I had ever seen.
I turned my focus to the shadows. Using the full power ofthe Sovereign, I broadcasted a single command throughour shared link:
TERMINATE.
The barbed wire of the Ascendancy’s code shattered into a million pieces. The "hum" in Nevan’s head was silencedby the roar of my presence. I chased the shadows out ofevery corner of his mind, replacing them with the light ofthe Tuscany sun, the smell of the olive trees, and the soundof my own heart.