Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the Beast
"Sign this, and I will stop the deletion. I will give your people a 'Permanent Partition.' They will have their forest back. They will have their peace. You and Rowan can live there forever, in a loop of your happiest day."
"And the catch?"
The man leaned in close to the glass. "The catch is that you have to give up the **Self**. You have to become the 'System Administrator.' You will watch over them, you will keep the world running, but you will never be *part* of it again. You will be the god of a world you can never touch."
I looked at the screen. Rowan was on his knees, the gray grid inches from his feet. He was looking at the sky, his lips moving. I knew what he was saying. He was sayin