BOUGHT BY CRUELEST ALPHA
"It consumes her. Risks infecting wider reality. This stops. Now."
The Archive chuckles, a sound like pages tearing. "Stops? Or is… cultivated?" It fades, leaving only the scent of ozone and the unsettling hum of my blooming scars.
Later, pain lances through me. A new bloom, blood-red crystal this time, erupts near my elbow. Where it touches the air, tiny flames ignite spontaneously – not hot, but burning pure Sound . A cacophony of screams and laughter fills the small space.
"Prune it," the Child urges, their voice tight. "Focus. Like you did with the Weeping. Calm it. Make it yours."
Bab Populer