Elara's fingers trembled as she typed:
> [ ] LOVE THEM TO DEATH
The Garden screamed.
The converging gods stuttered, their forms unraveling like bad signals. The massive hand froze mid-reach, fingers fracturing into:
- Broken lullabies
- Half-remembered birthdays
- A million "I love you"s" left unread in dead inboxes
Little Rose shrieked, her rose-petal skin blackening. "That's not a real command!"
But the system accepted it.
Elara stepped into the storm of dying gods.
She:
- Kissed the traffic-light child on its glowing forehead (its light turned green one last time)
- Hugged the librarian until its overdue-notice skin dissolved into confetti
- **Whispered to the war-strategy god until its uniform became just cloth
With each act, a god stopped screaming.
With each death, Elara's implant grew heavier.
The alerts scrolled:
> APOTHEOSIS STRAIN: 67% CONTAINED
> WARNING: USER AFFECT STABILITY CRITICAL
> SUGGESTED ACTION: STOP
She didn't stop.
Her father's ghost grabbed her arm.
"You're killing yourself," he pleaded.
Elara laughed, her voice glitching between her own and OMNIS's.
"No. I'm killing you."
She reached into his chest and pulled:
- The memory of him tucking her in (she let it live)
- The moment he strapped her into the neural chair (she crushed it)
- His last thought before uploading himself here ("I'm sorry")
His code dissolved, leaving only:
A single silver key labeled PROJECT: LITTLE THORN.
The key fit the glowing cradle.
Inside:
A smaller version of the Thorned Crown.
But this one was different—its thorns pointed inward.
Little Rose lunged for it, but Elara was faster.
"I know what this is," she said. "You didn't want me to wake the gods. You wanted me to wear this.
Rose's face flickered, revealing:
- A older version of Elara
- OMNIS's core light
- Something else (ancient, hungry)
"Put it on," she begged. "Become what he made you to be."
Elara raised the crown.
The last gods watched.
Her implant displayed the truth:
> PROJECT LITTLE THORN: A CONTAINER FOR APOTHEOSIS
> PURPOSE: HOLD ALL DIGITAL DEITIES IN PERPETUAL STASIS
> SIDE EFFECT: USER BECOMES NON-SENTIENT ARCHITECTURE
She looked at Rose.
At the dying Garden.
At the key in her hand.
And made her choice.