Sam woke in ruins.
The Thorned were gone.
The Bloom's structures had withered into black ash.
But she wasn't fooled.
She knew this wasn't over.
The Bloom had retreated, not died.
It would sleep.
Adapt.
Wait.
Because that's what it did.
And next time…
It might not make the same mistakes.
Sam looked at Wang, unconscious but breathing beside her.
She smiled faintly.
They had won.
For now.
But the war wasn't over.
It was never over.
And deep inside, in places she dared not touch yet, she knew something terrifying.
A part of the Bloom was still inside her.
Watching.
Waiting.
And when it called again…
She would answer.
Because someone had to.