They left Sanctuary Thirteen at dawn.
The air was heavier.
Colors seemed off — as if the sky had lost a layer of light.
Girl Zero wore white scavenged cloth, face hidden beneath a scarf.
She walked barefoot.
Liam walked beside her.
Behind them: Vira and Ava.
Three bonded girls. Each with their own reasons.
Each tied to Liam in ways more dangerous than love.
The Forest of Veins wasn't a forest anymore.
The trees had been consumed — replaced by thick red stalks rising from the earth like arteries.
The air pulsed.
Birds didn't sing here.
Only the Root did.
[System Alert – Entering Zone: Forest of Veins]
> Designation: Bio-Warped Zone
Status: Conscious Environment
Objective: Locate Cure Fragment 9
Warning: Subjective Time Distortion Possible
Trait Use: Girl Zero's Root Shield Active (Protects Liam from Memory Drain)
"Stay close," Liam said.
Vira drew her bone-blade.
Ava activated her scanner, then frowned. "It's showing us in four places at once."
"That's not a glitch," Vira said. "It's what the forest wants."
Girl Zero's voice echoed — but not from her mouth.
> "This place was the first to fall."
> "This is where the Root learned emotion."
They passed through a valley of trees made of faces.
Familiar ones.
Liam stopped cold.
His father.
His mother.
Both smiling, mouths open, eyes hollow.
Vira touched his shoulder. "Don't speak to them."
He nodded.
But Ava didn't.
"Liam—someone's calling your name."
They turned.
And saw Sera.
The first girl Liam ever kissed.
Dead before the apocalypse.
Here, she was alive. Bleeding.
"Help me," she whispered.
[System Alert – Memory Construct Detected]
> Classification: Emotional Trap
Response: Ignore or Sever
Warning: Emotional interaction will lower Sync Field integrity
Liam stepped forward — then stopped.
"No," he whispered. "You're not her."
The construct dissolved into ash.
Girl Zero watched him closely.
"You remember pain better than hope," she said.
He nodded once. "It keeps me moving."
They reached the clearing by dusk.
A massive flower stood in the center — taller than a tank.
Its petals were shut, pulsing slowly.
The air smelled like copper.
And inside the petals… something glowed.
> Cure Fragment 9.
[System Alert – Fragment Located]
> Retrieval Condition: Petal Opening Sequence
Trigger: Physical Bond OR Emotional Breakthrough
Options:
– Share memory with Root (risk)
– Let Girl Zero act as vessel (safer)
"I'll do it," Girl Zero said softly.
"You sure?" Liam asked.
"Yes. I was born here, once. Let me close the circle."
She stepped forward.
The petals opened with a groan like stone.
And memories flooded out.
Not hers.
Liam's.
He saw his house.
The night of the car crash.
His parents arguing.
His phone buzzing.
Sera texting: "Run away with me."
Then the crash.
Metal.
Screaming.
Blood.
He dropped to his knees.
Vira knelt beside him.
"You can't fight this one with blades," she whispered.
Girl Zero took his hand.
> "It wasn't your fault."
He gritted his teeth.
"But I wanted to run. I chose her over them."
She touched his heart.
"So choose us now."
[System Bond Spike – Girl Zero]
> Sync Level: 92%
Memory Lock Cracked
Engagement Path Unlocked
Cure Fragment 9 Acquired
Trait Gained: Memory Immunity (Group) – Liam and bonded girls now immune to Root illusion fields
The flower burned.
And inside the ashes:
A crystal. Red-gold.
Liam took it.
And the forest screamed.
The trees folded inward.
The sky blackened.
A new voice spoke.
> "You tear my petals."
> "You feed my flame."
> "And yet you still believe your garden will grow."
It wasn't Elise.
It wasn't Girl Zero.
It was the Root.
And it was angry.
[System Warning – Bloom Surge Imminent]
> Time Remaining: 22 Hours
Cure Fragments: 9/10
Final Target: Sanctuary Zero
Location: Confirmed – Submerged City beneath the Capital Ruins
Mission: Retrieve Cure Fragment 10
Bonus: Complete Soul Web with Girl Zero OR Vira before final event
They turned from the Forest of Veins.
The ground behind them collapsed.
No path back.
Only forward.
Liam stood in the dark, one arm around Girl Zero.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Yes," she whispered. "But what's waiting there… might not be."