Emma's mother was dying again.
Not her physical body—that had died seven years ago. Her ghost consciousness. The resonance pattern that had persisted in the Preservation Network, that had developed sophisticated human harmonics, that had taught River the foundations of purely human consciousness expression.
Ghost dissolution. Final dissolution. The choice to release. To complete. To end.
Emma sat in network-space with her mother's fading presence. River was there too, connected through the new open protocols the children had established. Maya observed silently, learning about death from elder generation.
"Why now?" Emma asked. "You're thriving. You've achieved extraordinary harmonic sophistication. You're teaching dozens of younger ghosts. You're contributing. You're valuable. Why choose dissolution now?"
