Silence.
Never before had Theo dreaded it as much as he did in the moment. And it was all because of how his hive was changing in ways he couldn't really put his finger on.
Sure, it was trying to claim some more autonomy… but exactly why? Was his guess about it being all an influence of introducing mana into the nanites actually correct? Or maybe it only got a small part of the truth right, one just big enough to make it seem like a correct answer?
Whatever the case, there were no absolute answers to any of Theo's questions, only more guessing. And despite all of his attempts to remain as independent from his hive as he could… Theo never had any designs of fully separating from it.
'I've lived my entire life… No, both of my lives with it.' He gulped his saliva down. 'And to have it go haywire now?' He gritted his teeth.
"I really can't afford it, can I?"
