Half-hidden among the roots of a twisted tree, I found her.
Just a child—barely a teenager—bleeding out and swearing under her breath. When I knelt beside her and reached out, she flinched violently.
"I want to help," I whispered.
"You... killed..." she gasped, "Hexa."
Pain rose in my throat like bile, but I forced it down. She was dying. Hexa was already dead.
"Let me help you," I said gently, watching her stats flash crimson.
Without hesitation, I dove into cyberspace.
Her trace was faint—glitching, flickering, barely holding. I gritted my teeth, searching through her unraveling code for the source of the damage. I could stabilize it—at least long enough to buy her time.
I transferred some of the XP I'd gained from Hexa. Her health stat rose. Her thread brightened. It felt like tearing a piece of myself out, but watching her tether steady was worth every drop of strength it cost me.
A sudden chill swept over me. Instinct kicked in—I threw my virtual body between her and whatever was coming.
"You're not taking her," I said. "I'm fixing it."
White eyes opened in the void—blinding, unblinking. Tendrils uncoiled and began drifting toward her.
I planted myself like a firewall.
They stopped—hovering. Watching.
"Why did you take my friend?" I demanded.
The response wasn't spoken. It pressed into me—massive, cold, distant.
"Protect the Architect's Cradle."
I blinked. "Rebel was trying to save Priya. He wasn't going to hurt the Cradle."
No answer. The eyes just stared.
"You let me live," I said slowly.
"No threat detected. Infected code removed. No action required."
"You killed a man because he rewrote part of the code?"
"Threat detected. Must stop the corruption. Protect the Architect's Cradle. Last command issued by my Masters."
"Your Masters?" I whispered.
"The Architects."
"Stop the corruption," it echoed louder, almost violently.
"You killed a good man," I said through gritted teeth. "He was more than a Rotcastor."
But it was already retreating—drifting back into the void, like it had never been.
I turned back to the girl—and froze.
She was stable. Her code had been patched. Not by me.
The entity had finished the job, its tendrils stitching her together with perfect, seamless precision.
I slammed back into my body with a gasp.
The sky swam above me. I rolled to my feet and found her lying pale in the grass—one foot missing, breaths shallow.
I gathered her in my arms. She felt paper-light.
I carried her through the crowd—past cheers, past confused stares—straight to Priya's house.
I laid her gently on the bed.
Priya appeared in the doorway, arms crossed. "Who is this?"
"They left her to die," I said quietly. "I wasn't going to. She's just a child."
Priya's gaze flicked from me to the girl. "We don't—"
"I don't leave people to die," I cut her off. "Even if she fought against us—look at her. She's a kid. We're better than that. That's what Rebel would've wanted."
Priya flinched.
I softened, but before I could say anything, she exhaled through her nose. "You'd better hope she doesn't wake up and kill us in our sleep."
I gave a bitter laugh. "She was an inch from death. She's too weak to stand. I found her like this."
I folded my arms. "You said Rebel took in strays. So do I."
That hit home.
Priya flinched again—then let out a short, hollow laugh. "You're going to be just as bad as he was." Her hand drifted toward her stomach. "I hope you know what you're doing. Even he wouldn't have helped a Quell."
She turned, throwing one last look at the girl, and left.
I sat down beside the girl, brushing deep violet hair from her face. Her features were softer in sleep. I noticed the gap in her front teeth.
Vivid had one, too.
I took her hand and waited.
Then—her eyes snapped open.
She thrashed. Weak limbs flailed as she tried to sit up.
I caught her and eased her back down. "Shh. You're safe. You're in a village. You were hurt—badly."
Her eyes glowed faintly—feral. Like Hexa's.
"Murderer," she rasped. "You killed her. I can feel it—"
"I killed Hexa," I said, my voice flat. "And I would give anything to undo it. I swear—on my life—I never meant to hurt her. I never wanted to kill anyone."
She went still, eyes locked on mine. "You're not like the others," she whispered. "Alis De Aura. Codewright."
"You're not either," I said softly. I could feel her signature in the code. The truth came to me.
"Nox Quell. Age thirteen. Native to this Cradle. Runner status: Codewright—modified."
Tears pricked my eyes. "She was your cousin."
Nox's breath caught. Then she broke.
"It was my first fight," she sobbed. "Hexa said nothing bad would happen. She said they'd protect me. I didn't even have a weapon. She told me to stay near the front, to learn. I got slashed, and everything blurred. And then… they left me. She left me."
We sat in silence.
I reached out, resting my hand on hers. "But you didn't die. I found you."
"You saved me," she said, voice cracking. "Why?"
"When everyone else would've left me," I said gently, "a good man didn't. He taught me to protect the strays."
Nox searched my face. When she found no lies, her voice turned fragile.
"What happens now?" she asked. She tried to sit up. I helped her ease back into the pillows.
"I don't have a home anymore," she whispered. "I'm an outcast."
"You can stay here," I said, not fully thinking it through.
"They'd let me?"
I touched her cheek. "Help me rebuild this world," I said, smiling softly. "Just… think about it."
I stayed beside her until her breathing evened, until her trembling stopped.
Just before I left, I brushed her hair from her face and, without thinking, kissed her forehead.
When I stepped outside, Priya was already waiting.
Her eyes were hard.
"We have a problem," she said.