I'd been branded, broken, rewritten.So the system did the logical thing.It sent me a bride.
The glyphs weren't laughing anymore.
They were singing.
Not melody—code. Threadweave logic vibrating through the cracked shrine like a hymn nobody remembered how to finish.
I stood at the center of it, still glowing. Still branded. The others had backed off, even Celestia. Even Seraphine.
Talraine was still gone.
And I didn't feel alone.
I felt watched.
[Exposure: 114%]
[System Node Instability Detected]
[Primary Anomaly Rejection Probability: Rising]
[Initiating: Stabilization Override – Emotional Anchor Deployment]
[Trait Suite: Obedient. Blessed. Unoriginal.][User Preference Override: Probably Not Triggered]
// Suggestion: Try "personality" next time.
then.
The glyphs stopped.
Everything went still.
And then she appeared.
Perfect.
