“System.”

Lila took a deep breath, savoring the crisp cool air of the isolated glade before releasing it in a controlled exhale.

“I won’t be getting that shard.”

Ding.

Silver script appeared in an instant. 

[User must complete task]

She read it over twice, processing, before allowing a derisive laugh to spill from her throat.

“I can’t. You withheld information. That wasn’t some damn anomaly — it was a fucking monster.”

Her chest tightened, the next words coming out more subdued than intended.

“…It killed seven elves with ease.”

The screen shimmered.

[User has been optimized]

“Not enough!”

Lila hissed.

“I said it’s impossible. Change my task.”

She waited for the thing’s response.

It remained the same.

Heat rose in her cheeks as her voice edged higher.

“Is that all you can say?!”

She roughly slid a hand over her scalp, curling her fingers inward to yank hard at the damp hair. 

It took several achingly deep breaths before Lila could manage to speak again.

“Listen.”

“That thing is different from the vines — it’s intelligent. It’ll kill me the second I get close.”

[Irrelevant]

“Irrelevant?! Fuck you.”

Lila spat out the curse, enraged. She turned away from the screen, dragging her hands across her face as she started to pace.

The rhythmic rustling of the glade did nothing to soothe the tension that had now settled in her bones.

Ding.

She hated that sound.

Ding.

No.

It never answered her when she wanted it to. 

Why should she?

Ding.

Why had she even said anything? She should’ve just pretended to continue the task while she figured out an alternative.

So fucking stupid.

Ding.

“What?!”

Lila removed her hands from her face, whipping around to glare at the incessant bell. She was immediately confronted by a translucent window floating mere inches from the tip of her nose.

When had the screen come so close? 

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust enough to read its bolded words.

[User cannot die.]

…

…

Lila read it over repeatedly, focusing on a different word each time.

…Hah.

Was that its idea of comfort? 

She felt her face contorting.

Soon, another line appeared beneath the first, twisting her expression further.

[User will regenerate.]

“Regenerate.”

She scoffed with a mocking smile.

“Sure. Like that’s even…”

Her words trailed off, stopped by something lingering in her mind. 

…

Why couldn’t she deny it? 

It was ridiculous. The damn thing was just trying to manipulate her.

…

Right?

But Lila couldn’t shake the unease.

There had been so many discrepancies.

Illusory sickness.

Inconsistent fatigue.

And…

Her gaze wandered towards her right foot.

Now that she was thinking about it…what happened to her ankle? To the bite?

Did she ever treat it?

…

Lila was suddenly very conscious of the absence in her chest.

She shifted her foot, working it out from the grip of her boot to rest on the soft forest floor.

It was fine.

All she had to do was twist her ankle toward the River above. 

To see the mark that was surely there on her skin.

A simple solution.

…

There was no reason to hesitate.

See? It was…

…

Gone?

Lila twisted her foot in the other direction, checking every angle she possibly could.

All she saw was perfectly unblemished skin.

She bit the flesh of her cheek.

That wasn’t possible.

It just wasn’t.

Her hand moved to the empty sheathe on her waist. 

Dammit.

She dropped to the ground, reaching for a nearby stone.

It was fine.

Everything was fine.

She could prove it.

The rock came down hard on her forearm.

A strangled cry tore from her throat at the pain but she forced it back to focus on the state of her body.

Dark fluid welled from the fresh wound, slowly trailing toward her elbow.

No.

Her eyes burned at the sight.

Whatever was coming out wasn’t blood. It was too dark. Too viscous.

And it stopped flowing much sooner than it should’ve.

Then came the infernal itch.

Lila doubled over, gasping at the violent sensation. 

Her skin was moving now. She could feel it. Like insects burrowing just beneath, it rippled and tore and slid. 

Saliva filled her mouth as her stomach seized. 

But it didn’t stop.

Her flesh continued to bubble until finally, thin hair-like tendrils burst forth from either side of the wound. They writhed as they reached for their counterpart, desperate to be whole once more. 

And so they were.

They pulled the skin taut as they fused, quickly closing the gap Lila had so cruelly formed, leaving behind nothing but black fluid that dripped steadily onto the ground below.

It was over just as soon as it had begun.

Lila leaned over the ground, panting as she held the newly mended arm close to her chest.

What…just happened?

That wasn’t right.

It wasn’t even her.

It couldn’t be.

That wasn’t how the human body worked.

Her hands moved to her throat.

It was so tight.

Suffocating.

There was black fluid coating her nails. 

What was it?

Could she get it off?

“Lila.”

The call barely registered at the edge of her consciousness. 

It didn’t matter.

“We need to talk about befor—“

He approached, angry and accusatory only to freeze at the sight of her. 

Fuck. 

What did he see?

What did she look like?

She didn’t want to know. 

She didn’t want him here. 

It was all too much. 

He came closer, brows knit, eyes flashing in concern.

No.

She flinched back, pulling away from him.

Something was terribly wrong. 

He shouldn’t touch whatever rot was spilling out from within. 

But he did.

He took her hand with a gentleness she hadn’t expected. It felt wrong.

She tried to slap him away, to tell him to leave. She needed more time. An explanation. Answers. 

But the words wouldn’t come out. 

Nothing would.

Aleydis sat them both on a bench just outside the home, taking care not to sit too close.

Lila didn’t acknowledge the gesture. Her attention remained trained on her—

…

On the legs. 

Familiar silence descended between them, heavy with everything left unsaid.

Aleydis broke first.

“Apolnia doesn’t have much time left.”

She couldn’t muster the energy to respond. Her mind was stuck in the glade, in that black liquid that replaced her blood. 

Despite this, he continued.

“She means everything to me, you know. Raised me. Took care of me even though I—“

A tremor entered his voice.

“…I just wanted to save her.”

Lila didn’t have to look to know he was crying again.

“…but now everyone is dead or dying. Everyone.”

The words were spilling out now.

“I hate you, you know. You suddenly show up acting like you know everything. Saying I’m selfish and stupid and—“

He choked, body racked by heavy sobs and coughs. 

He struggled to continue.

“…I wanted to say you were wrong and tell you to leave and never come back.”

Aleydis hugged his knees, burying his face deep in the fabric of his pants.

“But the truth is…you were right.”

He repeated himself softly through the tears.

“You were right.”

…

Lila knew he wasn’t looking for a response.

He just wanted to be heard.

But some part of her — perhaps the exposed bit — couldn’t let it go.

A vague memory pulled at her mind. 

Drew, young and foolish, crying over an argument he had with a friend.

Always crying. 

What had she done back then?

She looked at the hand Aleydis had grabbed. At the arm that healed without a scratch. 

And at the boy breaking down beside her. 

…

Ah. 

How had it taken so long for her to realize?

A body that cannot die. A task that has to be completed under threat of ‘deletion’. 

The reward of return.

…

The people’s pain.

…

The decision had already been made, hadn’t it?

No.

Choice had never even existed in the first place.