Liam didn't sleep after his bond with Naomi.
He couldn't.
Because he saw it.
In the dream.
The First Root.
It wasn't a man.
It was a being—a twisting, chained mass of limbs and screaming mouths, blindfolded and smiling.
It whispered in a language he didn't know.
But he understood it anyway:
> "Ten of them. Ten of you. Then I rise."
He woke choking on air.
And the system pulsed.
[System Fragment Unlocked – Cult Echo #2: "The Root Smiles"]
> Cult Expansion Forecast: 9 New Cells Active
Most Active Region: Zone 9 (Sanctuary Nine)
Warning: Sanctuary Nine hosts a Hidden Bloomed Presence
Liam stood in the courtyard, arms crossed, watching the main command tower.
Sera had been acting… different since the vault mission.
Colder. Smarter. Too smart.
And the older hosts Liam fought in the cages? They'd spoken her name.
"You're the kid Sera keeps on a leash."
He didn't want to believe it.
But he had to check.
He snuck into the administrative tower just before dusk.
Security was light. Two guards. Both half-asleep.
The system gave him a silent movement buff—something new from his rising Lust Control.
He entered Sera's office.
Terminal: Locked.
But her wall locker?
Not so much.
He forced it open.
Inside were files. Hundreds of them. System host reports. Survivor records.
And a sealed envelope labeled in red:
> "Bloomed: Operation Garden."
Liam's heart stopped.
He opened it.
Photos.
Notes.
Maps of the lab they'd raided.
Then: a recording chip.
He jammed it into the terminal and watched.
Sera's voice. Younger. Sharper.
> "We don't have a choice. If the rot is the future, we control it. Cults are tools. The system gives them meaning. We give them purpose."
Then a male voice.
> "You're playing with death, Sera."
> "I'm playing with power."
Cut to: footage of the first Bloomed "ceremony." Rot-blood injections. A child screaming. A woman watching—Sera—smiling faintly.
Liam stumbled back from the desk.
[System Revelation – Commander Sera: Former Bloomed Sympathizer]
> Status: Critical Threat
Bond Path: Locked
Trait Detected: "Controlled Contagion" – Early-stage rot immunity developed via ritual exposure
System Warning: Trust level with Sera reduced by 40%
Optional Path: Confront or Blackmail
Liam left the office before anyone could find him.
He walked in silence until he reached Maya, training alone with her knives.
She stopped when she saw his face.
"What happened?"
Liam just said two words:
"It's Sera."
Later, in a private barrack room, Liam explained everything.
Maya paced the room like a caged wolf.
"She's feeding the infection?"
"No. Worse. She thinks she can control it."
Maya punched the wall.
Artemis sat nearby, brows furrowed in thought. "This explains why Sanctuary's kept surviving. The deviants avoid us more than they should."
"Because we're part rot," Liam said. "We're bait. Protected bait."
Maya's voice dropped. "We kill her."
"No," Liam said. "Not yet."
[Side Quest Unlocked – "Garden of Blood"]
> Objective: Expose Commander Sera to Sanctuary publicly
Optional: Extract classified Project Garden files
Reward: Cure Fragment 3 | System Morality Boost
Warning: Sera has allies. Some may be bonded to her.
Liam's system pinged again.
[Bond Opportunity – New Subject Detected]
> Name: Junia Moreau
Age: 21
Type: Empath / Listener
One of the girls rescued from the Market
Affection: Cautious
Trauma Level: High
Suggested Path: "Speak the Silence"
Objective: Restore her ability to speak through emotional resonance
Success: Bond Rank 1 | Lust Control +4%
Liam looked at Maya.
"I need to bond another," he said quietly. "Soon. The timer's still ticking."
Maya didn't flinch.
"I'll watch your back," she said. "Even when it kills me."
Liam found Junia in the flower shed near the chapel ruins.
She knelt beside a withered sunflower, petting its stem gently.
"Do you remember me?" Liam asked.
She nodded.
"You haven't spoken since we got you out."
She nodded again.
He knelt.
"You don't have to. I just… want to listen."
She reached into her pocket and handed him a folded note.
He opened it.
> I used to sing. Now the rot has taken my voice. But I can still feel music.
Liam smiled.
He took her hand.
"I used to write music. Back home. Piano."
She looked up, eyes shimmering.
He took a deep breath… and hummed.
The lullaby his mother sang when he couldn't sleep.
Junia closed her eyes.
Tears fell silently.
Then—a whisper escaped her lips.
Not words.
Just a note.
Clear. Fragile. Real.
They sang together in silence.
And the bond formed.
[Bond Level Initiated – Junia: Rank 1]
> Trait Unlocked: Empath Surge – Boosts nearby bonds by 1% per 10 minutes of physical contact
Lust Control: 40%
Harem Rite Progress: 3/10
That night, Liam sat in the garden, arms wrapped around Junia as she slept against his chest.
The rot might've taken her voice.
But she had found her song again.
And Liam?
He had found a reason to fight smarter.
Because now he knew:
The infection wasn't the enemy.
It was the excuse.
And Sera?
She wasn't just trying to survive the apocalypse.
She was trying to own it.