Page 46 of Sy

Scattered,whispered through his mind, the symbiont’s voice distant and fragmented.Incomplete. Parts missing.More impressions followed—something vast and powerful, broken apart, hidden away.Weapon,came the whisper, but when he tried to focus on it, the thought slipped away like smoke.

“It’s the legion symbionts,” he said, his voice rough. “This was theirs.”

The air grew thick with ozone as more lights awakened, spreading like luminescent veins through ancient metal. Each pulse sent answering waves of energy through his symbiont as if the creature recognized something in this place that its host could not yet understand.

His gaze traced the structure’s lines, following where it merged with cave walls. What looked like random patterns resolved into something more deliberate—circuit paths but organic, flowing. The metal itself felt alive under his palm, thrumming with energy that made his skin tingle.

Scattered,the symbiont whispered again, more urgently.Must find…

A sudden shift in the air made his legion surge in warning. The crystalline structures pulsed faster, their steady rhythm becoming erratic. A high-pitched whine built in the air, setting his teeth on edge. Before he could shout a warning, before he could even move, a beam of light shot from one of the largest crystal formations.

It hit Lila square in the chest, enveloping her in a column of brilliant white light that hurt to look at. Her eyes went wide, her mouth opening in silent surprise. The light caught in her hair, turning each strand to fire while making her look otherworldly and strange.

“Lila!” Ashley screamed as she lunged forward. He managed to catch her arm, his legion writhing beneath his skin and screaming warnings in a language he didn’t understand. One thing was clear, though, if Ashley touched Lila at the moment, both would die.

“Wait,” he growled, the word rough in his throat. Ashley fought against his hold, her panic trembling through her body. “I think it’s… scanning her. If we interrupt…” He left the thoughtunfinished as new patterns of light began spiraling up from the floor, wrapping around Lila like luminous vines.

The air crackled with energy, the metallic tang growing stronger until he could taste it. The light shifted, taking on layers of color—deep blues and purples threading through white, creating complex patterns that danced across Lila’s skin. She stood frozen, barely breathing, as the light seemed to sink into her, through her.

Recognition,his symbiont whispered, the word carrying a weight that made Sy’s chest tight.Potential.

“What’s happening to her?” Ashley’s voice cracked. She’d stopped fighting his grip, but her body remained tense, ready to spring forward at the first sign her daughter was in pain. “Sy, please?—”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, watching as the light patterns got more intricate, more urgent. The crystalline structures in the walls pulsed in sync now, creating a resonance that made his bones ache. “But my legion… it recognizes this. It’s not meant to harm her.”

Lila hadn’t moved, hadn’t made a sound. The light had transformed her into something almost ethereal. Then her eyes rolled back, showing whites, and her knees buckled.

Ashley wrenched free of his grip as Lila began to fall. She caught her daughter before she hit the ground, gathering her limp form close. The beam vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving only fading afterimages dancing in Sy’s vision.

“Lila? Baby, wake up!” The raw fear in Ashley’s voice cut him to the bone as she cradled Lila’s unconscious form. Her hands shook as she brushed hair from her daughter’s face, checking for any sign of injury. “What did it do to her?”

He crouched beside them. The tech hadn’t powered down. If anything, it seemed more alive now, pulsing with an inner light that made shadows dance across cave walls. He checkedLila’s pulse, finding it steady and strong beneath his fingers. Her breathing was even, as if she’d fallen asleep.

But something had changed. He could feel it in his bones. The legion technology hadn’t just scanned her. It had recognized something in her, something important enough to trigger this response.

In the back of his mind, his legion whispered a word over and over:Chosen.

The metallic structureloomed behind them, its surface still humming with that otherworldly energy that had done… whatever it had done to Lila. Ashley’s knees pressed against the cold stone floor, but she barely registered the discomfort. Her entire world had narrowed to her daughter’s pale face, the weak rise and fall of her chest beneath the emergency blanket someone had thrown over her. Her hands trembled as she brushed a lock of damp hair from Lila’s forehead, the skin beneath her fingers clammy and cool.

“Baby, please.” The words caught in her throat, rough with fear and desperate hope. “Please wake up.”

Emergency lights cast dancing shadows across the cave walls, throwing everything into sharp relief. Kal and Tor huddled together a few feet away, their faces streaked with dirt and tears. Neither would meet her eyes as guilt radiated off them in almost tangible waves.

“Ms. Jackson, I’m so sorry.” Kal’s voice cracked on the words. “We didn’t mean… We didn’t know this would happen.”

Tor nodded beside him, his face drawn and pale. “We should have listened. Should have stayed where we were supposedto, within the cordon.” His shoulders hunched forward as if expecting punishment.

She opened her mouth, ready to unleash the fear and anger that had been building since she’d first heard Lila was missing. But looking at their young faces, seeing the genuine terror and remorse there, something shifted inside her. These were just kids, like Lila. They’d made a mistake. A terrible one, yes, but they hadn’t abandoned her daughter when things went wrong.

“Thank you,” she said instead, surprising herself with the steadiness in her voice. “For staying with her. For trying to protect her.”

Both boys stared at her, their mouths slightly open. Fresh tears welled in Kal’s eyes.

A soft moan drew her attention back to Lila. Her daughter’s eyelids fluttered, dark lashes stark against her pale cheeks. Ashley’s heart thundered against her ribs as she leaned closer, her fingers tightening around Lila’s limp hand.

“Lila? Baby, can you hear me?”

Lila’s lips moved, forming words too quiet to hear. She bent lower, her ear nearly touching Lila’s mouth. The cave’s chill air raised goosebumps along her arms.

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