Bianca lay on her bed staring at the ceiling like it owed her answers.
Three days since the hallway conversation and her brain still wouldn’t shut up.
Her mom had worked for Horizon.
Her mom had seen the fractures coming.
Her mom had been taken by something nobody could name.
She hated how much sense it made now.
The System had gone suspiciously quiet since then.
No snarky comments.
No survival percentages.
Just… nothing.
It felt like it was hiding.
Bianca poked at the air in front of her face.
“You sulking or what?”
A faint flicker crossed her vision, almost reluctant.
> [ Host Emotional State: Unstable ]
> [ Rest Recommended ]
“Rest,” she muttered.
“Sure. I’ll just nap while my dead-not-dead mom is playing hide and seek with cosmic monsters.”
The door clicked open.
Maya slipped inside carrying two mugs of hot chocolate.
The girl had learned where the kitchen was and had started bringing Bianca random stuff like this.
It was weirdly nice.
“You’re talking to it again,” Maya said, handing her one mug.
“Guilty.” Bianca sat up and took the drink.
“It’s being moody.”
Maya sat on the edge of the bed, legs tucked under her.
She still moved like someone expecting to be yelled at any second, but she was getting better.
Actual questions instead of just nodding.
“Ward said there’s training downstairs tomorrow. Not fighting. Just… normal stuff. Running. Stretching.” Maya hesitated.
“I want to try. But only if you come.”
Bianca took a sip.
The chocolate was too sweet and perfect.
“You don’t need me babysitting you anymore.”
“I know.” Maya looked down at her mug.
“But it feels safer when you’re there. Like the Red Room can’t reach me.”
That hit Bianca right in the chest.
She hid it behind another sarcastic grin.
“Fine. But if they make us do yoga I’m walking out.”
Maya’s small laugh made the whole stupid day feel a little less heavy.
Later, after Maya had fallen asleep on the couch watching some dumb cartoon on Bianca’s tablet (her first real “normal kid” experience), Bianca stood at the window.
Snow swirled under the floodlights outside.
The mountain felt both safe and like a cage at the same time.
The System finally spoke again, quieter than usual.
> [ Host Decision Pending ]
> [ Investigation of Maternal Records: Viable Lead Located ]
Bianca raised an eyebrow.
“You’re giving me hints now? What, you scared of Evelyn too?”
No answer.
But the silence felt loaded.
A knock sounded.
Ward stepped in when she called out.
He looked exhausted, same as always, like Bianca’s existence was personally draining his sleep.
“We found an old Horizon research outpost,” he said without preamble.
“Your mother’s name is all over the logs. It’s two hundred kilometers from here. Abandoned, but we might recover data.”
Bianca didn’t even pretend to think about it.
“I figured.” Ward rubbed the back of his neck.
“It’s risky. Fracture activity has been reported in that sector.”
“Good. Maybe I’ll finally get a straight answer instead of everyone talking in riddles.”
Ward studied her for a long moment.
“You’re not going alone. And Maya stays here.”
“Deal.” Bianca glanced toward the sleeping girl.
“She’s already been through enough.”
After Ward left, Bianca sat on the floor beside the couch and watched Maya breathe evenly.
The kid had started trusting her.
Actually trusting her.
That was dangerous.
People who got close to Bianca tended to end up in nightmares.
The System flickered softly.
> [ Protective Adaptation Active ]
> [ Maya Safety Priority Increased ]
Bianca smirked despite herself.
“Look at you, getting all parental.”
No reply.
But she could almost feel the System watching the same way she was.
She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes.
“Mom,” she whispered into the quiet room, “if you’re out there somewhere… hold on. I’m coming whether the universe likes it or not.”
Outside, the snow kept falling, soft and endless.
Inside, faint blue pressure pressed against the edges of the world, thin as a breath.
Waiting.
Bianca didn’t notice the tiny crack that formed for half a second on the window glass before it vanished.
But the System did.
And for the first time, it felt genuinely afraid.