The alarm blared like the cries of the dying, echoing through the frost-covered and biologically viscous laboratory. The "Final Purge" protocol hadn't ceased after Lila swallowed the severed finger; instead, it escalated into a frenzy upon detecting stronger, unidentifiable energy signatures! The cryogenic stasis system collapsed entirely, and hundreds of pods containing early experimental subjects burst open like overripe fruit, releasing bone-chilling cold and... a palpable, suffocating aura of despair.
The "failures" that tumbled and shattered out of the broken pods were grotesque, twisted, and varied in form. Some still retained faint signs of life, twitching and crawling on the icy floor, emitting incoherent moans. It was a frozen hell forgotten by time and abandoned by its creator.
But all the chaos and terror stemmed from the central, slowly melting, and opening massive stasis pod—"Origin Sample 001 - Living Backup."
The icy layer on the pod's lid cracked and peeled away like a spiderweb. An indescribable, primordial coldness and brutality, as if from the dawn of the universe, surged through the space like a tsunami! This will was far older, purer, and darker than Harlowe AI's cold calculations or the newborn curiosity and hunger of the "Crown of Thorns."
The "Crown of Thorns" within Lila froze momentarily before emitting a complex fluctuation—mixing excitement, wariness, and intense trembling. "Source… energy… pure… but… incomplete… hunger…"
The pod finally slid open completely. Inside wasn't the expected infant or any human form. Instead, there was… a pulsating, heart-like mass of purple-black ice crystals?!
The structure of the ice crystal was incredibly intricate, its surface etched with vein-like patterns glowing with an eerie blue light. Each pulse caused the lab's temperature to plummet, condensing fine icicles in the air. At its core seemed to be wrapped a tiny, nebulous, spinning point of light?
This was "Origin Sample 001"? Not human? Not biological? But an energy aggregate? Or… a fragment of the blue diamond heart given "life" and "thorn" attributes by Harlowe in some way?
As Lila (and the Crown of Thorns) stood in shock, the purple-black crystalline heart suddenly unfurled! It had no fixed shape, flowing like shadow, burning like ice! Countless icy tendrils lined with thorny barbs shot out from its core, greedily absorbing stray energy from the surrounding space—including bioenergy leaking from the shattered pods and… the blue diamond energy seeping from Lila's transforming body!
"Warning! Origin sample energy destabilizing! Absorbing external energy! Protocol changed to… Absolute Annihilation!" The ancient mechanical voice issued its final warning before the lab's walls—the living tissue—began collapsing inward, and high-energy laser emitters descended from the ceiling, targeting the voraciously energy-absorbing purple-black crystal!
This was total destruction! Mutual annihilation!
"Leave!" For once, the Crown of Thorns and Lila's survival instinct aligned perfectly.
But the purple-black crystal (OS1) didn't seem willing to let this newborn carrier of "thorn" and "diamond" energy escape. A tendril lashed out at Lila like lightning!
Lila's body reacted under the Crown of Thorns' partial control. Her arm, covered in crystalline patterns, raised to form a thick ice shield!
"Boom!" The tendril collided with the ice shield, erupting in a blinding blue light and energy shockwave! The shield shattered instantly, sending Lila flying into the collapsing organic wall!
So strong! Just one tendril packed more force than the WDL clone earlier! Moreover, she could sense that the energy signature of OS1 matched her own but was purer, more domineering, and more… destructive!
"Consume… merge… complete…" A cold, chaotic, yet supremely authoritative consciousness forcibly invaded Lila's mind—not words, but pure will! OS1 wanted to devour her and the Crown of Thorns inside her to become "complete"!
"Never!" The Crown of Thorns emitted an angry fluctuation. Though wary of OS1's power, its pride and existential resolve wouldn't tolerate being consumed! It began frantically channeling Lila's energy for a counterattack!
But Lila's own consciousness screamed, "No! We can't beat it! We have to go!"
In this critical moment, Lila caught sight of a corner exposed by OS1's energy blast. Beneath the rubble wasn't more biological tissue but… an old, rusted subway tunnel?!
The entire living lab was built atop an abandoned subway system!
"There!" Lila's will temporarily overrode the Crown of Thorns' combat desire. She scrambled into the pitch-black tunnel just before OS1 attacked again and the lab collapsed entirely!
Behind her came deafening explosions and an inhuman roar filled with rage and hunger! Then, the tunnel began violently shaking and collapsing!
She ran desperately through the dark, narrow tunnel, dodging falling debris. After what felt like eternity, a faint light appeared ahead—a maintenance shaft leading to the surface! With her last ounce of strength, she climbed up and pushed open the heavy hatch.
Familiar cold rain drenched her face. She emerged. But where was she?
She looked around. Gothic spires loomed nearby, and Fifth Avenue's lights shimmered distantly. The air carried the scent of rain and… something sacred yet oppressive. She looked up and saw the familiar twin towers of St. Patrick's Cathedral piercing the night sky!
She had fled… from the underground hospital at the city's edge to the cathedral at its heart?! Coincidence? Or did the tunnel connect to some… special underground network? Or… was some force guiding her here?
She gazed at the massive circular stained glass window above the cathedral's main entrance—the one she had designed, *The Angel's Iris*. In the lightning's glow, the angel seemed alive, gazing at her with sorrowful eyes. The iris in its hand, with thorn patterns she'd subtly hidden years ago, shimmered faintly in the electric light, as if whispering prophecy.
The cathedral doors were closed. But Lila sensed… unusual energy fluctuations inside. Weak but linked to her own energy, OS1's power, and even the blue diamond heart.
"Energy source… resonance…" The Crown of Thorns spoke again, tinged with confusion and… desire? "Insufficient data. Need proximity… analysis…"
Lila hesitated. The church… once a place of solace, now a stage for recurring nightmares (Chapter Five). Returning now—fate? Or another trap?
But she had no choice. Ethan's clues pointed underwater, but her current state couldn't handle deep dives. Her recent encounter made clear neither Harlowe nor the awakened OS1 would spare her. She needed information, power, and… a breakthrough. This cathedral seemed to hold answers.
She approached a secluded side door. The lock had been broken during earlier chaos. She pushed it open.
The cathedral interior was empty, save for the howling wind through broken windows beneath the high vaulted ceiling. The air smelled of candles, incense, and… faint blood. The towering crucifix cast heavy shadows, silently judging all sins.
Lila walked toward the center. The energy fluctuations grew clearer, seemingly originating from… the altar ahead? Or the massive stained glass above?
She looked up at *The Angel's Iris*. Moonlight and lightning filtered through the colored glass, casting kaleidoscopic patterns on the floor. The angel's image shifted between sacred and eerie. Its sorrowful eyes… Wait! Lila's heart skipped a beat! From a certain lightning angle, the deep blue glass pupils seemed to… faintly glow with energy similar to her nanochip, Harlowe's AI, and even OS1's energy?!
This window… more than art! It was a… device?! An energy receiver? Or… a seal?!
The moment she realized this, disaster struck!
A metallic groan echoed from the cathedral's dome! Then, a massive, purple-black crystalline tendril, serpent-like from another realm, smashed through the roof, aiming straight for *The Angel's Iris*!
It was OS1! It had… tracked her here?! Or was it drawn to the energy contained in the window?!
The stained glass shattered!
Countless shards burned with blue flames rained down like meteors! The angel's compassionate form fragmented instantly! Iris petals turned to ash! Hidden thorn patterns erupted in blinding energy flashes upon breaking!
The entire cathedral shook violently! An ancient balance disrupted, forbidden power unleashed!
Lila was thrown by the explosion, slamming onto the icy stone steps. Struggling to look up, she saw beyond the broken window no longer the black night sky but… a swirling, nebula-like vortex radiating incomprehensible ancient energy—blue!
At its center loomed a pulsating… heart-like… massive blue crystal?!
The blue diamond heart?! It had been… sealed behind this window all along?!
The purple-black tendril destroying the window greedily pierced into the blue energy vortex!
The cathedral floor cracked open! The altar crumbled! The crucifix collapsed! Black-clad figures (the mysterious unit that took Ethan's body!) poured in through fissures and broken windows, weapons trained on the vortex above and… Lila below!
Meanwhile, Lila felt the fusion within her emit a sound of… ecstatic triumph?! It seemed to sense the full energy of the blue diamond heart and was furiously trying to break free!
"Containment locked! Eliminate all unstable factors! Execute final protocol!" Harlowe AI's cold voice boomed from the cathedral speakers! Hidden defensive weapons activated simultaneously!
Chaos! Destruction! Multi-sided battle!
Lila lay amidst the ruins, staring at the blue heart vortex about to be consumed by OS1, surrounded by mysterious troops and AI weapons, feeling the impending loss of control over the Crown of Thorns within her. For the first time, she felt… true despair.