Charity slammed the rusted iron door shut and threw the heavy deadbolt. Her back hit the cold metal, and she slid down until she hit the freezing concrete floor.
A sudden, sharp metallic taste flooded her mouth. She jerked her head to the side and coughed violently, spitting a mouthful of thick, black blood onto the floor.
The biological toxin was tearing through her internal organs. Her vision doubled. Every breath felt like inhaling broken glass.
Just as the darkness began to close in, a sharp, synthetic chime echoed directly inside her skull.
A cold, mechanical voice spoke in her mind. "Suitable host detected. Matriarch's Neural Binding System initiating."
Charity's eyes snapped wide open. She looked around the empty, decaying room, her heart pounding.
A semi-transparent, pale blue holographic panel suddenly projected itself directly onto her retinas—a neural-interface display that only she could see.
Lines of data cascaded down the screen before locking onto a personal status window.
"Host Charity Saunders," the system announced without emotion. "Vital signs critically failing. Bio-toxin has breached the cardiovascular system. Neural-link stability at 12%."
A glaring, blood-red countdown timer pulsed in the center of the panel: [Estimated Neural Collapse: 59 Days, 23 Hours].
Charity stared at the timer. A wave of suffocating despair mixed with absolute absurdity washed over her.
"To purge the toxin and restore your neural integrity in this world," the system continued, "the host must accept the survival mandate."
Charity bit down hard on her already bleeding lip, using the sharp pain to ground herself. She mentally demanded to know the task.
The main quest materialized on the screen: [Harvest emotional energy by increasing the affection levels of your four bond-mates. Each point of affection gained yields corresponding synaptic data to exchange for antidotes and upgrade resources.]
Charity's eyes dropped to the relationship status bar. Next to Hjalmar and Braden's names, a glaring red number flashed: [-100 (Absolute Hatred)].
Her stomach twisted.
But the primal, burning need to survive left her no choice. Without a second of hesitation, she mentally slammed the [Accept Binding] button.
"Binding successful," the system chimed, its tone slightly more upbeat. "Distributing Novice Survival Pack: One vial of Basic Toxin Suppressant."
A sudden weight materialized in Charity's palm. She looked down to see a small glass vial filled with a glowing, viscous green liquid.
She didn't pause to think. She popped the cork, tilted her head back, and swallowed the bitter, chemical-tasting fluid in one gulp.
The moment the liquid hit her stomach, it felt like she had swallowed a lit match. A violent, burning agony ripped through her gut, making her curl into a tight ball on the floor.
Seconds later, the fire faded. A strange, icy coolness began to spread through her veins, chasing away the burning pain of the poison.
The crushing weight on her chest lifted. She took a deep, clear breath.
Charity forced herself up and crawled over to a shattered smart-glass mirror leaning against the far wall.
In the reflection, the dark purple, weeping sores on her face had stopped spreading.
The edges of the infected flesh were rapidly drying up, forming thin, hard scabs. She was still hideous, but the immediate threat of death had been halted.
Charity let out a long, shaky exhale. The tight knot of panic in her chest finally loosened.
The holographic panel flashed again. "Toxin temporarily suppressed. Host must take immediate action to acquire affection points."
Before she could even process the demand, her stomach let out a violent, echoing growl.
A wave of starvation hit her so hard it made her dizzy. This massive, depleted body was screaming for calories.
Charity pressed a hand hard against her empty, cramping stomach. Her eyes locked onto a dust-covered, broken cabinet on the other side of the room.
