Chapter 78: The Hymn of Parasites and the Gathering Storm
My question—silent and swirling in the void of my mind—became rhetorical the moment Onyx extended her slender, alabaster hand and gently clasped the shimmering caterpillar-like parasite.
"I will absorb the parasite, darling," Onyx declared with quiet authority, her voice a velvet whip slicing through the tension. "There's no sense letting it waste away, unused."
I blinked, considering. "Why not let Sophia take it back? After all, it's hers."
Onyx's gaze softened, a cosmic shrug woven into the curve of her lips. "Hers, mine, ours—these are trivial distinctions, my love. The parasite belongs to the Hive collective, ultimately. But whatever soothes your mind."
She released the tiny creature with a careful flick of her fingers, sending it fluttering like a fragile whisper through the psychic currents.