3a6f6f3d-8a7a-42a8-9ddc-0c5ac89d6004 4 — -new

Elena tried to speak, but her voice came out as static.

"The first three tried to break me out," the child said. "They ended up fracturing their own minds. You can't save me, Dr. Vasquez. But you can choose not to scream."

"What do you need?" Elena whispered.

No screaming. Only story.

The orb glowed. The child listened. And outside, the lab monitors flatlined — not in failure, but in completion.