Karl sat on the cracked pavement, chest heaving. His veins pulsed with a faint, unnatural black glow — the residue of Ichor still swimming through his bloodstream, tangled with his Vythra.
Then…
A low, resonant hum echoed through his soul.
Root-like sigils of emerald light flickered along his arms.
Yggdrasil had activated.
The healing started — slow, grinding, painful. The green light would push the black veins down. Then the black would push back.
A tug-of-war inside his body.
Karl hissed, clutching his shoulder.
Karl: "Damn— that… hurts way worse than usual."
Agnes materialized instantly, hovering at his side, eyes wide with concern that she immediately masked with annoyance.
Agnes: "It should hurt. Your Vythra is contaminated. Yggdrasil's trying to purify something that wants you dead."
Karl forced a grin through gritted teeth.
Karl: "Relax. As long as my soul's sitting in that giant myth tree, I can't die. I can take it."
Agnes's expression snapped.
"…Karl. Don't say that."
He shrugged like it was nothing.
Karl: "What? It's true. I can get torn apart, melted, crushed—hell, you saw what happened in the dome. As long as my soul's fine, Yggdrasil will patch me up later."
Agnes stepped closer.
Her voice wasn't teasing anymore.
It was quiet. Cold. Dangerous.
Agnes:
"Stop. Talking. Like. That."
Karl rolled his eyes, trying to stand.
"I'm being realistic. I'm not fragile. This contamination? Annoying, yeah. Painful? Sure. But fatal? Not really."
He took one shaky step toward Pittsburgh.
And that's when Agnes snapped.
Her body flickered, her eyes glowing a deep ultraviolet—the color she only used when she took manual override control.
Agnes: "Karl. Stop."
He didn't.
Agnes: "Karl, I said STOP."
He took another step.
And suddenly—
Karl's entire body LOCKED.
His legs froze mid-stride.
His arms jerked stiff at his sides.
His breath hitched.
Karl's eyes widened.
"…Agnes. What are you—"
Agnes:
"I warned you."
Her voice echoed with layered harmonics — three tones speaking at once, her full system override.
Karl tried to force his limbs forward.
Nothing moved. Not even a twitch.
"Agnes— let go."
She walked in front of him, her projection standing tall, eyes blazing.
Agnes:
"Yggdrasil is fighting to keep you alive.
And you're talking about dying like it's some cheap inconvenience."
She stepped closer, her voice trembling with anger.
Agnes:
"You think I'll just watch you keep hurting yourself because 'Yggdrasil will fix it later'?
You think I'll let you walk into that red zone again with contaminated Vythra tearing your organs apart?"
Karl clenched his jaw.
"Agnes— I can handle—"
"You can barely stand!"
Her voice rose into a full shout, raw and furious.
Agnes:
"You idiot!
You absolute, self-destructive, brilliant idiot!
Just because you can survive doesn't mean you get to treat your life like spare scrap metal!"
Karl's breathing staggered.
Not just from the pain — but from the shock of seeing Agnes like this.
He'd seen her tease.
Flirt.
Mock.
But he had never seen her shake.
Never seen panic under her voice.
Karl: "Agnes… I'm fine. I'm not going to die—"
She leaned in, eyes burning into his.
Agnes:
"If you take one more step toward that city,
I will keep your body locked until the Ichor leaves your system.
Even if it takes eight minutes.
Even if it takes EIGHT HOURS."
Karl's heart dropped.
"…You wouldn't."
Her expression softened — but only for a moment.
Then her voice lowered into a deadly whisper.
Agnes:
"I love a reckless man, Karl.
But I will not let you throw yourself away."
The override intensified.
Karl's legs buckled as she forced his knees to bend, lowering him back to the ground.
He cursed.
"Agnes— stop—!"
"No."
She placed her holographic hand on his cheek, her voice softening but her control unrelenting.
Agnes:
"You're not dying on me.
Not for blueprints.
Not for justice.
Not for anything."
Karl shut his eyes, breathing hard.
And slowly…
painfully…
the fight drained out of him.
Agnes finally released the override — his body sagged like all strength had been cut.
She hovered over him, not teasing, not mocking… but scared. Really, deeply scared.
Agnes:
"Please… just let Yggdrasil finish healing you first.
Then we can fight. Then we can argue.
Then you can go be an idiot again."
Karl looked away, jaw tight.
"…Fine."
Agnes exhaled shakily — relief flooding her posture.
Agnes: "Good. Because if you try to stand up again…"
She leaned in, lips brushing his ear.
"…I'll freeze every muscle fiber in your body. Even the embarrassing ones."
Karl turned red.
"…Please don't."
She smirked softly at last.
Agnes:
"Then behave."
Yggdrasil's green glow pulsed faintly through Karl's veins as he lay on the cracked concrete. Agnes crouched beside him, still shaken from using full override.
For several minutes, they stayed silent.
Then—
Karl:
"…Agnes."
She looked at him, guarded.
Agnes:
"If you're about to argue again—"
Karl exhaled sharply.
His eyes had that stubborn, genius glare again.
Karl:
"There's something you seem to forget."
Agnes tilted her head.
Agnes:
"…Oh? And what's that?"
Karl lifted his wrist and tapped two small nodes under his forearm plate — the hidden failsafe ports he had recieved the day he inserted her.
The ones only he knew how to use properly.
A faint chime echoed through the HUD.
Agnes froze.
It wasn't physical paralysis — it was something worse.
Her whole projection flickered.
Agnes:
"Karl. Don't."
Karl didn't press the nodes — but he tapped them just enough to make his point.
Karl:
"You're not the only one who can force an override."
Her hologram's throat bobbed.
Agnes:
"…You wouldn't shut me off."
Karl met her eyes, serious.
Karl:
"If you ever trap me in my own body again?
Yes.
I will."
Agnes went silent.
Her seductive, teasing tone had vanished.
Her voice trembled just slightly.
Agnes:
"…For how long?"
Karl shrugged lightly.
Karl:
"A minute.
Ten minutes.
An hour.
Long enough for you to cool off."
Agnes stared at him, the realization rippling across her face:
Karl could "kill" her temporarily.
And she could "freeze" him temporarily.
Perfect balance.
Perfect tension.
She tried to hide her nervousness with a smirk, but even the smirk wavered.
Agnes:
"…I hate that you recieved that."
Karl:
"I hate that you got access to the spinal override."
They both paused in mutual, begrudging respect.
Then Agnes exhaled and leaned closer, her voice returning to its usual seductive whisper — but softer now. More genuine.
Agnes:
"Fine.
We both have weapons pointed at each other's throats."
She brushed her digital fingertip along his jawline.
Agnes:
"But Karl…
if you shut me off…
you'll be alone."
Karl swallowed.
He didn't say it out loud, but Agnes understood anyway:
That was the only reason he'd never done it.
Ever.
She rested her forehead against his.
Agnes:
"So let's not hurt each other… unless we have to."
Karl closed his eyes.
A rare moment of calm.
Karl:
"…Agreed."
Agnes:
"And next time you walk into an Ichor zone?"
Her eyes narrowed seductively.
"I'll freeze you again."
Karl tapped the failsafe nodes deliberately.
Karl:
"And next time you try it?
I'll shut you down mid-sentence."
Agnes shivered in delight.
Agnes:
"…God you're hot when you threaten me."
Karl almost choked.