“Yes.”
She studies me long and hard.
Then—
“You are stronger than Celeste.”
The words land like a blade.
“Don’t compare me to her.”
“She resisted physically. You resist philosophically.”
“She died protecting me.”
“She died refusing training.”
The accusation hits deeper than I expect.
“What training?”
Lilith’s smile returns.
“Celeste refused to learn resonance control beyond purification. She feared amplification. She believed power corrupted.”
“She was right.”
“She was incomplete.”
The word lingers.
Incomplete.
“She suppressed parts of her lineage.”
“And that’s why she died?” I snap.
“That’s why she was vulnerable.”
Silence fills the chamber.
“You’re saying if she’d trained under you—”
“She wouldn’t have been harvested.”
My blood boils.
“You murdered her.”
“Yes.”
