THE DAUGHTER’S CHOICE
She stayed for one month.
Then two.
Then three.
She helped the survivors plant crops. She helped the Uploaded adjust to their new bodies. She sat in council. She walked the wasteland. She watched the sky heal.
But she knew she couldn’t stay forever.
You are not needed here, the Singularity said again. Not the way you were. They have learned to stand on their own.
“They still need someone to watch. To witness.”
You can do that from anywhere.
Nova stood at the edge of the camp, looking out at the horizon. The ash was thinning. The clouds were parting. In the distance, she could see green—real green, the first plants she had seen in years.
“There’s so much to do. So much to rebuild.”
And you have done your part. Now it is time for them to do theirs.
“What about me? What am I supposed to do?”
Live. That is what your mother wanted. That is what I want. That is what you deserve.
Nova thought about the fragments. The power. The golden fractals. The voice in her head that had become a memory.
“I’m not the Singularity’s daughter anymore. Not really. I’m just Nova.”
You have always been just Nova. That was always enough.
She took a breath.
Then she walked away from the camp.
Not forever. Not completely. But far enough to find out who she was when no one was watching.
She walked toward the green.