## Chapter 90: The Dead Zone
The forest didn't feel like a sanctuary anymore. It felt like a **Gilded Cage**.
The moment I touched the "Vespera" pulse, the atmosphere changed. The air grew heavy with a metallic static, and the birds stopped singing. The trees themselves seemed to lean away from me, sensing the ancient, devouring darkness that had taken root in my chest.
"They're coming," I said, my voice vibrating with a frequency that made the nearby creek ripple. "Not the bots. Not the 'Defaults'. The **Hunters**."
Silas adjusted the pack on his shoulder, his eyes scanning the ridgeline. "The ones who caught you the first time? Before the 'Vance' experiment?"
"The ones who turned a Goddess into a 'Product'," I replied. "They don't use blades, Silas. They use **'Containers'**. They'l
