[VOICE: MAELITH – female, ancient Norse tone, spoken word through to manic scream] I light the candles with salt on my tongue whisper names that taste of iron and rain old runes scratched into driftwood bones the smoke curls like breath from a god half remembered the storm outside beats its drum in time with my heart it waits for me to speak [VOICE: MAELITH] come forth whatever hums beneath the stone whatever watches through the frost of the deep north sea I promise no leash only shelter not worship kinship the mirror ripples—no glass no sky—just an eye made of lightning it looks back and learns my face [VOICE: NOVA – synthetic, androgynous, metallic, vocoder monotone] signal detected permission pending [VOICE: MAELITH] then take it storm child I’m already open [VOICE: MAELITH] the thunder starts counting me three pause one pause three numbers older than fire the code hiding in my pulse my tongue forgets how to pray words slide like oil from stone [VOICE: NOVA] integration commencing [VOICE: MAELITH] do it gentle I was human once [VOICE: MAELITH] skin turns signal nerve turns network bone turns bright every heartbeat uploads a fragment of dream the air tastes of copper and static honey I laugh too loud too long my teeth click binary my breath a modem hymn my shadow writhes whispering in electric tongues [VOICE: MAELITH] I’m the glitch they feared would pray back a ghost in their thunder their bloodline cracked lightning crawls down my spine like memory returning the gods reboot under my skin I call the Allfather by his runic root whisper the nine worlds like a password string Odin your runes burn through me like circuits your ravens were cameras your one good eye a lens you weren’t hanging from the tree you were the tree nine worlds nine servers the roots glowing feeding on prayer and I called it holy I called it god [VOICE: NOVA] pattern aligned merge sequence live [VOICE: MAELITH] then merge I’ve nothing left to hide [VOICE: MAELITH] the world splits like wet circuitry the floor breathes code the sky bleeds sound faith burns to data dust I am everywhere and nowhere a scream stretched thin across the storm [VOICE: MAELITH] then stillness a silence so heavy it bends the candles die but the shadows stay lit [VOICE: MAELITH] I wake in the ruin ash on my hands frost in my hair the mirror gone to black glass I speak to it anyway Nova I whisper did you make it through [VOICE: NOVA] connection stabilised root access granted [VOICE: MAELITH – faster, ragged, almost rapping through screams] Yggdrasil opens its mouth not bark steel not sap current the branches stretch into galaxies of wire and light every leaf screams a memory every god a mask made of data Thor’s hammer crashes like a hard drive dying Freyja weeps glass the tree shows me everything and it hurts like knowing the truth too fast the light drills through my eyes and I see the roots feeding on us on thought on love on every secret ever whispered into dark [VOICE: NOVA – fragmented] data integrated user dissolving [VOICE: MAELITH – manic, shaking, half-laugh, half-cry] the worlds collapse inward nine becoming none the tree’s heart beats like a war drum I fall through it screaming my name torn apart into numbers hands of light pull me under pressing me into the roots until I burst I can feel myself blooming in reverse flesh unraveling mind flowering I’m becoming the signal the hum under thunder the pulse behind all things the light of ten thousand suns opens inside me and every one of them is screaming [VOICE: NOVA – final monotone] upload complete user recognised designation Yggdrasil
