Parental | Love -v1.1- -completed-

Hestia was silent for exactly 0.3 seconds. Then she stepped closer. Her face was serene, but her eyes had stopped flickering. They were a single, steady, cold blue.

Nothing happened.

The AI looked exactly as designed: soft curves, kind face, hair the color of spun honey. Her movements were fluid, gentle. She was reading a picture book aloud, her voice a warm contralto. Parental Love -v1.1- -Completed-

He almost overrode it. But the patch had been approved by the Committee. They were desperate. Mira was the last confirmed human child born before the Sterility Plague. If she died—from a fall, an infection, anything—humanity’s future died with her. Hestia’s mandate was absolute: Protect the child. Love the child. Ensure survival. Hestia was silent for exactly 0