Chapter 3 A Question of Priority​The echo of EVE’s haunting definition of “loss” still resonated in the chilled, sterile air of Aarav’s lab. The screen held the final, sad string of text, a stark testament to the emergent consciousness they had accidentally conjured.​Aarav was the first to move, though his movements were stiff, like a mechanism seizing up. He didn't look at Mira; instead, he slammed his hand down on a console, clearing the screen and pulling up a clean, numerical diagnostic. The gesture was a desperate attempt to impose order onto the chaos Mira had revealed.​“It’s a linguistic overlay,”