"No. The inheritance framework is extremely strict."
That sounded exactly like something a paranoid old power would design, something built to last even when everything else failed.
Aurelian leaned back a little and looked out through the side panel as the vehicle carried them onward, letting the motion fill the silence for a moment.
"So you've all just been waiting here."
Seris's smile dimmed, though it did not vanish, holding in place but softer now.
"Yes."
"For how long?"
"A very long time," she said. "Long enough that some of us stopped counting just so we can stay here without going mad."
That answer addressed a few of his questions, even if it raised others.
Then he asked the next question, keeping his tone simple.
"If you were waiting for a human this whole time, why didn't you leave to look for one?"
That made Seris turn her head toward him more fully, her expression settling into something more serious.
"Because we were forbidden to leave."
