The Creche Response

What Victor didn’t realize—or perhaps underestimated—was that the Creche were not entirely passive in this dynamic. Though they seemed compliant, their flickering patterns betrayed a deeper complexity. In private moments, away from the village, the Weavers would exchange signals that humans couldn’t perceive, intricate patterns of light and vibration that conveyed thoughts too alien to decode.

Some of the Creche had begun to subtly resist Victor’s influence. Fields he had ordered prioritized had inexplicably suffered from pests. Tools he had requested took longer to arrive. These small acts of defiance went unnoticed by the villagers, but Victor was starting to sense that something was amiss.