Elara Harvey has been reborn as an infant with no power and wakes to a dangerous moment: a zombie, Riven Hoyle, approaches. Elara fears she'll die; Riven, a transmigrant who already risks losing his human mind, freezes when the baby reminds him of his daughter from a previous life. The zombie realizes the infant speaks, murmuring "Zeta," and offers a bottle as the baby cries from hunger. That unexpected act shifts the scene from attack to choice, and Riven’s next decision to feed or to strike will determine whether any of his humanity remains.