Tethered in Rust and Bone

The rain at the village elder's funeral didn't wash away the scent of ozone - the telltale sign of his mechanical hounds. I am Mireira, once an ordinary reader, now trapped in the body of a doomed saboteur. Two years ago, I awoke just as 'my' hands poisoned Zareto Galtis, the era's most brilliant and unhinged biomechanist. I ran. Now, I hide in the starving, muddy village of Ovesta with my only ally, a stolen chimeric owl named Tarnis. I am quietly ruthless, doing whatever dirty work is required to survive his relentless, obsessive hunt. But Zareto isn't just looking for revenge; his corrupted devotion is far more terrifying. To flush me out, he has unleashed a synthetic blight on my sanctuary, offering a cure he knows I will try to steal. When I step into his grand, inescapable snare, I discover a chilling truth: I didn't stumble into this nightmare. My original soul orchestrated this very betrayal to keep him alive. Will his maddening love consume me, or will I finally tame the monster I was destined to create?