Everywhere.
The feeling Sophia had struggled with all her might to convey still had meaning of its own.
This description could naturally be understood to mean that the Vacuum Flower was absurdly huge, encompassing everything around it.
But at the same time, there was another possible explanation: it could appear wherever it pleased.
Just as I'd said before, it had a more abstract form of existence.
And if we assumed that Sophia was its anchor, and that this "wound" flickered in and out within a certain radius around her, then all the things that had happened earlier seemed to suddenly make sense—
The Vacuum Flower, originally trapped inside the workshop, had gradually accumulated a foothold in the outside world through the trio's successive breaches of its limits.
Finally, as Sophia left after being exposed to it, the anchor grew strong enough for it to break through that special security barrier.
Once outside, it didn't hide inside any flesh. Instead, it continued to flicker in an uncertain state over a much wider area.
That was why Sophia had no effect on her surroundings.
And it was why Ess's plan had failed.
As for why the Vacuum Flower had been flickering outside for so long without affecting Ess or the other two students, Fu Qian's understanding was that it had to do with the key point the Sage had mentioned: continuous close contact for one minute was required to ignite a new anchor.
The Vacuum Flower's existence was never continuous enough, and it also lacked an "will to exist." It wouldn't actively develop new anchors to ensure its own continuation. Everything was left to chance.
Then the trio died, and Fu Qian forcibly severed the connection to Sophia as an anchor with the Return Edict.
The Vacuum Flower, which could already be