The woods stretched endlessly before them, each shadow a reminder that they weren’t alone. Clara’s grip on the Node tightened as she and Hensley pushed forward, adrenaline keeping her legs moving despite the ache in her muscles.


    Behind them, the Custodian’s static hum had faded, but Clara couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t gone for good.


    “We can’t keep running blind,” Hensley muttered, his breath ragged. “What’s the plan, Clara?”


    Clara hesitated, glancing at the Node. Its glow was faint now, but the strange pull she’d felt earlier lingered, like a thread tugging at her consciousness. “We find Daniel. He knows more about this than anyone. He has to know how to stop it.”


    “Assuming we’re not intercepted first,” Hensley replied grimly. “That thing’s not the only one listening to the signal.”


    His words hung heavy in the air, and Clara couldn’t ignore the truth in them. Wexler’s warning, Daniel’s confirmation—the Node wasn’t just a beacon; it was a call to arms. And now the world knew the liquid was stable.


    Clara shuddered. Who else was out there, watching, waiting?


    <hr>


    A Warning Ignored


    As they reached a clearing, the woods gave way to a narrow road. Hensley scanned the area, then gestured toward an abandoned truck partially hidden by overgrowth.


    “That’ll get us there faster,” he said. “If it still works.”


    Clara climbed into the passenger seat while Hensley fumbled with the ignition. After a tense moment, the engine sputtered to life, the sound startlingly loud in the quiet forest.


    “Not exactly subtle,” Clara muttered, her eyes darting to the treeline.


    “Better than walking,” Hensley shot back, flooring the gas. The truck lurched forward, its tires kicking up dirt as they sped down the road.


    As the vehicle gained speed, Clara felt the Node grow warmer in her hands. The faint hum it emitted seemed to resonate with her heartbeat, a steady rhythm that was both comforting and unnerving.


    “Clara,” Hensley said, his tone cautious. “You’re glowing.”


    Clara looked down. The Node’s light was no longer faint—it pulsed with an intensity that illuminated the cabin. The warmth in her chest grew stronger, almost unbearable.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    “I don’t know what’s happening,” she whispered. “It feels… alive.”


    Before Hensley could respond, the truck’s radio crackled to life, static giving way to a distorted voice.


    “Clara Blackthorn,” it said, cold and mechanical. “Your interference has been logged. Cease all actions and surrender the Node.”


    Hensley cursed, slamming the steering wheel. “Great. It’s in the damn radio now?”


    “No,” Clara said, her voice tight with fear. “It’s not the Custodian. This is someone else.”


    The voice continued, unyielding. “Your bloodline marks you as a threat. Surrender, or face elimination.”


    Clara’s grip on the Node tightened. “Who are you?”


    The response was chilling. “The First Echo. The true inheritor of Blackthorn’s legacy. Your survival jeopardizes the Directive.”


    The radio went silent, leaving a suffocating stillness in its wake.


    <hr>


    The Ambush


    The truck lurched suddenly, the front tires skidding over the gravel. Hensley cursed, yanking the wheel as a blackened figure stepped into their path. It wasn’t the Custodian, but it moved with the same fluidity—another construct, its shape fractured and unstable.


    “Hold on!” Hensley shouted, jerking the truck off the road. The vehicle crashed through the underbrush before slamming to a halt against a tree. Clara was thrown forward, the Node slipping from her hands.


    Dazed, she reached for the device, but the construct was already moving toward it, its form shifting like smoke. Hensley staggered out of the truck, gun drawn, but Clara knew bullets wouldn’t stop it.


    Desperation surged within her. She didn’t know how or why, but the Node had responded to her before. It had recognized her.


    “Stop!” she shouted, focusing all her energy on the device. “Come back to me!”


    The Node glowed brighter, its light cutting through the shadows. The construct hesitated, its fractured form flickering. For a moment, Clara felt the pull again, stronger than before—a connection she didn’t fully understand but couldn’t deny.


    The Node responded, flying into her hands. The construct’s hesitation turned to aggression. It lunged toward her, its liquid-like limbs twisting into sharp edges.


    Before it could reach her, a blinding flash erupted from the Node, sending the construct hurtling backward. It dissolved into a cloud of ash, leaving only silence in its wake.


    <hr>


    A Fragment of the Past


    Clara stared at the Node, its light dimming once more. Her chest heaved with exhaustion, but the connection still buzzed in her veins.


    “What the hell was that?” Hensley asked, limping toward her.


    “I don’t know,” Clara admitted, her voice shaking. “But it’s not just a beacon. It’s a weapon.”


    She looked up at Hensley, determination hardening her features. “We have to reach Daniel. There’s more to this than he’s told us.”


    Hensley nodded, but his expression was grim. “If that thing’s the First Echo, it’s not going to stop. And it knows who you are.”


    Clara swallowed hard. The weight of her heritage felt heavier than ever. She didn’t just carry the Node—she carried the legacy of the Blackthorn name. And with it, the responsibility to uncover the truth before it was too late.


    “Then we don’t stop either,” Clara said. “No matter what it takes.”


    With the Node glowing faintly in her hands, they pushed forward into the unknown, the shadows of their past—and their enemies—growing darker with every step.