The Ledger-Spire didn't just pulse; it screamed. The dark signal radiating from its peak was a jagged, high-frequency intrusion that tore through the atmospheric stability of the Old-Sector. High above, where the ivory towers of the High-Band had once stood in sterile perfection, a new structure was rapidly assembling itself a monolith of obsidian and chrome that looked like a jagged spear aimed at the heart of the network.
Sienna collapsed to her knees, her violet eyes wide as the static from the spire began to overwrite her neural patterns. "It’s not possible," she choked out, her voice a chorus of distorted echoes. "He was deleted. We saw the archive purge him."
"Who, Sienna?" Dax demanded, his hand tightening on the iron gavel. "Who is Thorne using?"
The answer didn't come from her.
