The victory over the Silent Hand should have brought relief. But as the weeks passed, Ethan found himself haunted by a growing sense of unease. The fragment of the shadow's echo had been contained, the Silent Hand defeated, and the Council of Peace was thriving. Yet something felt wrong—a presence lurking at the edges of his awareness, like a whisper just beyond the range of hearing.
"You've been quiet all day," Ava said, as they walked through the streets of Portside. "What's bothering you?"
Ethan was silent for a long moment. Then he said: "I can't shake the feeling that we missed something. The Silent Hand was just a tool, but who was wielding them? The fragment gave them purpose, but someone had to find it first. Someone had to know where it was hidden."
Ava's face grew pale. "You t
