Chapter 27: Node Echo
The ruins of Sector Delta-34 vanished behind them, swallowed by mist and memory. The party now moved with less urgency but more weight. Every step deeper into the unknown felt like a descent not just into the wilds—but into Fade himself.
But they hadn’t left immediately.
After their encounter deep within the underground node, the group had spent a full day resting at the outskirts of Delta-34. The battered concrete shell of a former outpost gave just enough shelter. Kaela set up perimeter sensors, Darin patrolled, and Zeyna climbed trees out of boredom. Fade barely slept.
That night, they made camp beside a half-buried rail track. Firelight flickered on rusted metal, and shadows stretched long.
Fade standing quietly at the edge of the firelight. His gaze searched the fractured sky, chasing patterns in the clouds that never stayed still. He touched the crystal in his coat pocket—it felt warmer than usual.
Something buzzed faintly in his ears. Maybe a whisper. Maybe just the wind.
"Tomorrow," he thought, "what if tomorrow’s already too late?"
Zeyna sat a little apart from the group, sharpening one of her blades. Fade approached her, his fingers brushing against the edge of his coat, absentminded.
"You ever feel like something’s waiting for you?" he asked.
She looked up, eyes glinting. "All the time. I just don’t wait back."
He cracked a smile, faint. "I think I’ve been waiting too long."