Later that night, Alexander entered his Radius mirror node for the first official briefing.

A voice — female, synthetic, smooth — guided him.

“Your responsibility is not to lead Sophie. It’s to ensure no one else does.”

“The shadows she exposed today? They weren’t built overnight. And they won’t vanish without a legacy guard.”

Alexander nodded slowly.

“What if she doesn’t want a shadow network?”

“Then you never act. Radius doesn’t interfere. It protects when asked.”

At the bottom of the screen, one name appeared.

DAWNRIDGE: CLASSIFIED OPERATIVE – UNSAFE

Alias: Daxton

Alexander froze.

“He’s resurfacing.”

Sophie returned to her hotel suite in the quiet dark.

Her body was tired....