“The only way to break control is to flood it,” Sophia said. “We need raw human resonance—unprogrammed, untamed. Stories, laughter, even grief—but freely given.”Elise hesitated. “And if the Monument resists? If it collapses like Maracay nearly did?”Sophia met her eyes. “Then at least it falls free
Chapter 180: The Covenant TestedThe vow of Maracay rippled outward faster than Sophia or anyone else in EmberRoots could have imagined.By the time the caravan reached Caracas, messages from across the continent were already pouring in. In Quito, neighbors gathered in candlelit plazas to recite the
She jerked back, gasping. Amina caught her arm. “What did you hear?”“They know,” Sophia whispered. “The echoes know. They want release—even if it destroys the Monument.”Raven’s eyes darkened. “If it collapses here, the resonance wave could spread through every city tied into the lattice. It won’t
Chapter 179: Fractures in the LatticeThe warning came at dawn.Raven’s tablet pulsed crimson as data from Maracay surged across EmberNet. Lines of resonance that had been steady just hours before now spiked into violent peaks, jagged as broken glass. He shoved the device into Sophia’s hands.“It’s
Chapter 178: Monuments of EchoThe caravan moved through dawn-lit plains toward Puerto La Cruz. The sky hung low, dense with clouds that threatened rain, or perhaps grief itself. Sophia rode in silence, the weight of the cities behind her pressing like stone against her chest. From every vantage, th
Chapter 177: CaracasCaracas did not sleep.Through the night, chants wound through alleyways and laughter spilled into plazas. The Living Stones glimmered with candles tucked between tiles, with songs painted on walls, with children weaving dances around the anchors of memory. The hollowing had bee