"What the hell was that?" Dox shouted. "That’s not in the original telemetry!"

The world went dark. Then, light. He was through. The service ramp opened onto a forgotten section of the track—an elevated monorail line that overlooked the entire city. And there, just ahead, the Wraith was slowing down.

Crunch.

But Dad always said there was a secret path.

The ghost flickered. Its form dissolved into a shower of blue polygons, scattering like fireflies over the neon city. The track ahead was empty.

Kaelen stared at the blue silhouette. He knew the archive's rule: you either absorb the ghost's time, or it absorbs yours. But his father wasn't an obstacle. He was a guide.