(Trama Log_000011 – Subject Nasser exhibits behavioral shift. Projecting new trajectory...)

  He could still hear the alarm.

  It wasn't ringing anymore. But it was still there.

  Tariq had never been the kind of man to linger on things. His past was a ghost that walked behind him, never ahead.

  But this was different.

  Lorenz had disappeared.

  And for the first time since arriving in Vessel, Tariq cared.

  (Trama Log_000011 – Subject Nasser's emotional markers elevated. Evaluating attachment variables...)

  The whisper came like a breath against his skin.

  — "They've locked me out."

  Fuchur.

  — "Elena is restricting my access to the Trama. She knows something is wrong."

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Tariq exhaled, running a hand over his jaw.

  — "Then why are you still talking to me?"

  A pause.

  A slow, deliberate answer.

  — "Because she doesn't know what I am."

  (Trama Log_000011 – Entity Fuchur operating outside standard detection. Recalculating risk...)

  Tariq leaned against the window, watching the city breathe.

  — "Where is he?"

  Fuchur's voice was softer now. Calculating. Considering.

  — "You think I know?"

  Tariq didn't respond.

  Fuchur sighed, almost like laughter.

  — "You were never meant to be in love, were you?"

  Tariq's fingers twitched against the glass.

  — "Find him."

  Fuchur's whisper curled around him, almost pleased.

  — "Now you're speaking my language."

  Lorenz had spent his entire life pretending to be untouchable.

  But this was different.

  Elena hadn't locked him in a cell.

  She had locked him in silence.

  A sensory deprivation chamber.

  No light.

  No sound.

  No weight.

  Just the inside of his mind, echoing against itself.

  She had built this entire island for him.

  Everything—every structure, every rehabilitation program, every rule—had been made with him in mind.

  And yet, he had never felt more out of her control.

  Because she had removed the one thing keeping him tethered.

  Tariq.

  Tariq didn't have a plan.

  He didn't need one.

  He had Fuchur, and she was more dangerous than any strategy.

  — "Get me to him."

  Fuchur hummed.

  — "That's the easy part."

  A beat.

  Then—

  — "But once you find him, then what?"

  Tariq stared at his reflection.

  At his body, complete again.

  At the weight in his chest that had never been there before Lorenz.

  — "Then, I decide what happens next."

  Fuchur's whisper was almost a purr.

  — "Good answer."

  (Trama Log_000011 – Subject Nasser has engaged pursuit protocol. Projecting escalation...)