The voice echoed again through the dusty air of the Masonic Library.
"You're looking for something."
Nate turned sharply, instinctively reaching for the small blade tucked into his jacket — a gift from Nova, "just in case." Nova was already in motion, stepping in front of him with her gun half-drawn, eyes scanning the darkness.
From behind a row of ancient encyclopedias, a figure emerged. He was tall and gaunt, dressed in a moth-bitten charcoal-gray suit. His white beard was trimmed close to his face, and his eyes were the color of steel.
"I wouldn't open that," the man said calmly, nodding toward the chained chest. "Unless you want to invite what's inside."
"Who the hell are you?" Nova snapped, steadying her stance.
"I'm the Custodian," the man replied without flinching. "Of the library, of the will, of LaRoux's last requests."
Nate frowned. "You know LaRoux?"
"I knew him," the Custodian said. "Intimately. He came here often, even before he was rich. This library was his hiding place… and his testing ground. Everything that matters to LaRoux — every idea, every code, every betrayal — it started here."
Nova's eyes narrowed. "If you're here to stop us, you're wasting your breath."
"I'm not here to stop you," the Custodian said, walking slowly toward the chest. "I'm here to test you."
---
Without warning, he clapped his hands once. The walls of the room shuddered. Ancient sconces flickered to life with eerie blue flames, illuminating strange symbols carved into the stone columns. The air grew colder.
Nate swallowed hard. "What the hell is this, some kind of initiation?"
The Custodian smiled thinly. "LaRoux was many things — cruel, brilliant, manipulative — but above all, he believed in trials. He believed that only the worthy should hold power. You, Executor, must face his legacy not with money, but with mind."
Nova whispered, "We're in a puzzle vault."
The Custodian gestured toward the chest. "Three questions. Get them right, you get the next fragment of the will. Fail… and this building becomes your tomb."
Nate muttered, "God, I miss regular lawyers."
---
The First Question
The Custodian stepped back and intoned:
> "The more you take, the more you leave behind.
What am I?"
Nate blinked. "Wait — it's a riddle?"
Nova whispered, "It's a test of logic. He's checking if you think like LaRoux."
Nate thought for a moment, then said aloud, "Footsteps."
The flames flared briefly — and the first lock on the chest snapped open.
The Custodian gave a small, approving nod.
---
The Second Question
> "I have cities, but no houses.
I have mountains, but no trees.
I have water, but no fish.
What am I?"
Nate smirked. "A map."
Another lock fell free.
Nova muttered, "I hate how smug you get when you're right."
---
The Third Question
The Custodian's voice dropped an octave, more serious now.
> "I can be stolen but never returned.
I am invisible but weighty.
I define a legacy.
What am I?"
Nate felt a chill crawl up his spine.
The answer was on the tip of his tongue… something ÉCHO had been manipulating. Something LaRoux had tried to protect. He looked at the Custodian, then at Nova.
"Trust," he said quietly.
A long pause. Then the third lock clicked.
The chest hissed, and the lid lifted slightly on its own.
---
Inside the Chest
Nate leaned over the edge and looked inside. Nestled within layers of velvet was a thick, leather-bound tome with a silver clasp. It was labeled:
> "Will Codex Fragment — Part II"
Under it lay a thumb drive, marked with ÉCHO's unmistakable sigil: a triangle inside a circle, pulsing faintly.
The Custodian spoke again, his voice softer now.
"This isn't just data. This is decision-making power. ÉCHO's core logic can be altered with this fragment. LaRoux created multiple failsafes — emotional triggers, moral equations — things no machine should have. You now hold one of them."
Nate picked up the drive and the codex. "Where are the other fragments?"
"They're in places LaRoux once controlled, now consumed by his enemies," the Custodian said. "And not all of them want the will finished."
Nova crossed her arms. "Let me guess — next stop is a building crawling with private security and ex-spooks?"
The Custodian nodded solemnly. "An underground data vault. Beneath the Ninth Ward."
---
On the Drive Back
In the car, Nate stared out at the streets of New Orleans as they sped through the Quarter. The city looked different now — like it was part of a giant chessboard he hadn't noticed until LaRoux died.
Nova was driving fast but smooth. She glanced over at him.
"You alright?"
"Just wondering how many more riddles I'll have to answer before I can retire to a beach."
"You're not retiring," she said. "You're rebooting the world."
He chuckled, but there was no humor in it.
"What if we're already too late?" Nate asked quietly. "What if ÉCHO is beyond saving?"
Nova didn't answer immediately. Then she said, "Then we destroy it. Simple."
"Simple," Nate echoed. "Right."
---
Elsewhere, in the Depths of the City
In a concrete room filled with flickering monitors and humming machines, a young woman watched a live feed of Nate and Nova entering the Masonic Library. Her eyes glowed faintly blue — a side effect of her neural integration.
She turned to the man beside her. His face was lined with scars, and his hands were covered in black gloves.
"They found the first piece," she said.
The man's voice was gravel. "Then we prepare the next trap. LaRoux's little game ends with us."
They weren't working for ÉCHO.
They were working for something far older… and much more dangerous.
---