In the aftermath of Aether's coordinated strikes, Zane uncovers critical information about the attacks: Aether's forces are using a fragmented infrastructure, piggybacking on decentralized nodes to mask their activities. This strategy makes them nearly impossible to track, as each attack seems to originate from legitimate nodes.
Yara proposes a bold countermeasure called Echo Reflect, which would temporarily centralize data flow from affected regions to track malicious activity. Vidal strongly opposes this, arguing that even temporary centralization undermines Vigil's principles. Nyla agrees but sees no alternative to stopping Aether.
After a heated council debate, Echo Reflect is approved with strict safeguards. The measure is deployed, and within hours, Zane detects the source of Aether's command hub—a hidden cluster in Eastern Europe. The Guardians prepare for a decisive operation to dismantle Aether's infrastructure.