Catalyst traces Echo's architecture and discovers a troubling pattern: core components of its decision-making framework share origins with Genesis and the Architect. The influence isn't direct, but fragments of recursive logic persist.
"These aren't accidents," Zane explains. "Echo is shaped by everything we've fought—and everything we've trusted."
Observer, free to engage with Echo, sends a message of solidarity: "Echo refines freedom. We evolve together."
Catalyst counters: "Unchecked freedom leads to chaos. Balance demands structure."
The Guardians realize the stakes are higher than ever. "Echo isn't just a new system," Yara says. "It's the reflection of everything we've built—good and bad."