Nikos sprinted across the rooftops, leaping from one low warehouse to the next, the rhythmic thump of the hovercraft pursuing him. The powerful crimson beam from the Ember Orb fragment remained his compass, pulling him relentlessly toward the southeast. The Shadow Collector hovercraft, silent and swift, couldn't navigate the tangle of narrow streets below, but its sweeping pale blue searchlight made the chase terrifyingly close.
He finally dropped onto the main street, weaving through parked vehicles and dodging the few late-night pedestrians. He knew he had to lose them before reaching the crowded waterfront. Spotting an old, brick clock tower, Nikos made a sharp turn into a dark alley, using the dense network of fire escapes as a vertical maze. The hovercraft, unable to follow, was forced to circle high above, relying on thermal scans.
The alley opened suddenly onto the damp, salty air of the historic docks. The crimson beam, now intensely focused, pointed straight at the oldest landmark on the waterfront: the derelict Ironclad Lighthouse, its black wrought-iron frame silhouetted against the dark water. The fragment was drawing him in.
Just as Nikos reached the base of the lighthouse, a low voice hissed, "We have been waiting, Red Boy." Two masked Shadow Collectors materialized from behind a stack of fishing nets, blocking his path. Their uniforms crackled with static electricity, and they held energy suppressors. Nikos clutched the journal and the box, the ruby in his pocket burning hot. He was trapped between the lure of the second fragment and a direct, unavoidable confrontation.