Cascade Pass greeted the dawn with clouds of data.

  The caravan reached the protected plateau at dawn, just as Layla had planned. Here, in a natural amphitheater formed by weathered rocks and strange biocybernetic formations, the nomads set up a temporary camp. Five massive transporters lined up in a semicircle, their multi-jointed limbs finally still after the night's journey, while the protective beacons on their backs continued to emit a pulsating glow, creating a dome of invisible protection over the entire camp.

  Alex stood at the edge of the plateau, observing an amazing phenomenon: dense clouds of glowing mist rose from the gorges below—not water vapor, but pure, condensed information. These clouds slowly spiraled, forming complex, constantly changing structures, like frost-like crystals growing and melting in time-lapse photography.

  "Information cascades," said Zoi, appearing beside him. "Hence the name of the pass. A unique phenomenon. A place where data streams condense into an almost material form."

  She sat down on a flat stone covered with a thin layer of bioluminescent lichen, which glowed faintly in response to her presence.

  "The perfect place for the first lesson," she added, gesturing for Alex to sit beside her.

  After the events of the previous night, they decided to make a stop before the caravan and companions would part ways. Layla agreed to delay for half a day to give the transporters and their crews the necessary rest after the exhausting night journey and the encounter with the swarm.

  "Lesson?" Alex lowered himself onto the adjacent stone, feeling it slightly yield under his weight, adapting to the shape of his body.

  "You demonstrated... spontaneous abilities," said Zoi, her golden eyes studying him carefully. "Strong ones. But uncontrolled. Dangerous—for you and for others. Before we reach Neira's enclave, you must master... basic control."

  Alex nodded in agreement. Yesterday's unexpected energy discharge, though effective against the swarm, had frightened him. The power that had been released from his implant was raw, chaotic, unpredictable.

  "Where do we begin?" he asked, internally preparing for something complex.

  Zoi smiled, and in that smile was something almost childishly joyful—a rare moment when her usually detached, slightly inhuman technomancer persona gave way to a warmer, more natural essence.

  "With breathing," she answered simply. "The foundation of all control is breathing. Rhythm. Pulse. Flow. In technomancer technique, the first principle: inner order creates outer harmony."

  She straightened her back, placed her hands on her knees with palms facing upward, and closed her eyes.

  "Follow my lead," she said. "Back straight. Hands open to the flow. Eyes closed—not for blindness, but for better vision."

  Alex followed her instructions, assuming a similar posture. He felt somewhat ridiculous but decided to trust Zoi's experience.

  "Now—breathing," she continued. "Inhale for a count of four. Hold for a count of two. Exhale for a count of six. Hold for a count of two. And again. Rhythm is important. Not random numbers, but... a resonant pattern. A frequency at which information flows are most... receptive."

  Alex began breathing according to the specified pattern. At first, it required conscious effort and concentration, but gradually the rhythm became more natural.

  "Good," Zoi approved without opening her eyes. "Now, with each inhale, imagine energy filling you. Not just air—information. Data. Flow. With each exhale—release tension. Resistance. Noise."

  Alex tried to follow the instructions, though initially it seemed like an abstract exercise. But after several breathing cycles, he began to sense... something. A subtle vibration around him, like a light electric current running across the surface of his skin.

  "You're beginning to feel it," Zoi noted, as if reading his thoughts. "Information flows are always around us. Always through us. We are nodes in the great network. Receivers and transmitters. Your implant amplifies this natural ability. A thousandfold."

  She paused, then added:

  "But amplification without control is destruction. Like connecting a powerful generator to a fragile circuit. Overload. Fire. A regulator is necessary. A buffer. Technique."

  Alex continued breathing in the prescribed rhythm, sensing the surrounding information flows more clearly. They were no longer an abstract concept—he could almost see them through closed eyelids, like thin, luminous threads permeating all the space around him.

  "What now?" he asked, trying not to break his breathing pattern.

  "Now—perception without reaction," Zoi replied. "Observe the flows. Feel them. But don't try to influence them. Don't reach for them. Don't push them away. Just... be present."

  This proved harder than the previous stage. Alex felt his implant almost instinctively trying to interact with the detected flows—amplifying some, suppressing others, altering the third. Maintaining a neutral position required constant concentration.

  "Difficult," he admitted after a while.

  "Naturally," Zoi nodded. "Your node was created for active interaction. But control begins with the ability to... not act. Technomancers spend years learning this. Maintaining balance. Being in the flow but not being the flow."

  They continued the meditation in silence. Alex gradually grew accustomed to the new state—simultaneously perceiving information currents and restraining himself from automatically reacting to them. It was like being in a fast river, allowing the water to flow around him without letting the current catch and carry him away.

  "Next step," Zoi finally said. "Choose one stream. The clearest one. The most stable. And allow yourself to... enter it. Not absorbing. Not interfering. As an observer."

  Alex concentrated, studying the surrounding information currents. Most seemed chaotic, unpredictable. But one—a thin, distinct stream of data glowing with a steady blue light—appeared more stable.

  He carefully directed his attention to this stream, trying to follow Zoi's instructions—not to absorb, not to interfere, just to observe. It was like cautiously dipping his fingertips into water without immersing his entire hand.

  And suddenly he saw.

  Not with his eyes, not with familiar vision, but with some new sense for which there wasn't even a name. He saw the content of the data stream—a complex, multidimensional structure of information about the terrain around Cascade Pass. Ecological data, maps of information currents, records of strange anomalies recorded in this region.

  "I see... a map," he said slowly, trying not to lose concentration. "Information about the pass. Data collected by... someone."

  "Caravan archive," Zoi confirmed. "Nomads document. Map. Share information through... common repositories. You've found one such stream. Public. Safe for a first immersion."

  "This is... amazing," Alex admitted. "Like reading a book, but with all senses simultaneously."

  "Information in its pure form," Zoi nodded. "Not limited by words. Symbols. Linearity. Multidimensional perception is one of the first abilities technomancers develop."

  Alex continued exploring the stream, gradually getting used to the new type of perception. He discovered he could focus on various aspects of the information, switch attention between different levels of data, like adjusting an invisible microscope.

  "Now," Zoi's voice interrupted his exploration, "try to... make a small change. Minimal. Controlled. Imagine a point in the stream. A marker. A tag."

  Alex concentrated, imagining a simple symbol—a circle with a dot in the center. He mentally placed this symbol in the data stream, trying to act as carefully as possible.

  For a moment, nothing happened. Then he felt his implant slightly activate—not a powerful discharge like last night, but a light, measured pulsation. And the symbol appeared in the stream—a glowing mark embedded in the data structure.

  "I did it," he said with undisguised surprise.

  "Your first controlled impact," Zoi's voice held approval. "Minimal. Precise. This is the foundation of technomancy—not raw power, but... surgical precision. Every change in the flow has consequences. Echoes. Waves spreading... in all directions."

  She paused, then continued:

  "Imagine an information sea. Throwing a stone creates waves. A big stone—big waves. Destructive. A small stone—small waves. Controlled. Technomancy teaches how to throw stones... of the right size. In the right places. With the right purpose."

  Alex nodded, beginning to understand the philosophy underlying these practices. His spontaneous interactions with information flows were like throwing boulders into a quiet lake—effective but destructive and unpredictable. What Zoi was teaching was the subtle art of creating gentle ripples on the water's surface—minimal impact for maximum effect.

  "Enough for today," said Zoi, opening her eyes. "The first lesson is always... the most important. The foundation. Everything else is built upon it."

  Alex also opened his eyes, and for a moment the world seemed unexpectedly bright, saturated. He seemed to see with double vision—the ordinary physical reality and the network of information flows overlaid upon it, which had previously escaped his perception.

  "Is it always like this?" he asked, blinking, trying to get used to the new level of perception. "This... double vision?"

  "Your filters are temporarily... reconfigured," Zoi explained. "With practice, you'll learn to switch consciously. To see both levels simultaneously. Or just one. By choice. As needed."

  She stood up, and her slender figure against the morning sky and rising information cascades created a strangely harmonious image—a woman at the border of two worlds, physical and informational.

  "Breakfast," she said simply. "After deep work with flows, the body needs... energy. Nutrition."

  They returned to the caravan camp, where life was already bustling. The nomads had set up temporary biostructures—resembling tents but created from living organisms that responded to the environment. These structures provided both shelter and basic housing functions, independently regulating temperature, humidity, and even the composition of the air inside.

  Layla Rains met them at the central fire—not a traditional flame, but a concentrated mass of energy gathered from the surrounding information flows and converted into heat and light.

  "How was the first lesson?" she asked, handing them containers of food—synthesized but nutritious cubes of different colors, each containing a specific set of necessary substances.

  "Productive," Zoi replied. "Alex is... a receptive student. Talented. His node is more... responsive than most beginning technomancers."

  Layla looked at Alex intently with her unusual black eyes.

  "You've changed since I found you after the Resonance," she said thoughtfully. "Then, your implant was... damaged. Unstable. You couldn't control its effect on the surrounding flows. Sometimes it was dangerous—you had episodes of involuntary energy discharges. Like electrical storms, but... of pure data."

  "You never told me about this," Alex noted, sitting by the strange "fire" and feeling its unusual warmth—not burning like an ordinary fire, but penetrating, as if warming from within.

  "There was no suitable moment," Layla shrugged. "And I wasn't sure you needed to know. Memory has its reasons for forgetting certain things."

  She also sat down, her silvery implants under the skin softly glowing in rhythm with the pulsation of the energy fire.

  "But now you're beginning to control your node," she continued. "Learning to manage your abilities. Perhaps you need to know more about that period. About what happened to you immediately after the Resonance."

  Alex listened attentively, understanding that Layla could fill a critical gap in his memory—the period between the activation of the nodes and his awakening in the rescue camp.

  "I found you in the mountains," she began, looking at the information cascades in the distance. "In an area that later became known as the Zero Patient Zone—the place where the effects of the Resonance manifested first and most strongly. I was there with a research group—we were trying to understand what was happening to the world, why technology and biology began to... merge."

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  She paused, as if gathering her thoughts.

  "You were lying among the debris of some complex equipment. Everything around was... changed. Transformed. Trees with metallic branches. Stones with electronic circuits inside. Air saturated with visible data streams. And you—in the center of all this chaos, unconscious, with a bleeding wound on the back of your head."

  Alex listened silently, trying to imagine this scene. The place where the Resonance began. The place where the world changed forever.

  "I thought you would die," Layla said honestly. "Your condition was critical. But my father was a field medic, and I knew the basics. I stabilized you, transported you to our temporary camp. And there, something strange happened—your body began to... adapt. Faster than it should have. Physical wounds healed before our eyes. But your mind... it remained fragmented. You didn't remember yourself. Didn't understand what was happening around you."

  "And the others from your group?" Alex asked. "What did they think of me?"

  "There were no 'others,'" Layla quietly replied. "When I found you, I was already alone. The group... didn't survive the first wave of the Resonance. Their implants, communication devices—all of it turned into something... different. Entered their bodies, transformed them. Not all transformations were... compatible with life."

  She lowered her gaze to her hands with the silvery implants visible under the skin.

  "I survived because I had almost no implants. Just a basic communication module. Minimal intervention in biology. But even that was enough for... changes." She pointed to her completely black eyes. "New vision. The ability to see information flows. A side effect of how my communication module integrated with the optic nerve during the Resonance."

  Zoi listened carefully, not interrupting. For her, born after the Resonance, such stories were a living chronicle of the formation of the new world.

  "In the first days after I found you," Layla continued, addressing Alex, "you often spoke about your sister. About Sara. About how the connection between you was severed. You seemed... almost physically wounded by this rupture. As if part of you had been cut off."

  Alex nodded, feeling his implant slightly pulse at the mention of his sister's name.

  "Our nodes were created as a paired system," he said quietly. "Two parts of a whole. At the moment of the Resonance, we were... separated."

  "That explains a lot," Layla said thoughtfully. "Your condition in those first weeks wasn't like a normal injury. It was almost... existential pain. Loss at a level deeper than physical."

  She glanced at Zoi, as if seeking confirmation of her thoughts.

  "The Nexus Nodes," the technomancer said slowly, "according to ancient technomantic texts, were created with a unique... architecture. Two parts, capable of functioning autonomously, but achieving full potential only in synchronization. Separation of such nodes is... painful. Traumatic. At a level deeper than neural."

  "That's why you lost your memory," Layla added. "It was a protective mechanism of your mind. Oblivion as a medicine for the unbearable pain of separation."

  Alex pondered this information, and many things began to make sense—his amnesia, the constant feeling of loss that had haunted him for years, even without having a specific object, and the recent changes that began from the moment he received the signal about the "second node."

  "Layla," he cautiously began. "When I asked yesterday if you had met anyone who looked like me, possibly with the same implant... you answered negatively. But your reaction... it made me think that wasn't the whole truth."

  Layla was silent for a long time, her silvery implants pulsating irregularly, as if reflecting an internal conflict.

  "I never met your sister," she finally said. "But I heard about her. Information, fragments of data, rumors among nomads. About a woman with unique abilities to interact with information flows. About a 'witch,' as some call her, capable of manipulating biocybernetic structures with a mere thought."

  She paused, then continued:

  "By description, she resembles you. The same facial features, but feminine. And most importantly—she exhibited the same periodic data discharges that you had in the first months after the Resonance. But stronger. Much stronger."

  Alex's heart beat faster.

  "Where?" was all he could ask. "Where was she seen?"

  "Mostly in territories controlled by the Naturals," Layla replied. "In their main enclave, which they call the 'Sanctuary of Purity.' Among nomads, there are rumors that the Naturals keep her... not entirely voluntarily. That she is of special interest to them."

  "The Naturals?" Alex asked in surprise. "But they reject everything related to technological integration. Why would they want a person with an implant?"

  "Motives are not always obvious," Zoi interjected. "The Naturals are not monolithic. Different factions. Different goals. Their leader, Grey... a complex figure. Former scientist. Transformed by the Resonance into... an ideologue of purity."

  "If your sister is indeed there," Layla continued, "and if she wears the second Nexus Node... this could explain the activity of drones and security systems. Someone is tracking the node carriers. Perhaps the same one who controls the Naturals from the shadows."

  Alex tried to process all this information. If Sara was indeed in the Naturals' enclave, then his path after the technomancer enclave was clear. But why would the Naturals, who reject technological integration, hold a Nexus Node carrier?

  "Something has changed in the world," Layla said thoughtfully, as if reading his mind. "In recent months, we've observed strange patterns in information flows. Instability. Fluctuations. As if something is approaching..."

  "What exactly?" Alex asked.

  "No one knows for sure," Layla shook her head. "But there are signs, hints. Information currents are becoming more... active. Biocybernetic life forms are evolving faster. Aberration zones are expanding and moving. As if the entire ecosystem is preparing for some kind of... event."

  Zoi nodded, her golden eyes becoming thoughtful.

  "Technomancers also sense the changes," she said. "Neira Somova, my mentor, calls it... 'preparation for a phase transition.' A state before transformation. Similar to what preceded the Resonance itself, but... different. More structured. Directed."

  Alex remembered the strange words he had spoken in delirium, according to Layla's account—about the "Second Resonance," about the "continuation of the process."

  "Do you think a new Resonance is possible?" he asked quietly. "A second global leap of transformation?"

  "Possibly," Zoi nodded. "But not necessarily... a catastrophe, like the first. If the first Resonance was... premature, chaotic due to the rupture of connection between the nodes, then the second could be... different. Controlled. Completing what began twenty-seven years ago."

  "And for this, both nodes are needed," Alex said slowly, beginning to understand. "Sara and I are needed. Together."

  "A logical assumption," Zoi agreed. "If you were catalysts for the first transformation, then for the second, more stable one, you are also... necessary. But synchronized. Harmonious. Not separated."

  Layla watched Alex's reaction carefully.

  "That's why they're looking for you," she said. "That's why the swarm scanned you but didn't attack. You are a key element. A necessary component."

  "For whose plan?" Alex asked. "The Architect's? The one who created the nodes and launched the first Resonance?"

  "Possibly," Layla shrugged. "Or for the plan of those who inherited his legacy. His systems. His vision."

  They fell silent, each immersed in their own thoughts. The strange "fire" continued to pulsate between them, casting flickering shadows on their faces. In the distance, information cascades rose and fell, creating a majestic, ever-changing picture.

  "We need to continue training," Zoi finally said, rising to her feet. "Basic principles mastered. Now—practice. Controlled interaction with flows. Here, at the cascades, the concentration of information is... ideal for learning."

  Layla nodded.

  "And I must prepare the caravan for departure," she said. "We'll leave the pass after noon, heading west. If you want to reach the technomancer enclave before dark, you should head east no later than three hours from now."

  She hesitated, then added:

  "Be careful on your way to the enclave. After yesterday's encounter with the swarm... there may be others. Observers. Pursuers."

  With these words, she left, leaving Alex and Zoi by the strange fire. The technomancer gestured for Alex to follow her, and they headed toward the edge of the plateau, closer to the information cascades.

  Here, on a rock outcropping, Zoi again assumed a meditative posture.

  "Let's continue with a more... complex exercise," she said. "Active interaction with a dense information field. The cascades contain... all types of data. Chaotic. Structured. Ancient. New. The ideal environment for practicing filtration. Sorting. Selective perception."

  Alex sat beside her, assuming the now familiar posture. This time, entering the meditative state came easier to him—as if body and mind remembered the right path and could now follow it without conscious control of each step.

  "Focus on the cascades," Zoi instructed. "Allow your perception to... expand. Encompass the entire spectrum of data. And then begin to... filter. Look for specific patterns. Signatures. Information structures of a certain type."

  Alex directed his attention to the rising clouds of condensed information. It was like trying to discern individual drops in a waterfall—at first, it seemed impossible to distinguish anything specific in this churning flow of data.

  But gradually, following Zoi's instructions, he began to discern structure within chaos. Different types of data had different "textures," "colors," "rhythms"—properties that couldn't be described by ordinary sensory categories but which his expanded perception could distinguish.

  "I see... differences," he said slowly. "Different types of information. Different sources. Different... ages?"

  "Timestamps," Zoi confirmed. "The cascades contain data from different periods. From pre-Resonance fragments to modern flows. Temporal layers superimposed on each other. Like geological strata."

  Alex continued exploring this strange informational geology, delving deeper into the structure of the cascades. He discovered he could focus on certain types of data, temporarily ignoring everything else—as if tuning an invisible radio to a specific frequency, filtering out static noise.

  "Now," said Zoi, "try to find... resonant patterns. Information structures corresponding to... the signature of your node. Similar frequencies. Harmonic oscillations."

  This was a challenging task, requiring full concentration from Alex. He had to simultaneously perceive external flows and sense his own node, its unique "frequency," "vibration," "melody." And then search in the ocean of data for something that resonated with this internal melody.

  At first, it seemed that there simply wasn't such a thing—all information structures were alien, incompatible with his implant's signature. But then, deep within one of the cascades, he caught a faint echo of... something familiar. Not identical to his own signature, but undoubtedly connected to it—like another voice singing the same melody in a different key.

  "I found it," he whispered, hardly believing his discovery. "I feel... a signature. Similar to my own, but... different. Complementary."

  He reached toward this signal, trying to get closer, examine it better. And the closer he got, the stronger the sense of recognition became, as if he had found something lost long ago.

  "Sara," he breathed, certain that this was the signature of the second Nexus Node. "These are traces of her presence in the flow. Her... imprint."

  Zoi didn't respond, allowing him to fully immerse in this discovery. Alex carefully examined the signature he had found, trying to extract as much information from it as possible. It was fresh—not an ancient echo but a recent trace left in the information flow.

  And it contained... a message. Not in the form of words or symbols, but as pure information code that his node could interpret directly, without the mediation of conscious mind.

  Looking for you. Feeling your awakening. Careful—they feel it too. Everything will change soon. The Second Resonance approaches. Find me before it's too late.

  The informational impulse was brief, like a fleeting touch to his consciousness. But its effect was like a thunderclap. Alex felt his node activate, pulsating in time with the discovered signature, establishing some primitive form of connection.

  Images began to arise in his mind—not clear pictures, but blurred impressions. Mountains. A forest with unusual, semi-metallic trees. A fortified settlement, protected not by technological barriers but by a curious combination of natural and mechanical elements. And at the center of this settlement—a strange structure resembling a temple, created from an intertwining of living wood and crystalline components.

  And inside this temple—her. Sara. His sister. Her face remained blurred, but he knew it was her, as certainly as he knew himself.

  The images disappeared as suddenly as they had appeared, leaving Alex disoriented, with a pounding heart and a tingling sensation in the scar on the back of his head.

  "What... what was that?" he breathed, opening his eyes.

  Zoi looked at him with an expression of deep surprise. The patterns on her skin pulsated faster than usual, as if she too had sensed something unusual.

  "Contact," she said quietly. "Direct information contact between nodes. Across... distance. Through barriers. Incredible."

  "I saw her," Alex said, still shaken by the experience. "Not clearly, but... I saw where she is. Some settlement in the mountains. Among a strange forest. A place like a temple."

  "Sanctuary of Purity," Zoi suggested. "The main enclave of the Naturals. Corresponds to... Layla's description. And your vision."

  She studied his face carefully.

  "What did she say?" asked the technomancer. "What message?"

  Alex relayed the content of the brief message, and Zoi nodded thoughtfully.

  "'The Second Resonance approaches,'" she repeated. "Confirms our... assumptions. Changes in information flows. Ecosystem instability. Everything points to an approaching transformation."

  "But what does 'find me before it's too late' mean?" Alex asked anxiously. "Too late for what?"

  "Unclear," Zoi admitted. "But if she's in the Sanctuary of Purity, among the Naturals... perhaps her position is not... voluntary. As Layla suggested."

  Alex nodded, feeling resolve growing within him.

  "Then our path is clear," he said firmly. "First—the technomancer enclave. Learning control. Stabilizing my abilities. And then—the Sanctuary of Purity. I must find Sara. Before the Second Resonance begins."

  Zoi nodded, agreeing with this plan.

  "A reasonable approach," she said. "Right now, your abilities are... unstable. Meeting with the Naturals requires... preparation. Control. Technique."

  They returned to practice, but Alex's thoughts kept returning to the fleeting contact with his sister. After years of separation, years of oblivion, the connection between them had begun to restore. And this first contact, however brief, awakened new memories in him, new feelings—as if missing parts of his personality were slowly returning to their places.

  He didn't know what awaited them in the future, what trials and dangers they would still have to overcome. But for the first time in a long time, he felt hope. And confidence that he was on the right path.

  By noon, the training was complete. Alex had made significant progress in controlling his abilities—now he could consciously interact with simple information flows without causing chaotic energy discharges. This was only the first step on a long journey to mastering his node, but an important step.

  "You learn quickly," Zoi noted as they returned to camp. "Natural talent. Or an effect of your node's evolution. Or... both."

  "Thank you for the training," Alex said sincerely. "I feel... greater stability. Less chaos inside."

  Layla was waiting for them by the central transporter. The caravan was already prepared for departure—the biomechanical giants slowly awakening from their daytime rest, their numerous limbs beginning to move in warm-up patterns.

  "Time to say goodbye," she said as they approached. "We're heading west, to the trading posts by Silver Lake. You—east, to the technomancer mountains."

  She handed Alex a small object—a strange combination of organic crystal and metallic components.

  "A beacon," she explained. "If you get into trouble, activate it. We'll feel the signal in the information flows. Come to help, if we're close enough."

  "Thank you, Layla," Alex said, accepting the beacon. "For everything. For saving me after the Resonance. For the information about Sara. For your help now."

  Layla smiled, and her usually stern face softened for a moment.

  "Perhaps our paths will cross again, Alex Kovich," she said. "The world became smaller after the Resonance. Everyone is connected in the great network."

  They said their goodbyes, and the caravan began its movement—five massive transporters slowly and majestically leaving the plateau, heading down the western slope of the pass. Alex and Zoi watched until the last one disappeared from view, then turned east, toward the mountains rising in the distance, where the technomancer enclave was located.

  "Let's go," Zoi said simply, pointing to a barely visible path leading down the eastern slope. "If we hurry, we'll reach the enclave before sunset."

  They began their descent, leaving behind Cascade Pass with its amazing information clouds. Ahead lay a path through even wilder territories of the periphery, where the boundary between physical and informational became increasingly blurred.

  But Alex walked with new confidence. He had found Sara's trail. Established the first, albeit fleeting contact. And now knew that she was alive, that she too was looking for him. Whatever awaited them ahead, whatever dangers the approaching Second Resonance held, they would face it together. As had been intended from the very beginning.