The Lower District had not yet recovered from yesterday's attack. Broken barricades lay scattered across the eastern platform. Mechanics repaired damaged generators while volunteers carried supplies to the clinic. Children were no longer running through the station. Even their laughter had disappeared.
Kai helped stack wooden beams beside the workshop. His arms were sore, but he welcomed the pain. It kept his mind from thinking about the memories he had lost.
He looked toward the water station. For a moment, he hesitated. "I know I've been there before."
Lira, who was carrying a box of medical supplies, stopped beside him. "But you couldn't remember how to get there."
Kai nodded. "It came back after a while."
Lira lowered the box. "Kai." He looked at her. "The memories are coming back now. But one day, they may not."
Kai tried to smile. "When that day comes, you'll remind me."
Lira wanted to answer. Instead, she quietly looked away. She wasn't sure she would be able to.
Before either of them could speak again, hurried footsteps echoed across the station. A guard ran toward them, breathing heavily. "Lira!"
She turned immediately. "What happened?"
"The northern scouts never reported back."
Kai's expression changed. "Did they find the Hunters?"
The guard swallowed hard. "We don't know. We found their equipment. But the scouts were gone. No blood. No signs of a fight. They simply disappeared."
The station fell silent.
Lira immediately gave an order. "Close every entrance except the main tunnel. Double the guards. And get everyone away from the platforms."
The guard nodded and ran off.
Kai looked toward the dark northern tunnel. A cold feeling settled over him.
Marcus spoke inside his mind. "An enemy approaches."
Reginald answered a moment later. "And they are in no hurry."
The sound of footsteps echoed through the tunnel. Slow. Steady. Unhurried.
Every guard raised a weapon. Parents pulled their children behind them. No one dared to speak.
A lone figure emerged from the darkness. He wore a long black coat instead of the standard Hunter armor. His uniform was spotless. His black gloves looked untouched by dust or blood. There was no weapon in his hands. Only a small leather notebook.
The man stopped several meters from the barricade. His calm eyes moved across the station. He wasn't searching. He was observing.
One of the guards shouted, "Stay where you are!"
The stranger stopped immediately. "As you wish." His voice was polite. Almost gentle.
That frightened Kai more than a threat would have.
The man gave a slight bow. "My apologies. My subordinates caused unnecessary damage yesterday."
Several people looked at one another in confusion. No Hunter had ever apologized before.
Mira frowned. "Is this some kind of trick?"
The man looked at her. "No. I simply believe unnecessary destruction is inefficient."
The words were spoken without emotion. As if he were discussing the weather.
Kai quietly tightened his grip on the steel pipe in his hand. This man was different. Much different.
The stranger slowly looked around the station once more. Then he spoke. "I have not come to fight. I came to confirm a suspicion."
His eyes drifted across the crowd. For the briefest moment, they rested on Kai. Then they moved on again.
"The unidentified Echo user. If you are here, there is no need to hide forever."
No one answered. The station remained perfectly still.
The man nodded once. "I expected that."
Instead of reaching for a weapon, he calmly opened his notebook. He wrote a few short lines. Closed it again. And slipped it back into his coat.
Kai felt a chill run down his spine. The man wasn't disappointed. He was collecting information. Every reaction. Every expression. Every movement. As if the entire station were an open book.
The stranger looked across the station one last time. Then he spoke. "I should introduce myself. My name is Adrian Vale. I am the Captain of the Third Hunter Division."
No one answered. His calm expression never changed. He stood with the patience of someone who knew time was on his side.
Mira folded her arms. "If you're finished introducing yourself, you can leave."
A few guards glanced at her in surprise.
Adrian simply nodded. "You are direct. I respect that."
Mira blinked. She had expected anger. Instead, she received a compliment.
Adrian looked toward the frightened families gathered behind the barricades. "You believe we hunt people." He paused. "We hunt instability."
Kai finally spoke. "People have died because of your Hunters."
Adrian met his eyes. "And many more have died because unstable Echo users lost control." His voice remained calm. "There are tragedies on both sides."
Lira watched him carefully. The silver ribbon around her wrist shimmered faintly. Fate Threads stretched around Adrian in every direction. Most were clear. Some disappeared into darkness. One she could not follow at all.
She quietly lowered her hand. She had never seen a thread like that before.
Adrian noticed. "You have an unusual ability."
Lira answered calmly. "I don't know what you mean."
"A wise decision." He shifted his attention back to Kai. "The unidentified Echo user is nearby. I don't know who you are. Not yet."
He reached into his coat. Several guards raised their weapons. Instead of drawing a gun, Adrian removed a silver device no larger than a pocket watch. He pressed a small button. A pale blue light spread across the station.
Kai's System immediately appeared.
---
[Warning]
External Detection Field Detected
Remain Calm
---
Kai dismissed the screen before anyone else noticed.
The silver device gave a soft pulse. Blue. Then, for the briefest moment, gold.
Adrian's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "So," he said quietly. "My scouts were correct. There is an unusually synchronized Echo user here."
He closed the device. "There is no reason to continue today's inspection." He slipped it back into his pocket.
Mira frowned. "That's it? You're leaving?"
Adrian nodded. "Yes."
"You've learned enough?"
"I have."
He turned toward the tunnel. Then he stopped. Without looking back, he spoke one final sentence. "Echo Weaver..." He paused. "A rare specimen indeed."
Kai's heart skipped a beat.
Adrian continued walking. His footsteps disappeared into the darkness. The station remained silent until he was gone. Only then did people begin breathing normally again.
A few minutes later, Rowan and several community elders hurried into the station. One of the guards quickly explained everything that had happened.
Rowan's face became grim. He looked at Kai for a long moment before speaking. "They're getting closer."
Kai lowered his eyes. "I know."
An elderly woman who had given Kai bread on his first day stepped forward. Her voice was gentle. "This isn't your fault."
Kai looked at her. "But it has become our problem."
Silence spread through the crowd. No one blamed him. That somehow made it harder.
Rowan finally spoke. "The Captain confirmed something today. He doesn't know who you are. But he knows you're here."
Another elder nodded. "If we wait, he'll come back. And next time, he won't come alone."
Kai understood what they were trying to say. He took a slow breath. "You want me to leave."
No one answered immediately.
Lira stepped beside him. "They're trying to protect everyone."
Kai looked around the station. The children. The workshop. The clinic. The families who had shared their food with him. This place had given him shelter when he had nowhere else to go. Now his presence was putting them all in danger.
He slowly nodded. "I understand."
Mira looked at him. "So, we're leaving?"
Kai managed a small smile. "It looks that way."
As night settled over the Lower District, Kai stood at the entrance to the northern tunnel. He looked back one last time. The place had almost begun to feel like home. Now he had to leave it behind.
Far above the city, Adrian stood on the roof of a ruined building. A Hunter approached and saluted. "Captain, shall we begin the capture operation?"
Adrian looked toward the underground entrance. "Not yet."
The Hunter looked confused. "But we found the Echo Weaver."
Adrian calmly adjusted one of his black gloves. "No. We found someone interesting." He looked toward the distant skyline. "If he is truly an Echo Weaver, he will leave on his own. And when he does, we will follow."
A faint smile crossed his face. "The hunt has only just begun."