The city was silent. Kai, Lira, and Mira walked through empty streets covered with cracked pavement and abandoned vehicles. The only sounds were the wind and the occasional cry of distant Veil creatures.
Kai had not spoken for nearly an hour. The argument between Reginald and Marcus still echoed inside his mind. Neither of them had said another word. That worried him even more.
Lira walked a few steps ahead, quietly studying the map in her hands. Mira kicked a loose stone across the road. "So... is anyone else pretending everything is completely normal?"
Kai smiled weakly. "I was trying."
"It isn't working."
Mira sighed. "I didn't think so."
The road narrowed between two collapsed office buildings. Lira suddenly stopped walking. She raised one hand. "Wait."
Kai immediately became alert. "What is it?"
She closed her eyes. The silver ribbon around her wrist began to glow. "I see a Fate Thread."
Kai looked around. "I don't see anyone."
"You wouldn't." Her voice grew quieter. "It ends nearby."
Before anyone could move, a weak cough echoed from inside a ruined bookstore. The three exchanged a quick glance. Kai slowly stepped toward the broken entrance. "Stay behind me."
Mira rolled her eyes. "I was going to say that."
The inside of the building was dark. Broken shelves covered the floor. Books were scattered everywhere. Near the back wall, a young man leaned against a collapsed pillar. His breathing was shallow. A deep wound stretched across his chest. Dark Veil energy spread from the injury like cracks in glass.
Kai hurried over. "Can you hear me?"
The young man slowly opened his eyes. A faint smile crossed his face. "I was wondering if someone would make it."
Kai knelt beside him. "We'll get you help."
The man gave a weak laugh. "No. It's too late."
Lira quietly entered the room. The moment she saw him, her expression changed. "Kai..." She spoke softly. "His Fate Thread is ending."
Kai looked at the wound. "There has to be something we can do."
The young man slowly shook his head. "I've already accepted it." His breathing became slower. Then he looked directly into Kai's eyes. "You have Echoes."
It wasn't a question. Kai froze. "How do you know?"
The man smiled faintly. "Because I have one too."
A faint crimson light appeared beneath his skin. Kai's System suddenly materialized.
---
[Echo Detected]
Compatibility Analysis...
...
Compatibility: 91%
Warning:
Echo Signature Unstable
Absorption Not Recommended
---
Kai's heartbeat quickened. Not recommended? It was the first time the System had ever given that warning.
Marcus spoke immediately. "Reject it."
Reginald agreed. "This Echo is different."
The wounded man smiled sadly. "I can hear them."
Kai stared at him. "You can hear your Echo too?"
He nodded. "They've been arguing with me for a very long time."
A violent cough interrupted his words. Dark blood stained his hand. He looked at Kai once more. "If you leave my Echo here, it will become a Veil Spawn."
Kai felt his chest tighten. The man continued. "If you take it, you might survive."
Kai looked at the glowing System warning again. For the first time, he truly didn't know what the right choice was.
Kai remained kneeling beside the wounded man. The System warning still floated before his eyes.
---
[Echo Signature Unstable]
Absorption Not Recommended
Risk Level: High
---
He had never seen a warning like this before.
Reginald spoke first. "Walk away."
Marcus agreed. "The probability of survival will decrease if you absorb this Echo."
Kai looked at the young man. "If I leave, what happens to you?"
The man smiled weakly. "I die."
Kai lowered his head. "And your Echo?"
"It will lose its host. Without a host, it won't simply disappear."
Lira stepped closer. "Kai." He looked up. "You've already heard the warning." She pointed to the dark energy spreading across the man's wound. "His Echo has been corrupted by the Veil. If you absorb it, no one knows what it will do to you."
Kai understood. Every instinct told him to walk away. But he remembered the words the dying man had spoken. If you leave my Echo here... it will become a Veil Spawn.
Kai closed his eyes. "If there's even a chance I can stop that, I have to try."
Lira's voice became firm. "Kai, don't."
He looked at her. "If I keep running from every dangerous choice, what kind of Echo Weaver am I?"
For a moment, no one spoke. The young man slowly raised his trembling hand. "Thank you."
Kai reached out and took it. The System responded immediately.
---
[Absorption Requested]
Confirm?
YES
NO
---
Kai selected YES.
The room shook. A crimson light burst from the dying man's body. Instead of flowing gently into Kai like the previous Echoes, it crashed into him.
Kai cried out in pain. His entire body tensed. It felt as if something was forcing its way into his mind. The System flickered violently.
---
Absorbing Third Echo...
[Warning]
Echo Conflict Increasing
---
Marcus shouted. "Reject it!"
Reginald spoke over him. "Your mind cannot sustain this!"
A third voice suddenly echoed through Kai's consciousness. Cold. Rough. Filled with anger. "You are not my host."
Kai grabbed his head. The pain became unbearable. Images flashed through his mind. A city burning. A lone warrior standing against impossible odds. Countless Veil creatures surrounding him. Then silence.
Kai collapsed onto the floor. His breathing was uneven. His hands trembled.
Lira rushed to his side. "Kai!"
His eyes slowly opened. For a brief moment, they glowed crimson. Then the light faded.
Kai sat up slowly. "I'm..." He stopped. His voice sounded different. Harder. Colder.
He looked around the room. Without realizing it, he spoke. "This building is poorly defended."
The words made no sense. Kai frowned. "I..."
Mira stared at him. "You don't sound like yourself."
Kai blinked. "What did I say?"
Before anyone could answer, he continued. "The eastern wall should be reinforced before nightfall." His tone was calm. Confident. Nothing like the Kai they knew.
Lira's heart skipped a beat. She wasn't hearing Kai. She was hearing someone else.
Kai suddenly covered his mouth. "No... I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that."
The crimson glow briefly returned to his eyes. Then disappeared again.
Lira instinctively took one step backward. She did not mean to. Her body reacted before her mind could.
Kai noticed. His expression fell. "Lira..."
She looked at him with sadness. Not anger. Not disgust. Fear. Just for a moment. She had been afraid of him.
Kai lowered his eyes. The silence hurt more than the Echo conflict.
Inside his mind, the third voice laughed quietly. "You cannot hold us forever."
Kai clenched his fists. For the first time since becoming an Echo Weaver, he wondered if the Echoes would one day erase him completely.