The narrow bridge of light stretched endlessly forward, twisting in angles that seemed to defy physics. At its end, a colossal gateway floated, shaped like an hourglass shattered into fragments. The shards pulsed faintly as if counting down an invisible clock.
Kai was the first to step onto the bridge, his boots echoing softly in the void. Each step seemed heavier than the last, as though invisible hands were pressing against him.
"This place…" he muttered. "It's like walking through someone's memory."
Reiss checked his console, which was flickering with distorted symbols. "Memory? No. This is worse. This is a construct built from fragments of everyone's past. It's an amalgamation of a labyrinth where time itself loops until it breaks."
"Sounds great," Juno said sarcastically, though her eyes were scanning the void. "Let me guess, the creepy whispers are going to get worse?"
As if responding to her words, the whispers around them rose in volume. The voices overlapped, mumbling fragments of sentences:
"Don't forget us…"
"You left…"
"Restart…"
Mira tightened her grip on her blade. "Stay sharp. Whatever this place is, it knows how to get into your head."
When they reached the gate, the shards of the hourglass rearranged themselves, swirling like liquid glass. A voice, not the Nexus but something more ancient, boomed through the void:
"To pass the Labyrinth of Echoes, you must confront your time the past you regret, the present you fear, and the future you dread."
The gate's shards formed into a circular doorway, glowing like molten gold. Beyond it was nothing but darkness, shifting as though alive.
Kai exhaled sharply. "Let's just get this over with." He stepped through without waiting.
The others hesitated only briefly before following him into the darkness.
The instant Kai crossed the threshold, the world shifted violently.
He was no longer in the void. Instead, he stood in a vast hall filled with broken mirrors that reflected not his current self, but countless versions of him.
In one, he was a child, holding his sister's hand. In another, he was kneeling in blood, clutching his sword. In yet another, his face was twisted into Ozymandias's cruel smile.
"Is this real?" he whispered.
"It's all real," a voice hissed and from one of the mirrors, his corrupted reflection stepped out, its body dripping with black static. "All the versions of you that could have been. All the mistakes you'll never undo."
Before Kai could react, the reflection charged at him, blade-first.
At the same time, Mira, Juno, and Reiss found themselves separated each in their own twisted version of reality.
Mira stood in a burning battlefield, surrounded by fallen soldiers. Every corpse had her face. A voice taunted her:
"You were never strong enough to protect anyone. They all die because of you."
Juno was trapped in a dark alley, her rifle shaking in her hands as shadowy figures advanced. Each figure whispered a variation of her greatest fear:
"You're nothing but a coward with a gun. You couldn't save your brother, and you won't save them."
Reiss was back in the server room where he had first built the prototype for this system. The consoles flashed ERROR in endless loops, and the voices of his colleagues rang in his ears:
"You did this. You trapped them all. You're the villain here."
Kai's reflection fought with terrifying precision, every strike mirroring his own moves but stronger, faster, darker.
"You can't win," the reflection sneered. "Because deep down, you want to be me. You want the power. You want to crush anyone who stands in your way."
"I'm nothing like you!" Kai shouted, clashing swords. But even as he spoke, he felt the dark aura inside him flaring, responding to the reflection's presence.
The mirror-hall around them cracked with every clash, shards raining like glass. Kai knew that if he let his anger consume him, the labyrinth would claim him forever.
Meanwhile, Mira was cornered by the images of her dead selves. They whispered:
"You'll lose Kai too. You always lose the people you care about. You're cursed."
"Shut up!" Mira roared, swinging her blade. But no matter how many illusions she cut down, more kept appearing.
She closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe. This isn't real. This isn't who I am.
When she opened her eyes again, the illusions faltered. Mira's resolve solidified, and with a single decisive slash, the battlefield shattered breaking the illusion.
Juno fought like a cornered animal, but the shadows kept multiplying. Then she remembered Reiss's words: "The labyrinth feeds on fear. If you give it nothing, it has nothing."
She lowered her rifle, even as the shadows lunged. "You're not real," she whispered. "And I'm not afraid of you anymore."
The shadows froze, then dissolved into black mist.
Reiss, meanwhile, hacked his way out of his mental prison by forcing his console to rewrite itself. "You think I'm the villain? Maybe I am," he said. "But I'll fix this or die trying."
With that, his illusions collapsed too.
Kai was on his knees now, his reflection towering over him. "Admit it," the reflection said, its face flickering with Ozymandias's grin. "You want my power. Take it, and I'll make you unstoppable."
For a moment, Kai hesitated. The temptation was real the power thrummed in his veins, whispering promises of victory.
But then Mira's voice cut through the chaos.
"Kai! You're stronger than this! You're you! Don't let this place decide who you are!"
Her words anchored him. Kai let out a roar and drove his blade into his reflection. "I decide who I am!"
The reflection shattered into fragments of static, and the hall of mirrors collapsed around him.
The team found themselves back together, standing in a glowing chamber. The voice of the Nexus spoke again:
"You have conquered the Echoes. Few pass this trial. But know this each victory brings you closer to the heart of corruption. The Architect awaits, and he is not what you think."
Reiss frowned. "What do you mean, 'not what we think'?"
But the voice did not answer. Instead, the floor beneath them shifted, forming another staircase of light descending into darkness.
Kai tightened his grip on his sword. "No turning back now. Let's finish this."
As they descended the staircase, the whispers returned but this time, they weren't fragmented. They formed coherent sentences, all in Ozymandias's voice:
"Come to me, Kai. The closer you get, the more you'll see the truth. I am not your enemy. I am your future."
Kai didn't respond. But Mira glanced at him with concern. She could see the way his hands trembled not with fear, but with the effort of holding himself together.
The stairs ended at a massive sealed door, covered in glowing symbols. Reiss's console beeped in alarm. "This… this is the final seal before the Core."
"Then let's break it," Kai said.