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The days after the Loom's collapse were quiet.
Too quiet.
Kael, Ayame, and Rin had returned to the outer regions of the Guardian's Temple—a sunlit sanctuary surrounded by floating gardens and rippling sky-lakes. It felt like peace. But peace, Kael had learned, had a way of hiding the next storm.
He lay on a woven hammock made of starlight threads, staring up at a sky stitched with golden wisps.
Ayame approached, her steps silent but not sneaky enough for Kael.
"You're not as quiet as you think," he teased.
She smirked and plopped beside him, the hammock swinging.
"I wasn't trying to be quiet," she said. "Just thoughtful."
Kael tilted his head. "Dangerous."
"Only when I think about how much you talk."
He laughed.
But Ayame's smile slowly faded. "Something feels… off."
Kael's expression mirrored hers. "You feel it too."
They sat in silence, watching the golden sky. A bird flew past. Then glitched. Just for a second. Its wings skipped like a broken animation frame, and then it vanished.
Ayame stood up. "Did you see that?"
Kael nodded. "Yep. Definitely not a good sign."
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### **Echoes Don't Die**
Rin barged in moments later, hair windblown and a scroll in hand.
"You two need to see this," she said, unfurling the parchment.
Ayame took it and squinted. "Ancient script?"
Kael peered over her shoulder. "It's mirrored text. From the Echo Plane."
Rin nodded. "It just… appeared. In the meditation hall. Glowing."
Ayame read aloud, her voice uneasy:
> "The Echoes were never meant to vanish. They returned to the Root, waiting to bloom again through cracks you failed to mend."
Kael's blood chilled. "The mirror."
"It cracked," Ayame whispered. "But it didn't *break*."
Rin looked between them. "So we've got ghost doubles rebooting somewhere and planning a comeback tour?"
"Worse," Kael said. "They've had time to grow."
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### **The Mirror Root**
They returned to the chamber beneath the Loom's remains.
The mirror shards still lay where they'd fallen—but something was wrong. Roots—glassy and translucent—had spread across the floor, curling from the fragments like veins.
Kael knelt down. "This isn't normal energy."
Ayame touched one root and gasped, pulling back sharply.
"I saw something," she said. "A city. A version of us. But twisted—ruled by Echoes."
Rin raised an eyebrow. "We've officially reached 'evil alternate universe' territory."
Ayame steadied herself. "No jokes, Rin. I saw… people. Controlled. Their memories rewritten."
Kael stood. "Then we destroy this root system before it fully blooms."
But as they turned to leave, the chamber darkened.
From the center shard, a voice echoed.
**"You left us behind."**
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### **Confrontation of Shadows**
A form rose from the shard—a tall, flickering figure wearing Kael's face, only older… colder.
Not Twisted-Kael. Something *new*.
"Call me… Remnant," it said, stepping forward, cloak swirling with glitchy particles.
"You are not real," Kael hissed.
Remnant smiled. "I'm as real as the scars you carry. I am the version of you that *never* forgave. Never forgot."
Ayame stepped forward, her tone sharp. "You won't hurt him. Or anyone."
Remnant's eyes flared. "Hurt him? No, Ayame. I want to *replace* him."
The ground trembled.
From every mirror shard, silhouettes began to rise.
Rin drew her daggers. "Oh come on, I just washed this outfit."
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### **Retreat and Resolve**
They fought—but Remnant wasn't fighting to win. He was stalling.
Every Echo that emerged wasn't just a combatant—they were drawing power from Kael's memories. Kael staggered as memories blurred—moments with Ayame, with Rin, even his childhood—being pulled.
"They're leeching from your identity!" Ayame shouted.
Rin hurled a stasis bomb that froze half the room. "Then we need to cut the connection."
Kael reached deep, closing his eyes.
Inside him, he found it.
The bond.
He grabbed Ayame's hand.
Together, they flared with shared light—a radiant pulse that cracked the mirror roots and sent the Echoes howling.
Remnant sneered but began retreating.
"This isn't over," he warned. "You've stitched together love and hope, but even thread frays. And when it does… I'll be waiting."
With a final flicker, he vanished.
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### **What Now?**
Later, back in the sanctuary, Rin tossed herself on the grass.
"So. We've got an evil future version of you trying to erase your past and hijack your love story. Any other surprises today?"
Kael chuckled tiredly. "We broke a world mirror. That's probably seven universes of bad luck."
Ayame, quiet until now, finally said, "He said something… about thread fraying. I think he's after more than just you, Kael. I think he wants to unweave the entire bond system."
Kael looked at her. "Then we stop him."
Ayame met his gaze. "No matter how far we have to go."
Their fingers touched again.
The sun dipped low.
But somewhere deep below the temple…
The mirror roots pulsed again.
And a pair of eyes opened—this time, wearing Ayame's face.
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