The air turned cold.
Kaiser stared at the figure standing just a few steps away. It looked exactly like him, same height, same eyes, same tired expression but older somehow, and quieter. Like it had seen too much, and given up on understanding it all.
This version of him held Vow breaker, not like a weapon, but like a memory. Fingers curled gently around the hilt, as if it meant something beyond steel.
"You're not real," Kaiser said, voice steady.
The other smiled faintly.
"Neither are you," it replied.
What Echoes Remember
Lira didn't move. She stood near the vault door, hand already on her blade, eyes locked on the new arrival.
"It's not hostile," she whispered, "yet."
Kaiser nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off it.
"Who are you?" he asked.
The figure didn't blink.
"A question I've asked more times than I can count," it said, stepping forward. "But if you need a name… call me the Echo of Silence."
Kaiser raised an eyebrow.
"Dramatic."
"Fitting," the Echo said with a shrug. "I'm what's left of a choice you haven't made yet. One you might never make. But the moment you held Vow-breaker for the first time… I started forming."
The Echo walked over to the old desk and sat down, as if this vault was his home.
"You're wondering why you're being hunted," he said. "By the System. By your own reflections."
"I figured it's because I'm different," Kaiser replied.
The Echo chuckled, soft and hollow.
"You are, but not for the reason you think."
He looked up, meeting Kaiser's eyes.
"You're the first one who hasn't killed for power… but for meaning."
Kaiser frowned.
"That's not true. I've killed plenty."
"Yes, but not for the System. That bothers it."
A Seed of Rebellion
[System Notice:]Warning: Unstable Echo Manifestation DetectedOptions: Engage | Absorb | Seal
Kaiser ignored the screen for now.
The Echo stood again and reached into his coat. From it, he pulled a small obsidian orb, pulsing faintly with dark blue light.
"This is a seed," he said, handing it over.
Kaiser took it carefully.
"A seed of what?"
The Echo's voice dropped lower.
"Of rebellion. Of something outside the System. Something older."
Lira stepped forward, her expression unreadable.
"That's forbidden," she said. "You're offering him corruption."
The Echo looked at her.
"I'm offering him freedom."
Kaiser turned the orb in his palm. It felt warm, like it was alive. Like it was... waiting.
"What happens if I use it?" he asked.
"You'll lose protection," the Echo said. "The System will see you as a threat. The real threats will start noticing you too."
"And if I don't?"
"Then you'll keep walking the path it wants. Kill who it says. Become what it planned."
Kaiser stayed quiet for a while.
Then he pocketed the orb.
"Not yet," he said.
The Echo gave him a slight smile.
"That's enough. For now."
Suddenly, the ground shook.
Dust fell from the ceiling. The crystal in the vault wall cracked down the middle, its glow flickering wildly.
[System Alert:]Unauthorized Echo Interaction DetectedPurge Protocol Engaged. Cleanup initiated. Prepare for elimination.
Lira's eyes widened. "You triggered a purge."
The Echo looked toward the vault door.
"It's coming," he said softly. "You'll have to fight your first real System enforcer now."
Kaiser narrowed his eyes. "What is it sending?"
The Echo met his gaze.
"Something that doesn't speak. Doesn't stop. And doesn't forget."
A metal sound echoed through the tunnel, slow and heavy.
Klak… klak… klak…
The air turned cold again.