The village square burned like a beacon against the night sky. Flames clawed at wooden beams, sending sparks spiraling upward. Thick smoke choked the streets, coating every surface in ash and grit. Villagers ran in panicked streams, their cries sharp against the roar of fire and splintering wood.
At the center, the corrupted husk loomed—a monstrous brute taller than any building around it. Shards of mirrored crystal jutted from its torso, jagged and sharp, reflecting flames in chaotic fragments. Its bell-chain dragged behind it, rattling with every step, echoing through the square.
This one… was different, Law thought, scanning the form. Not just whispers in flesh. Something else moved within it.
The husk swung the chain, smashing through stone walls. Debris exploded outward, sending terrified villagers sprawling. Children huddled behind Liora's radiant barrier, trembling as the force pressed against her light threads.
Law flickered forward. Echo Step activated. Afterimages of himself sprang into being, blades flashing, but even as they struck, the brute countered, smashing one after another. The real Law slid beneath the sweep, scraping against cobblestones.
Too strong… he thought, breath heavy. My echoes break before they even strike.
Liora's voice rang out. "Echo-boy! Distract it. I'll create an opening."
Law growled, scarf tightening. "Stop ordering me around."
"Then prove you're more than shadows," she snapped, eyes blazing.
He surged forward, afterimages spinning around the brute, cutting through the chaos. Liora's threads of light coiled and struck precisely, binding cracks in the crystal chest as the echoes misdirected it.
She doesn't waste motion… Law marveled. Every strike, every shield… deliberate.
The husk swung again, chain hammering down. Law's echoes scattered, but the real him froze too close. Liora dove, shield absorbing the blow. Sparks and dust flared, pressing against her arms.
"Why… cover me?!" Law shouted.
"Because if you fall, the children fall too!" she yelled back, teeth gritted.
Law's resolve hardened. Echo Step flared again, afterimages multiplying unnaturally. Liora's radiant threads wove through them, anchoring their movements, making illusions tangible extensions of himself.
The brute staggered under the combined force. Liora's sword struck through a crack, threads amplifying the blow. Law leapt high, scarf trailing like fire, and his echoes struck as one, their coordinated strike shattering the mirrored torso in a cataclysm of glassy shards.
The brute collapsed. Silence settled for a heartbeat. Children peeked from behind light barriers, alive.
Law landed beside Liora, ash and soot streaking their faces. Scarf limp, swords at his side. Exhaustion and awe filled him.
"…Not bad. For someone who gives orders," he muttered.
"Not bad. For someone who finally listened," she replied, brushing soot from her cheek.
Fire still licked the edges of the square, but the immediate threat had passed. Shadows lingered beyond the ruins, moving just out of perception.
Law's attention shifted. From the fringe of the square, a hooded figure watched—silent, still, mirrored eyes glinting in the firelight. The whispers trailed him like smoke. Zero. Law didn't know him yet, not fully. But the presence stirred something ancient in his instincts: sharp, alert, important.
The three—Law, Liora, and the silent observer—stood in a fragile triangle of survival. Echoes, light, and shadow, all interwoven in unspoken coordination.
That night, Law realized something crucial. Echoes alone could not carry him. He needed allies. Guidance. Anchors in the storm.
The fire crackled. Smoke rose. And somewhere in the distant dunes, unseen forces stirred, patient, waiting for the next step.
Law tightened his grip on his swords, scarf tugging in the breeze. He stood beside Liora, aware of the figure in the shadows. Together—or perhaps soon, together—they would face the darkness ahead.