The cracked Echo crest glowed brighter. The silver lines in the door looked like veins filling with light. The whole hallway felt like it was holding its breath.
Lina stood frozen. Mira was right beside her, but Mira's eyes were empty in a new way. Mira looked at Lina like Lina was a girl she had seen once, long ago, and couldn't place.
Lina's chest hurt so much she felt sick. She wanted to grab Mira and shake her and shout, "It's me!" But shouting would feed the Echo. And shouting wouldn't fix a bond that was cut by magic.
Kai stepped in front of Lina and Mira at the same time, blocking the door and blocking the mirror panel behind them. His shoulders were tight. His face was calm, but his eyes looked like a storm.
"Mira," Kai said, very steady. "Look at Lina."
Mira's lips trembled. She looked at Lina again. Her eyes filled with tears, confused. "I feel like I should… but I can't," Mira whispered. "Why can't I?"
Seren's eyes glowed bright silver. She looked like she was hearing the cut itself, like a string snapping in a quiet room. "It used a tether," Seren whispered. "It cut the feeling, not the facts."
Reyon swallowed hard. "So she can still see Lina… but she can't remember the love."
Jax looked like he was going to fall. He stared at Mira like he had just realized how far the school could go. "This is my fault," he mouthed silently.
The door spoke again, using Lina's stolen voice, soft and sweet.
"Kai… give it to me."
Kai didn't flinch this time. He stared at the glowing crest like he wanted to break it with his hands. "No."
The door letters flashed brighter.
ONE BOND FOR ONE NAME.
Then the words changed, like the door was smiling.
FIRST TETHER: CONFIRMED.
A tiny icon appeared beside the words.
🧵
Lina's stomach dropped.
It was making it official.
It was writing it into the rules.
Mira stepped back a little, scared of Lina without knowing why. That hurt worse than any monster.
Lina's eyes burned. She forced her breath slow. She looked at Kai's chest, at her hand still there, at his heartbeat. Thump. Thump. Real. Real. Real.
Kai turned his head slightly and spoke low, only to Lina. "Stay with me. Don't let it pull you into panic."
Lina nodded fast, fighting tears.
Seren stepped closer to the door, trembling. She did not touch it. She listened.
Then Seren flinched hard. "It's not only Echo," Seren whispered. "There's something else behind it. Something that writes."
Lina felt cold. "The Quill," Lina whispered.
Seren nodded, eyes wet. "Yes."
The door pulsed again.
Then a new line appeared under the bargain words.
SECOND TETHER: READY.
Another icon flickered beside it for a moment, then vanished, like the door was teasing them.
🕯️
Mira's breath hitched.
Lina's heart slammed.
Because 🕯️ meant memory burn.
Identity erased.
The door was telling them what it would do next.
Kai's jaw clenched. "It's threatening her again."
Reyon's voice shook. "It's telling us the order. First bond cut. Next memory burn."
Jax swallowed hard. He took a step forward, then stopped. His hands shook. His eyes looked at Kai like he wanted permission to do something stupid and brave.
Kai didn't look at him. Kai looked at Lina.
Kai's voice went low and clear, like a vow. "I will not give my true name to save one bond and lose everyone."
Lina's throat burned. She wanted to say, "I trust you." She wanted to say, "I'm with you." But she kept her mouth shut.
Instead, Lina stepped forward and did something simple.
She took Mira's hand.
Mira flinched at first, like she didn't know if it was safe.
Lina squeezed gently.
Once.
Then Lina placed Mira's hand on Lina's own chest, right over her heart.
Mira's eyes widened.
Lina didn't speak.
She just let Mira feel the heartbeat.
Thump. Thump.
Mira stared at Lina, shaking. Her eyes filled with tears, like her body remembered something her mind couldn't hold.
Mira whispered, "Why does that feel… familiar?"
Seren gasped softly, eyes shining. She put a hand over her mouth, fighting the urge to speak.
Kai's eyes softened, just a little. He understood what Lina was doing.
Touch anchors.
It doesn't fix the cut, but it helps the body remember the truth.
The door hummed, annoyed. The crest flared brighter.
Then the corridor used Mira's dad's voice again, right behind Mira, close and sweet.
"Mira… come here."
Mira jerked her head back, terrified.
Kai moved fast and pulled Mira behind him.
"No," Kai said, loud and sharp.
The corridor hummed, hungry.
TRUTH SPOKEN.TAX REQUIRED.
Lina's blood ran cold.
Kai's eyes widened for a split second. He realized his mistake.
He had spoken too loudly.
Now the Echo wanted payment.
Kai's Oathbreaker mark flared under his skin like a burn. Lina felt the heat through the air. The door crest answered it, pulsing like it recognized the mark as a key.
Seren's voice shook. "Kai—"
Kai held up a hand to stop her. No more words.
But it was too late.
The tax did not hit Lina.
It did not hit Mira.
It hit Kai.
Kai's body went stiff.
His eyes unfocused for one terrible second, like something reached inside him.
Lina's heart stopped.
Then Kai inhaled sharply, like he was coming back from underwater. His face went pale. His hand pressed to his own throat, like he couldn't trust his own voice.
Lina looked at him, panicked.
Kai's lips parted.
He looked like he was fighting a word inside his mouth.
A word the door wanted.
A word the seal listened for.
Lina stepped close and pressed both hands to Kai's chest now, hard, grounding him. She shook her head fast.
Kai's eyes snapped to hers.
He forced his mouth shut.
He breathed through his nose, shaking.
The door's letters brightened, pleased.
VOICE PATH: ACTIVE.
And beneath it, a new line wrote itself slowly, like a sentence being born.
NEXT OFFER: SAY HIS TRUE NAME FOR HIM.
Lina's blood went cold.
Because the door was not only trying to make Kai speak.
It was trying to make Lina speak it instead.
Using her voice sample.
Using her bond.
Using her fear for Mira.
The door creaked open a little, like lips parting.
Cold air spilled out, smelling like ink and wet stone.
And from the dark inside the door, a gentle voice whispered in Lina's stolen voice, close and soft.
"You already have it."
Lina froze.
Her eyes widened.
Because she suddenly wasn't sure if it was lying.
Or if the Echo route had already put Kai's true name somewhere inside her.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2025
All rights reserved.