Morning came too bright.
Arav stepped into the courtyard feeling more tired than rested, every blink heavy with the memory of last night's encounter. He wasn't sure whether what he saw was real or a dream—
But Aaryan and Sharanya's expressions told him they had sensed enough to know something had happened.
Meghala stood in the center of the courtyard with her hands on her hips, glaring at the forest as if she could intimidate answers out of it.
When she saw Arav, her expression softened—but only barely.
"Well?" she demanded. "Did your mysterious night guest return?"
Arav shook his head. "No. Not since yesterday."
"Hmm." Meghala squinted at him. "You didn't sleep well."
Arav looked down. "I think it was sad."
Sharanya knelt beside him. "What did you see?"
Arav hesitated. "It looked like a… a ripple in the shape of a person. But faint. Like it wasn't strong enough to stay."
Meghala folded her arms. "An echo form."
Arav blinked. "Echo?"
"Aether echoes," she clarified. "Imprints of living beings that form when someone's soul or body experiences extreme imbalance. They're rare—and usually harmless."
Arav frowned. "Harmless?"
Meghala nodded. "Most of them don't even realize they're alive."
Sharanya's voice gently added, "But this one spoke."
Aaryan stepped forward. "And it used intent projection. Not instinct."
That changed everything.
Echoes didn't speak.
Echoes didn't reach across boundaries.
Echoes didn't seek help.
Arav's flame stirred with worry. "What if it's hurt?"
Aaryan placed a hand on his shoulder. "If it is, then helping it may be dangerous."
Meghala crouched down so she was eye level with Arav. Her voice softened—rare, but real.
"Little ember. Echoes are unstable. They can disappear forever at the slightest touch, or explode like aether storms if panicked."
Arav swallowed. "But it didn't hurt me."
Sharanya nodded. "Because you didn't panic."
Meghala rubbed the back of her neck. "Well… you're also a walking distortion anomaly, so maybe you two understand each other."
Aaryan shot her a look.
"What? It's true," she muttered.
Arav looked toward the trees.
A whisper had come from that direction.
A voice.
A plea.
If he didn't help… what would happen to it?
---
The training that day was unfocused.
Meghala attempted concealment drills, but Arav's mind kept drifting. His flame flickered with restless energy. Every few minutes he turned toward the boundary as if expecting the echo to appear again.
Meghala eventually dropped to the ground with an exaggerated groan.
"Alright. Stop. Your concentration is shaped like a potato today."
Sharanya smiled faintly. "He's distracted."
"No kidding." Meghala flopped onto her back. "At this rate, even Isha's frogs are focusing better."
Isha gasped proudly. "Thank you!"
Aaryan looked at Arav for a long moment. "Tell us precisely what you felt."
Arav explained again—
the ripple,
the shape,
the sadness,
the single word whispered,
and how the echo vanished the moment he responded.
Aaryan didn't interrupt.
When Arav finished, Aaryan said:
"It fears contact."
Sharanya added, "But still approaches."
Meghala sat up. "Which means two things. One: it's not hostile. Two: it's desperate."
Arav whispered, "So we should help it, right?"
"No," Aaryan said instantly.
Arav's heart sank. "Why?"
"Because helping something unstable can destabilize you," Aaryan said calmly. "Echoes latch onto strong signatures. They feed on aether. And you are… potent."
Arav looked down. "So I shouldn't help anyone."
Sharanya's hand touched his cheek gently. "No, Arav… that's not what we mean."
Aaryan softened his tone—so subtly only Arav and Sharanya noticed.
"You are too young to take risks alone."
Meghala ruffled his hair. "You want to help it? Fine. But we do it together."
Arav looked up, surprised. "We will?"
Aaryan gave a small nod.
Sharanya smiled warmly.
Isha held up a frog. "Frog squad will help too!"
Her frog croaked unhelpfully.
Arav felt warmth spread in his chest.
He wasn't alone.
---
That night, Aaryan placed silent barriers around Arav's room—nothing restrictive, just soft layers of protection that wouldn't flare outward or scare the echo.
Sharanya sat by the door with a dim lantern.
Meghala took position outside, perched on the roof like a silver gargoyle with attitude.
Arav lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling again.
He whispered into the quiet, "It's okay to come back."
Moonlight slid across his blanket.
Aether shivered.
A ripple formed near the wall—weak, trembling.
Arav sat up.
Sharanya stood instantly.
Aaryan entered without sound.
Meghala flared silver on the roof.
The ripple wavered violently—
as if terrified.
Arav reached forward slowly, palms open.
"I won't hurt you."
The echo steadied.
Aether gathered into a faint outline—
small
delicate
barely holding itself together.
Arav's breath hitched.
It was a child.
A tiny silhouette, head tilted, flickering with broken aether threads. It looked like it wasn't meant to stand this close to reality.
Sharanya gasped softly.
Meghala whispered, "…By the Flame."
Aaryan's expression shifted into something far more complex than fear.
Arav took a shaky breath.
"You… you're small… like me."
The echo tilted its head, curious.
Then, with a voice softer than a sigh:
Cold… help…
Arav reached out—
—but Aaryan's hand closed around his wrist instantly.
"Not yet."
The echo flinched violently and dissolved into shivering aether vents before anyone could react.
Arav stared, horrified.
"No—! I didn't want to scare it—!"
Meghala cursed under her breath. "We need to approach it slowly…"
Sharanya knelt beside Arav as his eyes filled with panic. "It's alright. It didn't disappear completely. It will return."
Aaryan looked toward the window.
His voice was low.
"It will return because it has nowhere else to go."
His next words were quieter, almost grim:
"And because something is chasing it."