The tunnel widened so suddenly that Mira and I skidded to a stop.
A glowing chamber stretched out in front of us — circular, enormous, and humming with blue light that shimmered across the walls like moving water.
It didn't feel like a place humans were meant to be.
Mira whispered, "Aren… what is this?"
The shadow floated ahead, quieter than usual.
"A chamber where Echo gathers when it has nowhere else to go."
"Like… leftover emotions?" I asked.
"Forgotten emotions."
The air felt heavy, like a hundred unspoken words pressed against my skin.
At the center of the chamber, something large shifted.
A shape rose slowly from the floor — not mechanical, not human.
More like a fog that found a body, gathering into a tall, towering entity made of swirling blue Echo.
It tilted its head toward us.
Not aggressive.
Not friendly.
Watching.
Mira squeezed my arm. "Aren. If that thing moves—"
"It already did," I murmured.
The shadow drifted between us and the giant Echo entity.
"Do not provoke it," it warned.
"This one is called a Remnant. It forms when Echo collects in large quantities. It watches, but rarely attacks… unless startled."
"So we walk around it?" Mira whispered.
"Yes. Slowly."
We took a step.
The Remnant's head tilted again, following us.
Another step.
Another tilt.
Mira hissed softly, "It's staring straight at you."
I kept my voice low. "Let it stare. Just don't make any sudden—"
A metallic clang rang out behind us.
All three of us froze.
Mira's eyes widened. "Aren… that wasn't you."
The shadow turned sharply.
"…Collector."
I didn't want to look.
But I did.
A tall silhouette emerged from the tunnel, its porcelain mask glowing with faint blue rings. Its footsteps were soft and steady — too calm for something hunting us.
"Found us…" I whispered, breath shaky.
The Collector stopped at the edge of the chamber. It didn't rush. Didn't threaten.
It simply raised a hand and touched the air.
A small ripple spread out like a wave through water.
The Remnant responded instantly.
Its tall shape straightened. The swirling Echo thickened, gathering force.
The faint humming in the room grew louder… sharper… like the sound of tension stretching.
"Aren!" Mira grabbed my sleeve. "Tell me that thing is not listening to the Collector."
"It is," the shadow said quietly.
"Collectors can command Echo. Remnants obey strong commands."
My pulse quickened. "So it's going to attack us?"
"Not yet."
"Not yet?!"
"Only when commanded."
The Collector lowered its masked face toward us and spoke in its soft, robotic tone:
"Citizen Aren Hale. You are marked. Surrender for safe transport."
Safe.
Not a chance.
I clenched my fists. "I'm not surrendering."
The mask pulsed once.
"Then extraction will be enforced."
The Remnant began moving — slow, deliberate steps sending soft vibrations through the chamber.
Mira whispered shakily, "Aren… what do we do…?"
The shadow suddenly floated upward, its voice echoing strangely:
"There is a third path."
"What path? Where?!"
The shadow pointed toward the ceiling — at a faint, thin crack in the glowing chamber roof.
"A forgotten service vent. It leads aboveground. If you break the chamber field with enough Echo pressure, it will open."
Mira stared. "Break the field?! How?! We don't have weapons!"
The shadow's form flickered.
"You do. Aren does."
I blinked. "Me?! With what?!"
"Echo-Readers don't just hear Echo…"
The chamber trembled as the Remnant took another step closer.
The shadow's voice sharpened:
"…they can release it."
A cold chill ran through me.
"What does that even mean—?"
"Focus on the strongest emotion you feel right now," the shadow instructed.
"Fear. Determination. Anything real."
Mira grabbed my hand, her voice shaking. "Aren—hurry!"
The Remnant raised one enormous arm, Echo swirling like storm clouds.
The Collector whispered:
"Extraction commencing."
The entire chamber vibrated.
I shut my eyes.
My heartbeat thundered.
Fear.
Confusion.
Desperation.
I pulled all of it inward, like tightening a knot inside my chest.
The shadow whispered:
"Now—let it go."
I exhaled—
—and a burst of blue Echo exploded from my hands.