Shattered Bonds

"Tick tock, Inheritor. The Echo has already chosen." Kael's voice was calm, almost amused. His violet blade hung over Varik's broken body, its glow casting a cold, harsh light across the chamber. Liam's heart pounded. The Echo wasn't just a second pulse—it was taking over. A dark hunger crawled under his thoughts, twisting his emotions, mixing with its will. Was that his fear—or the Echo's hunger? [Echo Sync: 60%. Critical Threshold Reached.] The alert burned in his mind. The dread of 70% Sync was a cold, heavy fear. A breaking point he couldn't come back from. He couldn't let Kael win. He couldn't let Varik die. But the Reaper stood in his way. Its spinning blades were a screaming wall of death.

"Liam!" Mara shouted. Something new was in her voice—hesitation. Her fists still glowed, but weaker now—like she no longer knew who she was fighting beside. Blood dripped from her shoulder, staining the stone below. Her eyes flicked to him. She searched for the leader she needed. But the uncertainty in her gaze was clear—a fear that the Echo was pulling him somewhere she couldn't follow.

Elise scrambled to her feet, her dagger in hand, her breaths rough from the hit against the wall. "He's buying time!" she snapped, her voice sharp. She angled away from Liam, trust fracturing. Her lips tightened. The unease from the tunnel had hardened into something heavier. Her eyes darted between Liam and Kael, like she wasn't sure who the bigger threat was.

Liam lunged forward, Shadowfang raised. The Echo guided his moves, its heat burning through him like a wildfire in his veins. The Reaper struck, its twin blades carving a path for his heart. Liam twisted—too slow. A searing line of pain tore across his side as metal grazed flesh. He gritted his teeth and fought back. Shadowfang flashed in his grip. The blade cut deep into the Reaper's arm, sending a shower of sparks into the air. The screech of metal echoed through the chamber, but the construct didn't falter. It swung again, forcing Liam back. His boots skidded on the stone, his arms shaking from the impact.

Mara charged, her fist glowing faintly. She slammed into the Reaper's leg with force, the metal denting with a clang that echoed like a thunderclap. The construct staggered, its red core flaring, but it fought back with terrifying speed. Its blade sliced through the air. Mara dove, the blade missing her by inches. The move reopened her shoulder wound. Blood gushed down her arm, her face paling as she gritted her teeth against the pain.

Elise darted in, her dagger aiming for the Reaper's core. Her moves were precise but desperate. She ducked under a swipe, the blade whistling above her head, and stabbed deep. Her dagger sank into the construct's chest. The red light flickered, a high-pitched whine coming from its core. But the Reaper didn't even stagger. Its red core pulsed brighter, like it was absorbing the damage, and then it fought back—faster. Its blade lashed out, catching Elise in the side and hurling her across the floor. Her dagger skittered out of reach.

"Elise!" Liam shouted, his voice raw. His heart raced as he saw her hit the ground hard, her body rolling to a stop near the chamber wall. He moved to help her, but the Reaper turned on him. Its blades spun faster, the sound a deafening scream that drowned out everything else.

Kael watched, his violet eyes gleaming with unshakable certainty. A predator watching the inevitable unfold. "You can't save them all, Inheritor," he said, his voice low, cutting through the chaos like a blade. "The Echo demands its price."

Liam's vision flickered. Faint afterimages of the circle with intersecting lines burned into his sight, a ghostly mark that vanished as quickly as it appeared. It left a cold dread in its wake. The Echo flared again, its presence overwhelming. Its whispers mixed with his thoughts: "Sacrifice is the only path." His hand trembled, Shadowfang quivering in his grip. The movement grew worse—a sharp, erratic jerk that made his heart skip a beat. He clenched his jaw, trying to force it to still, but the Echo's power surged stronger. It pushed him closer to the edge, closer to 70%.

Varik's voice broke through, weak but urgent, his words barely audible over the Reaper's screams. "Liam… don't… let it… take you…" His eyes, dull with pain, met Liam's. A flicker of the old fire still burned in their depths—a plea to hold on, to fight back.

But the Reaper didn't give Liam a moment to think. It charged again, its blades a blur. He had to dodge, his body straining, his side burning from the earlier cut. He swung Shadowfang, aiming for its core, but the construct blocked with its arm. The impact sent a jolt through his arms. The Echo burned hotter, its sync rising—[Echo Sync: 62%. Warning: Approaching Critical Limit.] The alert flashed, the percentage ticking up. Each increase was a step closer to the breaking point, a step closer to losing himself.

Mara staggered to her feet, her face pale. Her fists glowed faintly now, her strength fading fast. "We can't… keep this up," she gasped, her voice rough. Her eyes flicked to Liam, searching for a plan, for hope, but finding only the shadow of the Echo in his gaze.

Elise pushed herself up, her side bruised, her dagger lost. Her breaths came in sharp gasps. "Liam, we need you!" Elise's voice shook—not just with desperation, but fear. Of him. Mara took a half-step back. She hadn't done that before. Even bleeding, even outmatched, she had never stepped away from him. Elise's grip on her dagger tightened—not against the Reaper, but against the thing standing in front of her. "You're not… all here, are you?" she breathed.

Kael stepped closer to Varik, his blade hovering inches from his throat. His violet eyes locked on Liam, a cruel amusement in his gaze. "Choose, Inheritor." Kael's voice was cold, effortless—like he already knew the outcome. "Your friend, or your fight. The Echo has already decided."

Liam's heart slammed against his ribs, his breath coming ragged, uneven. His grip on Shadowfang faltered. His fingers twitched, jerking in sharp, uneven spasms—like a broken frame in time. The Echo's presence wasn't just a whisper now—it was rewriting him. It pressed against his skull like static, warping the edges of the world. It wasn't just speaking—it was screaming. "No choice. No mercy. You are not enough." He swayed, his vision warping—Kael's face split into two, then three, overlapping like a shattered reflection. His voice twisted, warped with the Echo's. He couldn't let Varik die—but the Reaper's blades were a wall he couldn't break through. His vision blurred, the symbol appearing again—the same circle with intersecting lines. It glowed brighter now, its light casting a faint, eerie glow across the chamber, then faded. The Architect's voice cut through, cold and mechanical, echoing so powerfully that the world cracked. For a heartbeat, everything was gray, distant—like he wasn't standing in his own body anymore. "The Echo chooses the worthy."

And then—Varik moved. A sudden, desperate burst of strength. His bloody hands latched onto Kael's wrist, shaking. His voice was a ragged whisper. "Liam… run…" He shoved Kael's blade aside, rolling between them—one last act of defiance. Kael's grip tensed, his violet eyes narrowing—annoyance? Uncertainty? Then his blade fell. A flash of violet light. A sound—not a scream, not even a gasp—just silence. Varik's body hit the stone, and Liam's chest locked, his breath freezing. The light in Varik's eyes flickered. Dimmed. Then, nothing. Red spread across the gray stone.

"No!" Liam screamed, his voice raw, his vision blurring with tears. The Echo flared brighter, hotter, its sync spiking—[Echo Sync: 65%. Warning: Critical Limit Imminent.] The pain in his chest was unbearable now, a searing fire threatening to swallow him. The Architect's voice echoed louder, its words a part of him: "Sacrifice is the only path."

Mara froze, her fists dimming, her face pale. Her eyes were wide with horror. "Varik…" she whispered, her voice breaking. Her hands trembled as she stared at his lifeless body, the reality of his sacrifice hitting her like a punch.

Elise staggered to her feet, her face a mask of grief and rage. She turned to Liam, her gaze burning with doubt. "You let him die." Elise's voice wasn't just grief—it was something colder, like a verdict. Then, sharper, rawer: "You froze again, Liam. You always freeze."

Liam's knees buckled, the Echo's heat overwhelming. Its presence was a second heart, a second will, pushing him closer to the edge, closer to 70%. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think. The weight of Varik's death crashed down on him, the team's breaking trust a wound deeper than any blade. Kael paused—not in fear, but something more dangerous. Interest. Calculation. His violet eyes lingered on Liam, flicking to the fingers spasming against Shadowfang's hilt, to the flickering afterimage of the Echo's symbol still burning in the air. Then—briefly—his gaze lowered. To Liam's reflection in the blood pooling at his feet. A flicker of certainty. A faint smile. Not surprise. Confirmation. Then, without a word, he sheathed his blade and stepped back—as if nothing had changed. But something had. And Kael had seen it.