Break or Become

The air in the chamber was heavy, thick with the metallic scent of blood and the faint hum of the Reaper's dormant core. Liam's knees pressed into the cold stone, his breaths shallow and ragged, each one a struggle against the burning pain in his chest. Just a few feet away, Varik's body lay still, blood pooling beneath him like a dark mirror, reflecting the flickering violet glow of Kael's blade. The light in Varik's eyes had vanished—snuffed out in an instant.

His final words—"Liam… run…"—echoed in Liam's mind, playing over and over like a cruel reminder.

[Echo Sync: 66%. Warning: Critical Limit Approaching.]

The system's alert pulsed in his vision, each rising percentage like a claw digging deeper into his mind. The Echo's whispers grew louder, an eerie static scratching at the edges of his thoughts: *"You failed. You always fail. Sacrifice is the only path."*

His fingers twitched around Shadowfang's hilt, the blade trembling in his grip. His vision blurred. Kael's silhouette fractured, splitting into overlapping echoes like a distorted image. The circle with intersecting lines burned into his sight again, its ghostly glow flickering before fading away.

Liam's chest tightened, his breath catching. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Varik. The blood, the stillness—it was too much.

Elise's words from moments ago cut deeper than any blade: *"You froze again, Liam. You always freeze."*

She was right. He had hesitated. And because of that, Varik was dead. The weight of that failure crushed him, heavier than the Echo's heat, heavier than the Reaper's blades.

A few steps away, Mara stood frozen. Her fists no longer glowed. Her face was pale, her wide eyes locked on Varik's lifeless form.

"Varik…" she whispered, her voice barely audible, trembling with grief. The faint glow of her power flickered out completely. She didn't look at Liam—couldn't. The silence between them felt like a widening chasm.

Elise staggered to her feet, a bruise forming on her side, her breaths sharp and unsteady. Her dagger was lost somewhere in the chaos, but her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She turned to Liam, her grief twisted into something sharper.

"You let him die," she said, her voice cold, each word cutting like a blade.

Her eyes burned—not just with anger, but with betrayal.

*She doesn't doubt me anymore. She knows.*

Liam's throat tightened. "I—I didn't…" His voice cracked, weak and useless.

He wanted to say he had tried, that the Echo had overwhelmed him, that the Reaper had been too fast. But no excuse would change the truth. Varik was dead. And it was his fault.

Mara took a shaky step forward, then stopped. Her shoulders trembled. Her fists clenched at her sides.

"We trusted you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, but filled with crushing weight. She still wouldn't look at him. Her gaze remained locked on the blood beneath Varik.

"He trusted you."

[Echo Sync: 67%. Warning: Critical Limit Imminent.]

The whispers in his mind grew to a deafening roar: *"You are not enough. You never were."*

Liam's vision warped, the chamber shifting like the ground beneath him had tilted. His grip on Shadowfang tightened, the blade's weight the only thing anchoring him to reality. He wanted to fight back, to silence the Echo, to undo this moment—but he couldn't. Not now. Not with Varik's blood staining the stone.

Kael's voice shattered the silence, smooth and sharp, like a knife sliding from its sheath.

"The Echo always chooses the worthy, Inheritor."

He stood a few paces away, violet eyes gleaming with unsettling curiosity. His blade was sheathed now, but his presence remained just as dangerous.

"But are you?"

The question hung in the air, pointed and deliberate. As if Kael already knew the answer.

Liam's head snapped up, locking eyes with him. The faint smile on Kael's lips sent a shiver down his spine—not because it was cruel, but because it was knowing.

*He was expecting this.*

Kael had seen something in Liam's reflection. Something in the blood pooling at his feet.

Not surprise.

Confirmation.

Before Liam could respond, a low hum filled the chamber.

The Reaper's core pulsed.

A red glow surged from within it, casting jagged shadows across the stone walls.

Its blades whirred to life, their high-pitched screech splitting the silence.

The construct turned, its crimson eye locking onto them with mechanical precision.

Elise tensed. "We can't fight that thing—not like this."

She shot a glare at Liam. "Not with you falling apart."

The words stung. But behind her frustration, there was something else.

Fear.

Not just of the Reaper.

Of him.

Mara's hands flickered with weak light, but her movements were slow, drained. "She's right." Her voice was hollow. "We're out of time."

She finally met Liam's gaze.

He almost wished she hadn't.

There was no anger in her eyes—only something worse.

Doubt.

"What do we do, Liam?"

The question slammed into him like a blow.

Even after everything, they were still looking to him for answers.

But he didn't have one.

The Echo's static roared in his skull, his vision blurring again. Kael's face fractured into overlapping images. The glowing circle symbol burned brighter, its lines searing into his sight.

The Architect's voice rose, cold and mechanical, louder than before.

*"The Echo chooses the worthy. The unworthy break."*

Liam forced himself to his feet, Shadowfang heavy in his hand. His body screamed in protest, his wounds throbbing, but he couldn't stop. Not now.

The Reaper charged.

Its spinning blades blurred, slicing toward him.

[Echo Sync: 68%. Warning: Critical Limit Imminent.]

Void Step activated in a flash.

Liam reappeared behind the construct, gasping for air, his vision swimming.

"Together!" he shouted, voice raw. "We fight together!"

He didn't know if he was trying to convince them—or himself.

Shadowfang slashed forward, carving a shallow cut into the Reaper's leg. Sparks flew. Metal screeched. But the construct barely slowed.

It turned. Its red core pulsed brighter.

Mara threw a punch, her fist glowing weakly. The impact dented the Reaper's frame, but the backlash sent her stumbling.

Elise darted in, weaponless, aiming a desperate kick at the construct's core.

A spinning blade caught her leg. Blood sprayed. She stumbled back with a pained hiss.

Kael watched from the sidelines, expression unreadable.

"A valiant effort," he mused. "But the Echo's price is steep, Inheritor. How much more will you pay?"

The Reaper's core pulsed again.

Its blades whirled even faster.

Liam's vision fractured.

The Echo's static became an unbearable roar.

[Echo Sync: 69%. Warning: Critical Limit Reached.]

The glowing circle symbol burned, its eerie light spreading across the stone.

The Architect's voice came again, colder than before.

*"The Echo demands sacrifice. The Echo demands strength."*

Liam's knees wobbled. His grip on Shadowfang faltered.

His body was breaking. His mind was splintering.

He looked at Mara and Elise—at their determination and fear.

At Varik's body.

At his failure.

The Reaper lunged.

Its blades aimed straight for his heart.

Liam raised Shadowfang. His arms shook. His vision shattered into light and shadow.

The glowing symbol pulsed one last time.

The Architect's voice rang in his mind, final and absolute:

*"Choose, Inheritor. Break—or become."*

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