Chapter 22: The Ones Who Remember
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A Presence That Shouldn't Exist
Lena stood still, her breath barely audible.
The echo in front of her wasn't like the others.
It didn't shuffle or glitch, didn't flicker with broken remnants of its past existence.
It was just standing there, watching her.
Then—it spoke.
"You don't belong here."
Lena's chest tightened.
The voice wasn't in the air.
It was inside her head.
A slow, creeping chill ran down her spine.
Behind her, Riven shifted. "Lena."
She barely heard him.
The echo's form flickered, as if struggling against something.
Then—its shape twisted.
Its hollow features morphed.
Its limbs stretched unnaturally.
Until its face became hers.
A perfect reflection.
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The System Malfunctions
A sharp warning slammed into her vision.
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[System Alert: Identity Error]
Warning: Detected Conflict in Data Structure.
Synchronization Attempt: 12%... 25%... ERROR.
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Lena's entire body locked.
Then—pain.
Not the kind that burned flesh or broke bones.
Something deeper.
Something that scraped through her mind like static.
Her vision fractured.
The world split apart.
And for a moment—she wasn't here anymore.
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A Vision of the Past
She stood in a massive white room.
Metallic walls stretched endlessly, humming faintly with pulsing golden symbols.
In front of her—a hovering screen, filled with cascading data.
A voice spoke behind her—deep, steady, human.
"The system detected her anomaly. We need more time."
A second voice—sharper, urgent.
"We don't have time. The purge has already started."
The first voice sighed.
"Then we delay it. Do what you have to."
Lena's breath caught. (Who... are they talking about?)
She stepped forward, reaching for the screen.
For just a second—she saw her reflection.
But she wasn't wearing her usual gear.
She was wearing something different.
Something that felt familiar and foreign at the same time.
A third voice—glitching, layered.
"…Find the first record."
Then—
Everything shattered.
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Reality Snaps Back
Lena collapsed to her knees, gasping.
Riven was in front of her, sword drawn.
Alek wasn't smiling anymore.
And the echoes?
They were all moving.
Hundreds of hollow eyes turned toward her.
One stepped forward.
And it called her by name.
"Lena."
Her pulse pounded.
(How does it know my name?)
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The System Intervenes
A new warning slammed into her vision.
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[System Override: Identity Conflict Unresolved]
Error: Data Mismatch. Attempting Manual Reset.
Processing... Processing... Processing...
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The echoes convulsed, glitching violently.
Some collapsed, flickering out of existence.
Others melted into the ground, their hollow mouths open in silent agony.
Lena staggered back.
Alek cursed. "It's wiping them."
But one echo resisted.
It lifted its hand—pointing at her.
And it spoke—one last time.
"Find the first record."
Then—it vanished.
Lena barely had time to react before the system forced a hard reset.
And the world collapsed.
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End of Chapter 22