The Room that Breathes

Setting: Lower levels of Echo Base

POV: Kaela

---

They descended into silence.

Below the command halls, the light dimmed, and every step felt heavier—like the air itself had a memory. Kaela moved first, blades dimmed but ready, Arin close behind, Riven silent as always.

"Why's it so… humid?" Arin muttered, brushing mist from his brow.

Riven touched the wall, fingers splaying. "This section isn't on any map. It's not natural. It's grown."

Kaela paused. Her eyes narrowed.

The hallway ahead pulsed. Slightly. Like it was breathing.

And then the walls opened.

Not in an explosion—just… unzipped. Slowly. Revealing a room hidden behind layers of false steel and bio-circuitry. It was clean, untouched by decay, glowing with soft golden light. In the center sat a cylindrical chamber, its core swirling with blue energy.

Kaela approached it, hands tightening on her blades. Something about this place pulled her.

"Don't touch it," Riven said suddenly.

Too late.

The chamber responded to Kaela's presence. Light flickered. A heartbeat echoed in her mind—not hers. Not human.

A projection flickered to life.

It was a woman. Cloaked in black. Her face blurred, unreadable. But her voice was clear.

> "To the one born of broken fire… if you've reached this far, you carry the shard."

Kaela blinked. "Shard?"

The woman continued:

> "You are a vessel. Unfinished. The key to the chain. But your blood isn't alone. Two others walk beside you—one from the sealed vault, and one from the forgotten sky."

Kaela glanced at Riven.

He remained still.

> "The chain will awaken when the three are tested. But beware: not all echoes remain loyal. One has fallen."

The projection vanished. The chamber pulsed once—then powered down.

Kaela felt… strange.

Like something just opened inside her chest. A pressure she didn't notice before was suddenly gone. Her blades hummed louder.

Arin stepped up, wide-eyed. "Kaela… your eyes."

She turned to him. He stepped back.

"They're glowing."

Kaela touched her face. It felt the same. But something had changed. Not stronger. Not weaker. Just… clearer. Like a locked door in her body had cracked open.

"We need to move," she said. "Before whatever's watching us gets closer."

Behind them, the walls pulsed again.

Then whispered:

> "She woke up."

---

Elsewhere, deep beneath the ruins…

A creature stirred.

It had no true form—just mass, eyes, and teeth. And a memory of when it was once a man.

It screamed in silence as the last of its human voice dissolved.

"Kaela…"