Kaela led them toward the ridge. She kept her hand on the flarecloth, just in case. The air here was thicker. Like steam. But cold.
Ro leaned heavily on Sera's shoulder. He was heavier than he looked, and Sera's arms shook from the strain. She didn't ask for help.
Kaela didn't offer.
They passed a stretch of old root columns—wide, hollowed trees bent into arches. Moss glowed faint blue along their bark. Kaela stepped around one, careful not to touch the runes etched deep in the wood. Old tethering marks. From before this field collapsed.
The ground sloped up.
Sen was still unconscious. Lian dragged the stretcher carefully, her body hunched forward, lips tight.
They reached the ridge.
It wasn't much—just a curve of broken stone and a small overhang. But it was higher ground. There was space to see both the path down and the sky above. Kaela nodded to herself.
"This is good," she said.
They lowered Ro and Sen near a flat stretch. Sera sat down hard, hands on her knees. Sweat rolled down her neck.
Kaela watched her for a minute.
"You okay?"
Sera nodded, not speaking.
"You weren't glowing before," Kaela said quietly.
Sera looked up.
"What?"
"Your skin. When we moved through the arch, you flickered. You didn't notice?"
Sera stared at her arms. Nothing now. Just sweat and dirt.
"I didn't feel anything."
Kaela stepped closer.
The mist here was thinner, but the air was tight. Like standing near something that had been charged with mana too long. Her own Echo—a faint shimmer near her back—twitched once, then went still. Dormant. Watching.
Sera's Echo wasn't visible.
Kaela's hand moved toward her belt, where a glyph-woven thread was coiled. Just in case.
She asked, "What type of Echo do you have?"
Sera didn't answer.
Kaela's voice sharpened. "Everyone at Valemont has one. Even if it's dormant. You said you were a student."
"I didn't," Sera said. Her voice was quiet. "I never said that."
Kaela blinked.
"You're not with the school?"
"No."
"Then why do you know about the Veins? About pits, about Echoes?"
"I just… do."
That didn't help.
Sera looked away. "It's like remembering something I didn't live."
Kaela crouched next to her.
"Your Echo. What is it?"
Sera shook her head. "I don't think I have one."
"That's not possible."
"I know."
Kaela looked at her closer.
She saw it now—a faint shimmer behind Sera's eyes. Not light. Refraction. Like looking through glass that didn't want to hold shape.
It reminded her of synthetic Echo signs.
Bound spirits that didn't belong.
Kaela stood. Her voice stayed even.
"Don't move."
"Why?"
Kaela didn't answer.
She reached for her flarecloth. Not to call Toji. But to trigger the emergency containment glyph stored in the edge.
The mist around them shifted.
Her Echo flared once in warning. A sound like glass cracking in her chest.
Then a voice—soft, male—came from behind the ridge.
"Kaela," it said.
Not shouted.
Spoken. Calm. Measured.
Kaela spun, blade half-drawn.
It was not Toji.
Kaela kept her blade steady, eyes fixed on the ridge. The voice came again. Soft. Like it was made from her own thoughts.
"Kaela."
It wasn't Toji. It wasn't anyone she knew.
The figure came into view—too thin, too tall, too wrong. It bent its limbs in the wrong order. Its arms were long, and there were too many fingers. Hair like smoke drifted from its head and back. Not real hair. Something else.
Its feet didn't touch the ground.
Kaela raised the flarecloth. "Stay behind me."
Sera didn't move.
The thing moved closer.
Its eyes glowed pale yellow, but not with light. They pulsed. As if it was thinking through them. It changed shape as it stepped—arms shortening, back hunched lower, skin darkening.
It was trying to become something else. Or someone.
Kaela lit the flare.
The burst of glyphlight shot into the air, red sparks tracing the emergency sigil.
The creature flinched—but didn't stop.
Kaela took a step forward.
Then it spoke.
"You've been dreaming of me."
It wasn't a growl. Just a voice that didn't belong. Words that didn't sound like sound.
Kaela lunged. Her blade struck clean through the thing's midsection.
But it didn't bleed.
The wound closed like cloth folding in on itself.
It hissed. Not in pain. More like surprise.
Behind her, Sera gasped. Fell to one knee. Hands clutched at her stomach.
Kaela turned. "What is it?"
Sera's back arched. Her skin flickered—like scales trying to form but failing. Steam poured out of her mouth.
The creature saw her. Its shape flickered again—sharpened. Focused on Sera.
Kaela understood.
It wasn't here for her.
It was hunting that.
Sera's Echo.
⸻
Sera couldn't breathe.
Her chest felt full of fire and stone. Her hands were claws—she hadn't meant them to be. She was changing. She could feel her arms stretching, fingers splitting.
She saw the beast through fog. It looked like something from her worst dream. Long. Empty. Hungry.
"It wants my Echo," she said.
Kaela didn't answer. She was fighting.
Sera fell forward. Her vision spun.
A voice—her voice, but not—whispered in her mind:
"Let me help."
She saw it—her Echo.
A dragon made of silver bone and black flame, watching her from inside the mist. Wings folded. Eyes locked on her.
"Say yes," it said.
She did.
⸻
The change came fast.
Her arms exploded into white-scaled claws. Her jaw split sideways. Steam burst from her shoulders. Wings punched out of her back, not fully formed but strong enough to throw dirt and leaves into the air.
The creature turned.
It saw her now.
And hesitated.
Sera stood.
Not fully human.
Not fully dragon.
She let out a short, harsh breath—and the steam hit the creature like a wave. It staggered back. Its form cracked—glass-web lines spread across its skin. Its limbs shifted too fast, trying to adapt.
Kaela shouted. "Sera!"
Sera turned her head.
"I'm fine."
The shapeshifter didn't run.
It bent low and widened its stance. Its body melted into something faster—lean, angular, clawed. The long arms became blades. Its chest split open like a flower, showing too many ribs.
Kaela stepped next to Sera.
"You hold?" she asked.
Sera nodded. Her face was still hers, but her eyes were bright gold. Steam hissed from her shoulders. The claws on her hands flexed.
Kaela's hand dropped to her side.
Thin threads of white light snapped around her wrists. They pulsed once, and her Echo came alive.
Nine thin, translucent tails uncoiled behind her. Not fur. Energy—shaped like memory and fire. They drifted in slow circles, waiting.
Her voice was calm.
"Flank it left. I'll push right."
Sera didn't speak. She took off running.
The creature moved first.
It lunged toward Kaela. Fast. No wasted motion.
Kaela's tails snapped forward—three at once. They struck like spears. The beast dodged, but two tails sliced its arm open. No blood—just a mist that smelled like sulfur and ash.
The beast landed low. Pivoted toward Sera.
She was already mid-air.
One wing beat down hard, kicking up dust. She spun, claws extended, and slashed across its chest. Steam burst from her mouth—scalding. The creature reeled.
Kaela didn't stop.
She charged.
Two more tails lashed out, grabbing the beast's left leg and yanking it off balance. She slid under it and cut deep into its back with a curved blade—short, meant for gutting.
It howled.
Then it shifted again.
Its back legs grew. It leapt. Landed on a boulder. Its form broke and rebuilt—now with long, armored arms and a horned face. Its mouth opened in four directions.
Kaela landed next to Sera. "That's a mimic form."
Sera didn't look away. "It's copying my Echo."
"Or yours is copying it."
Sera tensed.
Kaela said, "Doesn't matter. Burn it."
Sera crouched low. Her dragon form cracked further. More scales. Her shoulders widened. Her claws grew longer.
Kaela's tails spread in a circle behind her. They glowed brighter now.
"Go."
⸻
They attacked at once.
Sera ran low. Kaela moved high. Two tails wrapped around Sera's arms and flung her forward—hard. She hit the beast like a battering ram.
Steam burst from her chest as her hands exploded into twin dragon maws. They bit down—one on the beast's arm, one on its neck.
Kaela flashed in behind them.
Her tails moved in rhythm—six of them pinned the creature's limbs. One tail curved up and jabbed into the monster's mouth. Light poured in.
Kaela whispered the glyph to seal.
"Bind."
The light inside the beast burned white.
It bucked.
Sera screamed. Her Echo flared. Her body cracked—wings doubling in size, heat rising off her skin in waves. The seal reacted. Echo to Echo.
The monster froze.
Kaela didn't stop.
All nine tails shot forward at once. Each struck a different point of the beast's body—chest, joints, spine, neck.
The creature collapsed.
It didn't scream.
It just unraveled. Like it had never been one thing to begin with.
⸻
Sera dropped to her knees. Her claws cracked and fell away. Wings vanished. Her breath slowed.
Kaela stood over her, watching the place the creature had been.
Only black mist remained.
Sera whispered, "That thing knew me."
Kaela turned. "Yeah. I think it did."
.
.
.
Sera was still on her knees. Her breath came slow. Smoke drifted off her arms.
Kaela didn't move right away. Her Echo tails pulsed once, then faded. Gone. She felt sweat on her ribs, under her collar. The mist around them had thinned.
She turned to check the others.
Ro was awake now, propped up on one elbow. Lian stood nearby, her hand still hovering over the old wound on her cheek. Niko hadn't stirred, but his breathing was steady.
Then Kaela heard it.
Boots.
Coming from the trees.
She stepped forward, blade loose in her grip.
Toji came into view first. His coat was cut in several places. His blade rested along his back. The Mnemo-Eye hovered beside him, dim.
Han followed a few steps behind. He had burn marks across one arm and a streak of dried blood near his mouth, but he was grinning.
Toji didn't speak at first.
He scanned the area. The way the mist hung. The shape of the ground where the Echo had died. Then his eyes moved to Sera, still half-shifted. His jaw set.
Kaela stepped between them. "She's with me."
Toji's eyes flicked to hers. "You alright?"
"Fine."
He looked at the others.
Then at Sera again.
Han let out a low whistle. "You two took that thing down?"
Sera didn't answer. Kaela just nodded.
Han crouched next to the black ash where the Echo beast had vanished. "That was a mimic-type, yeah?"
"Mostly," Kaela said.
Han stood. "Big teeth. No face. Tried to copy me once back at the Bleeding Vein. Didn't go great for it either."
Toji raised a hand. "We can talk on the move."
Kaela asked, "Where to?"
"To our fallback site," Toji said. "North ridge. It's stable. We've got six more survivors. Couple wounded. One healer."
Kaela turned slightly. "How far?"
"Twenty minutes. If we carry the injured."
She nodded.
Toji's eyes settled on Sera again.
"She Echo-bound?"
Kaela said, "Yeah. It just surfaced."
Sera finally spoke. Her voice was hoarse. "I don't know how to control it."
Toji didn't blink. "That's normal."
Han looked between them. "She one of ours?"
Kaela didn't answer.
Sera said, "No. I don't think I'm even from your school."
That made Han raise an eyebrow.
Toji didn't change expression.
"We'll sort that out later," he said. "You can stand?"
Sera nodded.
"Then come with us," Toji said. "Echo Field isn't safe on its own. That thing's not the last one."
Kaela helped Sera up. The girl was light. Unsteady, but standing.
They packed quickly.
Toji led.
Kaela walked just behind him.
Sera kept her eyes on the ground.
Nobody spoke for a while.
.
.
.
The trail narrowed. Kaela kept to the left side, a step behind Toji.
The others walked further back. Sera was quiet. Lian helped Ro walk. Han was talking about Echo mimics. Mostly to himself.
Kaela didn't listen.
Toji slowed his pace, just a little, enough that they were side by side.
"You did good," he said.
She didn't answer.
"I saw the tails."
Still quiet.
"You've been hiding that."
Kaela shrugged. "Didn't think it mattered."
Toji looked ahead. "You've only used them in simulations."
"Things change."
He nodded once. "It's strong. Balanced. Fast reaction time."
"I know."
They walked a few more steps.
Toji spoke lower. "You okay?"
Kaela's eyes stayed forward. "Fine."
"You sure?"
She pulled the strap on her belt tighter. "It's not the first Echo fight."
"I meant you."
She glanced at him. Then away again.
"I'm still standing."
Toji let it sit.
Then: "You didn't have to protect her."
"She didn't ask me to."
"That's not what I meant."
Kaela stopped walking for a second. Just one beat.
Then she kept going.
"Yeah," she said. "I know."
——
They walked slower than the others. Sera's legs ached, but she didn't complain. Her breath still steamed in the cool air.
Han walked beside her. Arms tucked into his hoodie sleeves. He kept glancing over at her, but didn't say anything at first.
She didn't either.
After a while, he asked, "So. You breathe steam?"
Sera blinked. "Sometimes."
"Pretty cool."
She didn't respond.
They walked a little farther.
"I had fire breath once," Han said. "By accident. Bad rune job. Burned off my eyebrows for a week."
Still no response.
"I'm Han."
"I know."
"You're Sera, right?"
"Yes."
He kicked a rock off the path. "You're not great at talking."
"No."
He laughed once. "Okay. At least you're honest."
She looked down. Her fingers were twitching. Like the claws still wanted to come back.
Then something moved in Han's hoodie.
A small round shape pushed up from under the collar. Two paws. A tiny nose.
Sera stared.
Han reached up and gently pulled Momo the hamster out and held her in one hand.
"She likes to ride in the sleeve. Sometimes she bites the thread."
Sera stared at the small pink feet. "Is that… real?"
"Yup."
"Is it… magic?"
"Nope. Just a hamster. She's been through two dungeons and a collapsing stairwell."
Momo licked her paw and blinked.
Sera's mouth twitched. Not quite a smile. But close.
Han tilted his hand toward her. "Want to hold her?"
Sera hesitated.
Then nodded.
She reached out. Momo stepped onto her hand. Her claws didn't hurt the little animal. She held her carefully.
Han watched her. "There. See? You're not a monster."
Sera's hands tensed. "You don't know that."
"I know a lot of monsters," Han said. "They don't stop to check if they're hurting someone."
Sera didn't look up.
But she didn't give Momo back right away either.
.
.
.
They reached the camp just before the second hour mark.
It was built in a half-circle beneath a broken cliff face. Stone slabs ringed the outer edge—stacked, not carved. A few glyphs pulsed faintly along the walls. Old defensive ones. Weak, but enough to keep lesser Echo forms from drifting in.
Three students stood guard.
Kaela recognized one. Dain. Tall, heavy shoulders, shaved head. He held a curved glaive with rune circuits etched down the spine.
He didn't smile when he saw Toji. Just nodded once.
"Clear?" Toji asked.
Dain answered, "Since sun-fall. Nothing past the mist line."
Toji pointed back at the group. "Four new. One wounded bad. Two light. One Echo-unstable."
Kaela didn't flinch at the label.
Dain stepped aside and let them through.
The camp was basic. Bedrolls near the wall. A few packs open with supplies. A cracked mana lantern flickered in the center. Someone had tried to fix it with copper thread.
A girl sat near the back, her hands glowing over a boy's broken arm. She had deep purple markings across her face. A healer. Slow class.
Another boy—maybe fifteen—slept under a heat-cloak, his boots still on.
Kaela helped lower Niko onto a roll of fabric. Lian sat beside him, checking his bandage again.
Toji walked off with Dain to talk.
Sera hovered near the edge, arms close to her sides. Momo was still in her palm, curled up now, asleep. Han crouched nearby, pulling out a ration bar and splitting it in half.
"You should eat," he said.
Sera nodded. Took it without a word.
Kaela stood and looked around the camp.
It wasn't safe. But it was still standing.
That was enough.