Darkness.
Not the quiet kind.
The suffocating kind.
Newton's eyes snapped open.
He wasn't in his room anymore.
Cold air pressed against his skin. The ground beneath him was wet — not water. Something thicker. Sticky.
He slowly pushed himself up.
"…Where am I…"
His voice sounded small in the darkness.
A faint blue light flickered above him.
[Hidden Trial Initiated: Ghostborne Path – Stage 1]
Location: Sealed Dream
Objective: Survive. Adapt. Accept.
Time Remaining: 29:42
Newton swallowed.
His throat was dry.
For the first time since entering the Tower…
He felt it again.
Fear.
Not of people.
Not of betrayal.
But of the unknown.
He took a step forward.
Squish.
He froze.
Slowly looked down.
The ground wasn't stone.
It was covered in something black… like melted shadows.
And inside it—
Something moved.
"Stay calm…" he whispered to himself.
His heart was beating faster now.
Too fast.
He clenched his fist.
"I've survived worse… I have to…"
Lilly's face flashed in his mind.
Weak. Smiling. Trusting him.
"I can't die here."
A sound.
Tap… tap… tap…
Like footsteps.
But wrong.
Out of rhythm.
Like something learning how to walk.
Newton turned sharply.
"Who's there?!"
No answer.
Only—
Tap… tap… SNAP.
Something dropped from above.
Newton barely reacted in time.
He rolled to the side as a long, twisted figure slammed into the ground where he stood.
The thing unfolded slowly.
Too many limbs.
Too long.
Its body looked like a broken human stretched beyond limits — skin pale, cracked, with black lines running through it like wires.
Its face—
Didn't have one.
Just a smooth surface.
Until—
A mouth split open horizontally.
[Enemy Detected: Echo Walker – Type 1]
Threat Level: Moderate
Behavior: Mimics movement patterns. Learns over time.
The creature tilted its head.
Then—
It spoke.
"…Who… are… you…"
Newton's breath hitched.
It sounded like him.
Distorted.
Broken.
"Back off…" Newton said, stepping back slowly.
The creature took a step forward.
Same pace.
Same posture.
Same movement.
Newton's eyes widened slightly.
"…It's copying me."
Without warning—
It rushed him.
Newton reacted instantly.
[Phase Blink Activated]
His body flickered forward — not far, just enough to dodge.
But—
The creature adjusted mid-charge.
Its arm twisted unnaturally and clipped his shoulder.
"Gah—!"
Newton hit the ground hard, pain exploding through his arm.
His vision shook.
It adapted that fast?!
He rolled away just as the creature slammed down again, cracking the ground.
Newton forced himself up, breathing hard.
"Think… think…"
He gripped the metal shard in his hand tighter.
"If it copies me… then…"
He ran.
The creature followed.
Fast.
Too fast.
Newton zig-zagged.
Changed rhythm.
Slowed suddenly—
Then sprinted again.
The creature stuttered.
Its movement delayed by a fraction.
"Got you…"
Newton spun—
[Silence Burst Activated]
For a split second—
The creature froze.
Newton lunged.
He aimed for its neck—
But at the last moment—
The creature jerked.
It had already started adapting.
Instead of the neck—
His blade scraped across its chest.
Black liquid sprayed.
The creature screamed—
A horrible, broken sound.
Then it grabbed him.
Newton's eyes widened.
"Shit—!"
CRACK.
Pain exploded in his ribs as he was slammed into the ground.
Air left his lungs.
His grip loosened.
The blade slipped.
The creature crawled on top of him.
Its mouth opened wide.
Too wide.
Newton struggled.
His arm was shaking.
Weak.
Too weak.
"I can't… lose…"
His vision blurred.
His body felt heavy.
Slow.
"…Lilly…"
Something inside him snapped.
Not power.
Not rage.
Something deeper.
Refusal.
Newton's hand shot up.
He grabbed the creature's face—
And headbutted it.
CRACK.
Pain shot through his skull.
But the creature flinched.
Just enough.
Newton twisted his body.
Forced his knee up.
Pushed it off.
He scrambled for the blade.
Missed.
The creature lunged again—
Newton didn't run this time.
He stepped in.
Let the claw pierce his side.
"AAHH—!"
Blood spilled.
Pain burned.
But—
He didn't stop.
He grabbed its arm.
Locked it.
Used its own momentum—
And drove both of them into the ground.
Newton's hand found the blade.
He didn't hesitate.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
He stabbed wildly.
Desperately.
Again.
Again.
Again—
Until the creature stopped moving.
Silence.
Newton stayed there.
Breathing heavily.
Body shaking.
Blood pooling under him.
"…I… won…"
But it didn't feel like victory.
It felt like survival.
Barely.
[Echo Walker Eliminated]
[Trial Progress: 1 / ???]
[New Skill Unlocked: Pain Resistance Lv1]
Newton laughed weakly.
"…Of course… more…"
He tried to stand—
And almost collapsed.
Everything hurt.
His ribs.
His side.
His head.
"This… is just the first one…"
The darkness around him shifted.
More footsteps.
More of them.
Newton gripped his blade again.
His hand was shaking.
But his eyes—
Were steady.
"…Come."
Not confident.
Not fearless.
Just someone who had no choice.