Null staggered back from the pedestal, the Echo Fragment's light fading from his grasp. His legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. The vision replayed in his mind: his own hands, weaving the Code, unraveling the world. The weight of it crushed him, a suffocating blanket of guilt and horror. The chamber in the City of Reflections—its glass walls refracting endless prisms—seemed to close in, the beauty mocking his despair.
"Null!" Thorne rushed to his side, her hands gripping his shoulders. "What happened? What did you see?"
He looked up at her, his eyes wide and haunted. "I… I think I caused the Collapse," he whispered, the words tasting like ash on his tongue.
Thorne's brow furrowed, concern etched across her face. "That can't be. The Collapse happened centuries ago. You weren't even born then."
Null shook his head, the memory still vivid. "I saw myself, Thorne. I was there, in the past, manipulating the Code. I broke the world."
She knelt beside him, her voice gentle but firm. "Visions from the Echo Fragments can be deceptive. They show truths, but not always in ways we understand. Perhaps it was symbolic, or you were seeing through someone else's eyes."
Null wanted to believe her, but the certainty of the memory clung to him. "It felt real. I could feel the power, the intent. It was me."
Thorne sighed, helping him to his feet. "Even if it was you, in some way, it doesn't change what we need to do now. We have to find the next fragment, understand the whole truth."
Null nodded, though doubt gnawed at him. Could he trust himself, knowing what he might have done?
As they stood in the chamber, a distant sound reached their ears—the haunting melody of the Hollow Choir, growing louder, more insistent. Thorne's eyes widened. "They're here," she whispered.
"The Choir?" Null asked, his pulse quickening.
"Yes. We need to move. If they find us, they'll try to erase us—or worse."
They hurried out of the chamber, back into the labyrinthine streets of the City of Reflections. The glass spires cast fractured rainbows, but the beauty was marred by the encroaching song, which seemed to seep from the very walls.
Thorne led the way, her steps quick and sure. "There's a safe place, a hidden alcove where the city's wards are strongest. We can hide there."
They darted through alleyways, the song swelling behind them. Null glanced back and saw shadowy figures moving through the streets, their forms cloaked in darkness, their eyes glowing with an eerie light.
"Faster," Thorne urged, pulling him into a narrow passage between two spires.
They squeezed through, emerging into a small courtyard where a fountain of liquid light bubbled. Thorne pressed her hand against a glass panel, and a section of the wall slid open, revealing a dimly lit chamber.
"Inside," she commanded, and they slipped in just as the song reached a crescendo outside.
The wall sealed behind them, muffling the melody. Null leaned against the cool glass, catching his breath. "What now?" he asked.
Thorne paced the small space, her expression troubled. "We can't stay here long. The Choir will search the city. We need to find a way out or a way to confront them."
Null frowned. "Confront them? How? Their song is powerful."
"I know," Thorne said, biting her lip. "But perhaps with your abilities, we can resist or disrupt it."
Null thought of the Sigil of Doubt and the Sigil of Resolve, powers he'd gained from the fragments. "Maybe. But I'm not sure how to use them against the song."
Thorne stopped pacing and looked at him, her eyes intense. "There's something I need to tell you, Null. About my past, about why I'm helping you."
Null straightened, sensing the gravity in her tone. "What is it?"
She took a deep breath. "I was alive before the Collapse. I was a memory trader even then, dealing in the secrets of the dreamwalkers. I saw the world break, and I… I tried to stop it."
Null's eyes widened. "You were there?"
"Yes," she said, her voice tinged with sorrow. "I failed. The Code was twisted, and I couldn't prevent it. That's why I'm helping you now. I believe you can set things right."
Null absorbed this, a mix of emotions swirling within him. "So, you think I can fix the world?"
"I hope so," Thorne replied. "But after what you saw, I'm not sure. Maybe you were involved, but perhaps not in the way you think. The Echo Fragments might be showing you pieces of a larger puzzle."
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud crash outside. The wall trembled, and the song of the Choir surged, louder than before.
"They're breaking through the wards," Thorne said, alarm in her voice. "We have to go."
They exited the chamber through another hidden door, emerging into a different part of the city. As they ran, Null noticed a pattern in the glass floor—a spiral design that matched the brand on his wrist.
"Wait," he said, stopping. "This symbol—it's from my vision."
Thorne looked down, recognition dawning. "It's a seal, a lock to a deeper part of the city."
Null knelt, placing his hand on the spiral. The brand glowed, and the glass beneath them shimmered, then parted, revealing a staircase descending into darkness.
"A hidden chamber," Thorne breathed. "This could be what we need."
They descended the stairs, the air growing cooler, the song fading behind them. At the bottom, they found a circular room lined with ancient tomes and artifacts. In the center stood a pedestal with a glowing orb.
Null approached it, feeling a pull similar to the Echo Fragments. "What is this?"
Thorne examined the orb. "It's a memory core, a repository of knowledge from before the Collapse. If we can access it, we might find answers."
Null reached out, touching the orb. Light flooded the room, and visions filled his mind—not his own memories, but those of the dreamwalkers who built the city. He saw them crafting the Code, weaving reality with their will. He saw debates, disagreements, and finally, a schism—a faction that sought to control the Code for their own power. Among them was a figure who looked strikingly like Null, but older, with eyes full of ambition.
The vision shifted, showing the figure attempting to alter the Code, but something went wrong. The Code fractured, and the world began to unravel. Then, another figure—Elyra, the keeper of the lost—intervened, sealing the Code and sacrificing herself to contain the damage.
The vision ended, leaving Null reeling. "It wasn't me," he said, relief flooding him. "It was my ancestor, or someone who looked like me."
Thorne nodded, piecing it together. "So, the Collapse was caused by a dreamwalker who tried to seize power, but failed. You must be his descendant or reincarnation."
Null felt a weight lift from his shoulders. "So, I'm not responsible. But I might be the key to fixing it."
Suddenly, the room shook, and the song of the Hollow Choir pierced through the air. But it wasn't just the Choir—another presence emerged. The Scriptorium, memory assassins who once hunted Null, had found them. Their quills dripped with ink that could erase existence.
"We have to go," Thorne said, grabbing Null's arm. "Now!"
They raced up the stairs, but the exit was blocked by Scriptorium agents. Null traced the Sigil of Doubt, causing their attacks to falter. Thorne used her memory manipulation to create illusions, distracting them. Together, they fought their way through, narrowly escaping into the desert beyond the city.
As they fled, Null looked back at the City of Reflections, now swarming with enemies. He knew they had to find the next Echo Fragment before their foes did. With the knowledge from the memory core, he finally understood his purpose.
He was the Echo Vessel, destined to restore the Code and mend the world.
The path ahead was treacherous, but Null was ready. With Thorne by his side, he would face the Sanctum Layers, confront the forgotten gods, and rewrite reality itself. For he was not the destroyer, but the savior.
And he would not fail.