You ever get a message that makes your stomach drop?
Not like the "we need to talk" kind, or the "your parcel couldn't be delivered" kind — I mean one that reaches into your bones and shakes loose every ghost you thought you buried.
That's what it felt like when I saw the name in my inbox.
Zayn.
Just… Zayn.
No fancy tag. No dramatic flair. No guild affiliation.
Just a friend request from a name I hadn't seen since the first timeline — someone I trusted more than my own judgment once upon a time… right up until he betrayed me too.
I didn't accept. Not yet.
Instead, I stared at it while the rest of the guild sat in a circle around the fountain in Hollowroot Town, cracking jokes and healing up from the Silverpine run.
Aiko noticed my silence first.
"Hey, Echo," she said, tossing a pebble into the water. "You good? You've been staring at the air like it owes you money."
"Just… got a message," I said, minimizing the tab. "An old name I wasn't expecting."
"Enemy?"
"Worse. Friend."
Brutus wiped soot off his shoulder. "Anyone we should be worried about?"
"Maybe. Let's just say he knew me before all this."
Sera looked up. "A past-life problem?"
"Yeah. Something like that."
Before they could press further, I stood and stretched. "We've got time before the next guild trial unlocks. I'm heading to the East Market. I'll be back in an hour."
Aiko narrowed her eyes. "You're being vague."
"It's my hobby," I said, then logged out.
Outside the game, my room was dark, lit only by the hum of the screen and the blinking VR headset light. I leaned back, cracked my knuckles, and opened my messaging app.
There it was again.
Zayn.
"Hey," his message read. "If you're really EchoPrime, meet me in-game. Tower Square. No tricks."
No tricks.
Sure. Because people who say "no tricks" are always 100% trustworthy.
I logged back in and made my way to Tower Square — an older part of the city map, barely used unless you liked long walks and outdated NPCs.
He was there.
Leaning against a stone pillar like he was posing for a magazine cover, same lazy smirk, same wind-tousled black hair his avatar had in the original timeline.
Zayn.
IGN: RazorValor
I walked up and said nothing.
He smiled. "You got taller."
"Same model as before," I said.
"You always did like the minimalist look."
"And you always talked like you were auditioning for a monologue."
He laughed. "Still sharp."
Still a liar.
In the past, Zayn and I had joined Eternum on launch day together. We built our first guild side by side. Planned. Scouted. Pushed metas before metas existed. He was the first person I shared my dungeon maps with. First person I taught my attack rotations to.
Then he sold me out.
During the Apex Tournament — a huge, server-wide event — he'd taken a bribe from a rival guild to throw our semi-final match. I didn't find out until months later.
By then, he was sitting on a mountain of gear, prestige, and a new guild leader title.
And I was trying to pick up the pieces of everything he broke.
So yeah. Seeing him again?
Jarring was an understatement.
"I'm guessing you're not here for a hug," he said.
"No."
"I'm guessing you remember more than you should."
I narrowed my eyes. "So you do too."
He nodded. "Woke up day one with all my memories. Took me two days to realize it wasn't just déjà vu."
"And you didn't think to message me until now?"
"I wasn't sure you'd still be you."
"Gee, thanks."
He looked around the empty square. "It's weird, isn't it? Second chances. You'd think it'd come with instructions."
"Or at least a manual for who to trust," I muttered.
He winced a little. "I deserve that."
"You deserve worse."
A pause stretched between us. Then he spoke, quieter.
"I didn't come to fight you."
"Then what?"
"To warn you."
I raised an eyebrow. "About?"
"There's more of us. Players who remember. Not many — but enough. And not all of them want redemption."
I stayed silent.
He continued, "Some of them want to rewrite the game from the start. Take the broken pieces and twist them before anyone else figures out what's happening."
"And let me guess," I said, "you're the noble one in the middle, trying to stop them."
He gave a half-smile. "Not noble. Just… tired of pretending it didn't matter."
I didn't believe him. Not entirely. But the fear in his voice felt real.
And something else — regret.
"I'm building something," I said. "And I'm not letting you or anyone else derail it."
He nodded. "I figured."
He reached into his inventory and pulled out an item — a black coin with a gold edge. He tossed it to me.
System Notification: Item Received – Twilight Coin (Unique)
Effect: Grants access to the Hidden Market under Dawn's Hollow. One-time use.
"What's this?"
"Insurance," he said. "In case you ever need gear or answers. The market only opens once every five days. You'll know when."
I looked at the coin, then back at him.
"You're not joining us," I said.
"No," he replied. "But I won't fight you either. Not unless I have to."
I wanted to hate him.
I wanted to tell him to disappear and stay gone.
But a voice in my head — the strategic one — whispered something else:
Keep your enemies where you can see them.
"If you betray me again," I said, "there won't be a third timeline."
He gave a wry smile. "Fair."
And then he vanished.
Logged out.
I stood alone in the square, the coin heavy in my palm.
Back at guild HQ, the others were chatting.
Aiko: "Where'd you go, Echo?"
Brutus: "We're arguing about whether the new guild cape should have flames or skulls."
Sera: "Both are cringe."
Aiko: "Says the girl who wears a skull hoodie IRL."
Sera: "That's called fashion."
I smiled in spite of myself and typed:
"On my way."
Because I had something better than warnings.
I had a team.
And for the first time in two timelines, I wasn't alone.