The chamber of echoes was lit by golden flame and colder memory. Twelve seats stood in a perfect circle, each carved from obsidian and inlaid with a crest of House Ka'tarel. Only one seat was occupied.
Valarie Ka'tarel, Head of House, leaned forward, her fingers laced in contemplation as projections shimmered above the table — names, faces, histories — each one tied to the chosen bodyguard assigned to the heirs of the house.
Across from her, a steward in gray robes recited softly:
| "All bodyguards confirmed. Ten shadows. Identities encoded and sealed. Only the heirs may discover them."
Valeri did not look up.
"Good."
She reached into the light, pausing when her hand hovered over a name.
Eris Vale.
Affiliation: None.
Origin: Redacted.
Echo Class: Unregistered.
Background: Unknown.
Psychological Profile.: Stable. "Too stable".
A silence fell.
Another council member finally spoke. "Why ...was this one chosen?"
Valari's voice was calm, but carried the weight of stone sliding into place.
| "Most of our bodyguards are selected. based on loyalty, bloodline, or battle- readiness. We choose shadows that will Stan when fire comes."
| "But he... already has a—"
The firelight dimmed.
Dominion Academy, East wing - Present Day
Saphine sat in her usual seat — second row, right side, near the glyph-glass pane. From here, she could see the courtyard where -years practiced Echo shaping in pairs. Most failed.
Inside, professor Solen strode back and forth before a black glass board, voice clear and sharp.
| "You must understand — an Echo is not a spell, not a gift, and not yours to wield. It is a resonance, a memory etched into the fabric of reality. Some call them echoes of gods. Others, echoes of trauma."
| "They awaken when something inside you aligns with something long dead or long hidden".
He tapped the board with a silver rod, revealing a flickering sigil — a spiral made of ink-like script.
| "Echo-bearers are rear. True Echo-bearer even nearer. And those who are Echofused? Almost never survived."
Murmurs filled the room.
Saphine ignored them.
She was scanning faces again.
Ten heirs. Tens shadow.
And I still don't know which one is mine.
She glanced at kerren, the athletic Scion of House Molir—too loud. At Mirella, always scanning the room — too obvious. At Dean, the whispering twin with the mirrored Echo mark—too unstable.
Then finally—
Eris Vale.
Back row. Still. Watching nothing and everything.
He's not reacting to anything the professor is saying. Does that mean he already knows it?
Or worse — had seen it
ProfessorSolencontinued, now scribbling a diagram across the board.
| "When an Echo awakens, it anchors to an emotion. Fear. Grief. Hope. Obsession. That emotion becomes the lens. The stronger the emotions, the more complete the resources."
| "But beware... the Echo watches you too."
Someone chuckled. Most didn't.
Saphine's eyes narrowed.
Eric's desk was empty.
She blinked.
Then turned to the window —
He was outside.
Standing just beyond the courtyard arch, face turned slightly towards the lecture hall — as if he knew she was watching.
She didn't flinch. But a thought crept in:
He wasn't there a second ago.
And yet... I'm sure he's mine.
In the next row, Professor Solen's words faded into a whisper:
| "The strongest Echoes belong not to the loudest minds... but to those who carry silence like a weapon."
To be continued...