The Echo surged.
I let go.
Not out of weakness—but instinct. Something inside me knew the only way to beat this wasn't control… it was surrender.
So I stopped resisting.
I opened the gates within me and the shadows flooded out.
A black wave erupted from my body. The Echo expanded like a storm — its limbs no longer shaped like mine. Taller. More jagged. Wearing armor that shimmered with pain and memories I didn't own.
The monster reeled back.
It recognized the shape. It feared it.
[Echo Core Unlocked – Stage II]
Skill Unlocked: Devour Memory
Description: Absorb the final thoughts and abilities of a slain core-being.
The Echo charged.
Blades clashed. Flesh tore. The False Core screamed, not in pain — but in remembrance.
"You are one of the originals…"
One final blow — a downward strike that split its face open.
Black ichor exploded across the chamber.
It was done.
When the silence returned, I stood alone. My Echo knelt, breathing like a real thing, eyes flickering with ancient light.
[Echo Absorbed: False Core – Rank C+]
Ability Gained: Core Tremor (Passive)
Your presence now disturbs weak Gate lifeforms.
Shadow Echoes become more aggressive in your presence.
Garrick limped up, stunned. "You've got something in you… something that doesn't belong to this world."
He was right.
Back at HQ, things spiraled fast.
They tested me.
Scanned me.
The results?
[Data Rejected by Mainframe]
Status: Red Flag – Genesis Type Detected
Recommendation: Observation / Containment Pending
I was no longer just a hunter.
I was a living anomaly.
And they knew it.
That night, as Arlen and I sat in the dark, he said quietly:
"They're going to come for you."
"I know."
His voice cracked a little.
"Just promise me, when it happens… don't die alone."
I looked at him.
I didn't say it aloud — but I knew the truth.
If I stayed near him, he'd die with me.