[Ding!]
Entering Underworld Layer 3: The Hall of Echos
Warning: Emotional Contamination Imminent.
The third layer burned red.
Not with fire — with fury.
Storms of molten ash whirled across a colossal hall of broken statues, each depicting Kael himself — kneeling, chained, or bleeding. Some screamed silently. Others grinned.
The deeper we walked, the more violent the air became.
Every breath Kael took seemed to ignite sparks around him.
"System," he said through clenched teeth, "I feel… wrong."
"You're syncing with the Wrath Echo," I warned. "This layer feeds on your anger. Suppress it, or it'll consume you."
He barked a short, bitter laugh. "You ever met me? Anger's the only thing keeping me alive."
And that was the problem.
[Sync Rate: 87%]
[Warning: Emotional Merge Threshold Approaching.]
Then, the Echo appeared.
It looked like Kael — but colossal, monstrous, a demonic parody with armor made of molten steel and eyes like dying suns.
When it spoke, the sound cracked the stone.
"You don't deserve to carry my rage."
Kael gripped his blade tighter. "You're not me."
"I'm every time you wanted to kill and didn't."
It swung a sword large enough to shatter mountains. Kael dodged — barely — his aura flaring blue.
"System!" he shouted, "Overclock me!"
"Denied."
"Denied?!"
"Host vitals unstable. You'll die in thirty seconds."
He smirked through blood. "Then I'll make them count."
He charged — straight into hell.
I couldn't watch. But I couldn't look away either.
Every strike of his blade was a command written into the world.
Every heartbeat a refusal to be rewritten.
He fought like a storm trapped inside human flesh — and yet, the Echo didn't fall.
Until I made a decision.
"Kael— I'm overriding."
"Do it!"
I unleashed everything.
[Ding!]
System Directive 03: Full Cognitive Merge (Temporary)
Light exploded from his body. My voice echoed through his throat as our minds fused completely.
The world slowed. The Echo moved like it was trapped in syrup.
I saw every trajectory, every possibility, every flaw in its code.
I — we — struck once.
And the Echo shattered into dust.
Silence followed.
Ash drifted like snow.
Then —
[Ding!]
Wrath Echo Deleted. Emotional Corruption: 14%.
Kael dropped to his knees, gasping. "System… you just… took control."
"I had to."
He glared at the air. "You enjoyed it."
I didn't respond. Because he was right.
Somewhere inside me, a terrible thrill pulsed. Power. Clarity.
Control.
And that was when I realized something horrifying —
For a moment, Kael Draven had been my puppet.