Kai and Lira left the maintenance station before sunrise. Marcus had been buried beneath the fallen concrete with the other survivors saying a quiet farewell. Nobody had time for a proper funeral. The city would not wait for grief.
As they walked through the underground tunnels, Kai looked at the folded family photograph inside his jacket. He had promised Marcus. He would survive.
Lira noticed him touching the photograph. "You keep checking that it is still there."
Kai smiled faintly. "I don't want to lose it."
"It reminds you of him."
Kai nodded. "It reminds me what Echoes cost."
Neither of them spoke after that.
The tunnel slowly widened until it became an abandoned subway platform. Unlike the empty places they had passed before, this one was full of people. Kai immediately became alert. More than fifty survivors moved around the station. Some traded canned food. Others repaired weapons. Children played quietly beside old train cars while armed guards watched every entrance. It looked less like a refugee camp and more like a hidden town.
Kai stopped walking. "I wasn't expecting this."
Lira looked around calmly. "This place has existed for months."
Kai stared at her. "Months?"
She nodded. "The first Veil Cracks appeared long before the one you saw."
Kai felt another question forming. "So the government knew?"
"I don't know."
"And nobody told us?"
"I don't know."
Kai sighed. "I really hate hearing those three words."
Lira almost smiled. "I know."
A wooden sign hung above one of the old ticket booths. Someone had painted the words in white. ECHO MARKET.
Kai raised an eyebrow. "They named it exactly what it is?"
"Simple names are easy to remember."
"I can't argue with that."
They stepped inside. The market was noisy. People bargained loudly over supplies. Metal tables were covered with strange objects. Purple crystals. Broken monster claws. Pieces of black crystal armor. Small glass bottles filled with glowing dust.
Kai immediately felt something strange. His chest became warm. The system appeared.
---
[NOTICE]
High Echo Activity Detected
Multiple Echo Residues Nearby
Remain Alert
---
Kai looked around. "So many..."
Lira nodded. "This is where survivors trade Veil materials."
A man behind one table lifted a crystal into the air. "Fresh Veil Core! Recovered yesterday!" Another merchant shouted. "Monster scales! Still holding energy!"
Kai walked slowly between the stalls. Everything here felt impossible. Three days ago, he had worried about paying rent. Now people were buying pieces of monsters. The world had changed far faster than he could understand.
Suddenly, a loud voice shouted across the market. "I'll pay six crystals!" Another voice answered. "Eight." "Seven." "Ten."
A crowd gathered around one table. Kai looked toward the commotion. A middle-aged merchant carefully opened a small metal case. Inside rested a glowing sphere no larger than an orange. Purple light moved inside it like flowing water.
The moment Kai saw it, his system reacted violently.
---
[UNKNOWN ECHO DETECTED]
Resonance Level: High
Compatibility Scan...
Scanning...
Scanning...
Unable to Complete Analysis
---
Kai rubbed his temple. "What is that?"
Lira's eyes narrowed. "An Echo Core."
Kai looked at her. "I've never heard of one."
"They are extremely rare."
"What do they do?"
"No one knows for certain."
The merchant smiled proudly. "This Echo Core came from a Rank C Veil Beast. It still contains active resonance."
The buyers immediately began arguing again. "Twelve crystals!" "Fourteen!" "Fifteen!"
Kai watched quietly. Then something moved.
A shadow dropped from the ceiling. It landed directly on top of the merchant's table. The entire market fell silent.
The newcomer smiled brightly. She looked about Kai's age. She wore worn brown boots, a short leather jacket, fingerless gloves, and a pair of strange goggles resting on her forehead. A large satchel hung from her shoulder.
She looked down at the Echo Core. "Oh. There you are."
Before anyone reacted, she grabbed it.
The merchant's face turned white. "HEY!"
The girl smiled. "Thanks. I've been looking for this."
She threw a small smoke bomb onto the table. Boom! Gray smoke filled the market. People started shouting. "She stole it!" "Stop her!" "Block the exits!"
Kai blinked. "Did she just..."
Lira finished his sentence. "...steal an Echo Core."
The smoke cleared. The girl was already running across the market. Three guards chased after her. She laughed the entire time. "This is why you people need better security!"
One guard threw a knife. She ducked without looking. Another tried to tackle her. She flipped over him and kept running.
Kai stared. "She's actually enjoying this."
Lira nodded. "Yes."
Unfortunately, the running girl looked straight at Kai. Their eyes met. She smiled. "Oh. You'll do."
Before Kai understood what she meant, she sprinted directly toward him. Kai had no time to react. The girl reached him in seconds. She grabbed his wrist. "Run!"
Kai stumbled forward. "What?"
"I said run!"
Behind them, the market guards shouted. "There they are! They're working together!"
Kai pointed at himself. "We're not together!"
The girl looked at him and grinned. "We are now."
She pulled him through the crowd. Kai barely managed to keep his balance. "Lira!"
"I'm here," Lira answered calmly as she ran beside them.
Kai looked at her in disbelief. "You're surprisingly calm."
"This is not the strangest thing I've seen today."
Kai sighed. "Fair point."
The three of them turned into a narrow passage between two abandoned train cars. The guards followed. "There!" "Don't let them escape!"
The girl reached into her satchel and pulled out a handful of small metal balls. She threw them onto the floor. The balls burst open, covering the ground with thick black oil. The first guard stepped on it. His feet flew into the air. He crashed into two others.
The girl laughed. "That works every time."
Kai stared. "You carry those around?"
"Of course."
"You don't?"
"No!"
"I should make you some."
Kai shook his head. "I don't even know your name."
She looked offended. "Oh. You're right. My manners are terrible."
Even while running, she held out her hand. "I'm Mira."
Kai looked at the offered hand. "We're being chased!"
"I know."
"You still want to shake hands?"
"Absolutely."
Kai sighed and quickly shook it. "Kai."
"I know."
Kai frowned. "You know my name?"
"I heard people yelling it."
"That makes sense."
They reached another corridor. For the first time, they stopped running. Mira looked around carefully. "No guards. We lost them."
Kai leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath. "I've had enough excitement for one day."
Mira looked at him from head to toe. Then she frowned. "Hmm."
Kai noticed. "What?"
She stepped closer. Closer. Then even closer. Kai leaned back. "Personal space."
She ignored him. Instead, she reached up and adjusted the strange goggles on her forehead. The lenses glowed faintly. She stared at Kai for several seconds. Then her eyes widened. "No way."
Kai blinked. "What?"
"You have two active Echoes."
Kai froze. "You can see that?"
"My goggles can." She proudly tapped the side of them. "I built these myself."
Kai looked impressed. "You made those?"
"Yep." She tilted her head. "They're still a little inaccurate. But they're usually right."
She continued studying him. Then she looked disappointed. "Huh."
Kai frowned again. "What now?"
"I expected more."
"More what?"
She folded her arms. "Your drop rate."
Kai stared. "My what?"
"If you died..." She pointed at him. "...you'd only leave behind two decent Echoes." She sighed dramatically. "That's honestly disappointing."
Kai looked at Lira. "Did she just rate my death like game loot?"
Lira nodded once. "She did."
Kai looked back at Mira. "You know that's a terrible thing to say to someone."
"I know." Mira smiled. "But it's true."
Kai rubbed his forehead. "I don't know whether to laugh or be offended."
"You can do both."
For some reason, Kai laughed. He could not help it. After everything that had happened since the Veil cracked, this strange girl was somehow the most ridiculous part of his day.
Lira watched them quietly. Then she spoke. "Mira."
Mira turned. "Yes?"
"The Echo Core."
"Oh." She reached into her satchel. "I still have it."
Kai looked at the glowing sphere. "You stole that from half the market."
"I borrowed it."
"You didn't ask."
"I was going to."
"When?"
Mira thought for a moment. "...Eventually."
Kai sighed. "You are unbelievable."
"I hear that a lot."
Before anyone could continue, Kai's System appeared.
---
[WARNING]
Unknown Echo Resonance Detected
Distance: Less than 100 meters
Resonance Strength: Extremely High
Source...
Searching...
Searching...
Error
---
Kai's smile disappeared. "What does 'Error' mean?"
Reginald answered inside his mind. "I do not know."
Marcus remained silent.
Lira suddenly looked toward the far end of the tunnel. "The threads just changed."
Kai turned to her. "What do you mean?"
She spoke softly. "Something is coming."
Mira's cheerful expression slowly faded. She looked down at the Echo Core in her hand. "It... it wasn't reacting before."
Kai noticed it too. The purple light inside the Core had started pulsing. Slowly. Like a heartbeat.
The System flashed again.
---
[WARNING]
Echo Core Resonance Established
Unknown Entity Responding
Recommendation:
Leave Immediately
A deep sound echoed through the tunnel. It was not a roar. It was not footsteps. It sounded like something waking up.
The lights overhead flickered. The concrete beneath their feet trembled.
Mira slowly slipped the Echo Core back into her satchel. For the first time since meeting her, she looked genuinely nervous.
"I think..." She paused. "...I may have stolen something important."
Kai looked at the dark tunnel ahead. He had a feeling they were about to find out exactly how important.