ECHOBURN

The intercom crackled to life during Dorm 7's quiet morning.

"Ren. Assigned to Field Operation. Squad Bravo. Report to the West Hall in ten minutes."

The silence was instant.

Kael stopped mid-pushup, glancing toward the speaker. "Wait. Bravo?"

Anya leaned over the breakfast table, a half-peeled orange forgotten in her fingers. "That's third-years."

Lyra frowned. "Why him?"

Veyra looked up from the floor, legs crossed, stretching. "That squad doesn't take first-years."

No one said what they were really thinking: Ren hadn't even seen combat.

Ren stood from where he sat alone, quiet as always.

Kael tilted his head. "You gonna ask why, or just march off like a ghost?"

Ren shrugged, pulling on his jacket.

"No reason to ask."

He walked out without waiting for a reply.

The wind outside the West Hall was sharp, sweeping across the open courtyard. Gray skies stretched overhead, and the distant crash of the sea echoed through the air.

Ren approached the gates, where a tall figure stood waiting.

Torin.

Not cloaked. No robes. Just a plain black hoodie over worn pants, sleeves pushed to the elbows, eyes calm and unreadable.

"You'll be under Bravo's command. Don't try to show off. Don't provoke anything."

Ren's hands stayed in his pockets. "You think I shouldn't go."

Torin looked ahead.

"I think they'll see what you are before you do."

The gate slid open.

"Go."

Squad Bravo stood near the mission transport pad — four figures already assembled, talking in low tones.

They didn't wear special gear or insignias, but the way they carried themselves made it clear, these weren't rookies.

Rei stood at the front, arms crossed. Her build was lean, strong. She radiated control — like every motion had purpose.

Kara paced near the edge, graceful in motion, but her eyes tracked everything — calculating, steady.

Daisuke leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, jaw bruised from a recent fight. A small scar marked the edge of his brow.

Juno sat on a crate, knees pulled to her chest, gaze half-lidded, but there was a tension in her body like a bowstring drawn tight.

They turned when Ren approached.

"New blood?" Daisuke asked, voice dry.

"He's not even wearing the squad colors," Kara noted.

Rei eyed Ren for a long moment.

"What's your name?"

"Ren."

She didn't offer hers back.

"You'll stay in the center of formation. If you fall behind, we don't come back."

Ren nodded. "Fine."

Juno tilted her head at him. "You don't blink much, do you?"

No one laughed.

The wind picked up. Moments later, they set out on foot.

The facility was farther down the coast — abandoned, sun-bleached, half-buried in sand and silence.

A rusting structure loomed from a rocky outcrop, weather-beaten and mostly collapsed, swallowed by time and tide. Broken railings and cracked tile lined the walkways.

Inside, it smelled like salt, mold, and something faintly sour.

"Echoes?" Rei asked.

Juno nodded slowly. "Every corridor has one. They've been here a while. Waiting."

They moved in formation. Bravo flowed like water — no words, just small gestures and glances. It wasn't theatrical. It was natural. Trained.

Ren followed in the middle.

Then a sound — soft at first, like something breathing through a metal flute.

And then it appeared.

The Echo Caller.

A figure stepped into view from a side hall, silent and upright.

It was vaguely human-shaped. Fluid. Limbs too long. A mirror-smooth mask covered its face — and in that reflection, only Ren stood.

Not Bravo.

Only him.

Rei lifted her hand.

"Engage."

The fight broke like a snap of thunder.

Daisuke moved first, fast — shoulder low, a spinning heel slicing toward the creature's ribs. The Echo Caller deflected it — barely.

Kara followed with a palm strike, and the air warped around her — pressure folding like an invisible hand crushing inward. The Caller staggered.

Juno spun through, slashing past its midsection, flickering between shadows.

Rei swept in, cutting low — her leg hooked the creature's knee, slamming it to the floor.

Bravo was practiced. Fluid. Lethal.

And the Echo Caller was bleeding—if black vapor counted as blood.

They drove it back into a rusted chamber. Rei's fist struck its mask. A crack bloomed across the silver surface.

Kara raised her hand for a finishing blow—

And then it changed.

A low sound pulsed outward — a wrong sound. Like a bell ringing under water.

The Echo Caller's body twisted, spine arching. Its limbs stretched. The mask shattered into shards, spinning around its head like orbiting blades.

It rose.

Bigger.

Faster.

No longer humanoid.

It didn't scream. It simply existed more.

Rei flinched. "Form changed. Everyone pull back—"

Daisuke moved in — and was thrown into a cracked pillar.

Juno barely dodged a slicing tendril.

Kara struck again — but the pressure warped back at her, nearly throwing her off balance.

The Echo Caller turned—

And looked at Ren.

Only Ren.

Rei noticed. "It's ignoring us."

Juno was panting. "Why is it—"

"It's hunting him," Kara said, eyes wide.

Rei snapped, "Retreat. Now."

They began falling back. The hallway behind them shimmered with distortion — the exit warping.

The Echo Caller took a step.

Ren didn't move.

Another step.

It didn't look angry. It looked… curious.

Then Ren stepped forward.

His hands were loose at his sides. His face unreadable.

Kara's voice broke.

"Kid. Don't."

Ren blinked once.

And the air around him stilled — no light, no energy. Just stillness.

Echo Caller hesitated.

It crouched — not to pounce. But like an animal before something it didn't recognize

Rei reached out—

But it was too late.