Velren shifted his stance, rolling his shoulders as he let out a slow breath. His Codex still hovered beside him, the glowing text of [V1tal Ech0: Eidolon Veil] pulsing faintly before fading away.
This Echo—it had saved his life before. A long time ago, when he went on his usual hunt on the forest, Velren was cornered by a pack of territorial Vaelith Bears. Their snarling forms had closed in, ready to tear him apart with their monstrous claws.
And then—his body had simply... slipped away.
Not physically. No teleportation, no speed enhancement. Just… a sudden absence in their awareness. Their eyes had passed over him as if he were never there.
Velren still remembered the aftermath vividly. The way the world had felt... cold. How a strange, hollow sensation had gnawed at his core, leaving him disconnected for hours afterward.
He hadn't understood it then.
He still didn't.
