The sixth day began with silence.
Not the kind that felt peaceful.
The kind that warned.
Even the wind didn't dare whisper.
~~~
Calen moved carefully, feet ghosting over moss, hood drawn tight. His breath misted before him—too visible in the cold air. The trees here were too straight. Too still.
And the fog… it followed.
He adjusted the Æther Gauntlet, pulse hammer loaded, cannon port warm. Something inside him buzzed. A warning in his bones.
He didn't know why.
~~~
His HUD flickered to life showing his stats:
[Star Stream Core: 73%]
[Echo: Passive Surveillance Active]
[Emotional State: Elevated—Unknown Flag]
~~~
Click.
Click.
Click.
His breath caught. It was back. The sound. But it wasn't behind him.
It was above.
He spun just in time to see something drop—a blur of shadow and smoke with glowing blue eyes.
[Target Identified – Unknown Class / Signature: Eldritch]
[Behavior: Apex Predatory / Curious]
The thing landed silently, crouched like a nightmare. A creature of smoke and bone. Antlered. Crawling. Its arms were too long. Its skin flickered between flesh and mist. And those eyes...
Those blue eyes knew nothing. Not pain. Not hunger. Just sport.
Calen's instincts screamed.
The thing took a step forward.
And Calen ran.
~~~
Twigs whipped his face. His lungs burned. His HUD blared with alerts.
[Warning: Core Stress Increasing]
[Combat Protocol: Incomplete Readiness]
[Star Stream Usage: Inefficient]
"Echo," he gasped. "What is this thing?!"
"I don't know! Just—run!"
~~~
The thing didn't roar. Didn't scream.
It just followed. Leisurely. Patient.
Like it was watching him struggle.
And for the first time…
Calen felt it.
A tightening in his chest. A twist in his gut.
"What is this feeling?"
"...Fear," Echo whispered. "You're afraid, Calen."
~~~
He dove through underbrush, stumbled, blood smearing across his cheek. A jagged branch tore through his sleeve. Bright blue liquid bled freely.
He scrambled to his feet, only to see it ahead of him.
It had moved. But how?
Its glowing eyes met his.
It tilted its head, mimicking a smile.
Then it vanished—only to reappear directly in front of him.
He had no time to react —
A claw pierced his chest.
Straight through his core.
Blue glowing blood, ran down the thing's claw.
~~~
He fell.
Time fractured.
Sound dulled.
His vision flickered.
Something warm was leaking from his chest. He could feel his muscles of wire spasm.
[CORE DAMAGE: CRITICAL]
"CALEN!! CALEN, STAY WITH ME—" Echo's voice was the last thing his auditory sensors (ears) picked up.
Everything faded.
~~~
At first it was dark.
And then... light.
~~~
[BOOTING…]
[BOOTING…]
[Core loading… 64%... 91%... 100%]
[LIFE THREATENING SITUATION DETECTED—RUNNING SURVIVAL OPTIONS...]
[1 OPTION FOUND...]
[Emotion Suppression Triggered]
[Echo Protocol: Initialization Commencing…]
~~~
He stood in a place that wasn't real.
Black void. Lines of floating code.
Symbols shimmered like constellations.
Before him floated a flickering, ghostly HUD interface. Alien. Ancient.
From nowhere, a voice.
Not words. Not language. Just intent.
"Sit back project Delta."
"System failsafe... activating."
"You may leave all control to me now."
~~~
[System Alert: ECHO PROTOCOL — ONLINE]
[Emotion Stack: OFFLINE]
[Motor Calibration: MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY]
[Kill Threshold: UNLOCKED]
~~~
Back in the world of blood and fog—
Calen's eyes snapped open.
Bright, burning red.
His face lit with glowing blue circuit-like veins, curling along his jaw and into his cheekbones, pulsing in rhythm with his core.
No emotion. No fear.
Just cold, precise calculation.
The creature hissed, sensing something wrong.
The creature stared into Calen's eyes, he stared back.
And suddenly it felt insignificant before—what it once thought was—it's prey.