The forest stood silent. Still.
Fog curled around trees like strangling hands.
And in the clearing, two beings faced each other:
One a creature of smoke and horror, grinning with borrowed flesh.
The other—
A boy.
Eyes glowing red.
Veins lit blue.
No fear. No hesitation. Just purpose.
~~~
[Echo Online – Reboot Successful]
[Warning: Emotional Core Unresponsive]
[Status: ECHO PROTOCOL — ACTIVE]
~~~
"C-Calen? Calen—answer me."
"What… What are you doing?"
Calen didn't reply.
He moved.
Faster than before. No wasted motion. No feints. No hesitation.
His body twisted under low-hanging branches, the Æther Gauntlet already whirring with energy.
He slid across wet leaves as the creature lunged—and the cannon fired point-blank.
BOOM
A blast of raw force erupted, slamming the beast into a tree. Bark exploded into shards. The creature shrieked, its shoulder half-missing—but it didn't bleed. Smoke and ooze slithered out.
It hissed, and vanished again.
~~~
Calen adjusted.
No panic.
No flinch.
He pivoted on his heel, drew the short sword from his pack—thin, curved, honed.
The gift from the toothy man.
Simple, but clean. It would do.
[Weapon Equipped: Rustblade (C-grade)]
[Status: Combat Ready]
~~~
The creature reappeared above—its claws coming down in a blur.
Calen moved into the swing, letting it scrape across his left arm. Blue blood sprayed. He didn't react.
He used the opening to drive the sword deep into the thing's side—twisting as the Æther Gauntlet charged a second shot.
BOOM
Another blast, this time from below. It lifted the creature off its feet and into the air. Screeching.
Calen followed it.
He leapt, grabbed its twitching leg midair, and dragged it back to earth, slamming it headfirst into a rock with a wet crack.
~~~
"Calen! You're going to kill yourself—STOP!"
"Your body's already sustaining major trauma! Star Stream levels are dropping fast—!"
~~~
But he didn't stop.
He threw the sword—embedding it in the beast's leg as it scrambled backward. Then he sprinted.
The Æther Gauntlet locked onto the embedded blade and pulled, dragging the creature toward him like a hooked fish.
It slammed into his fist.
Crack.
Snap.
Its jaw twisted open too far—unhinged.
It screeched.
It twisted.
And stabbed its claw straight through Calen's abdomen.
Bright blue blood poured out.
~~~
He didn't scream.
Didn't flinch.
He grabbed the claw still inside him—
—and fired the cannon again through the beast's own limb.
The energy tore upward, into its chest, where its heart might've been.
It reeled.
Howling now.
Voice fragmented, digital.
"You... You are not right."
Calen stepped forward again, blood pooling around his boots.
"Calen, if you don't STOP—your reserves will—"
[Star Stream Core: 6%]
He raised the Gauntlet one last time.
Pointed it at the creature's open mouth.
BOOM
Point-blank.
Smoke. Ash. Silence.
The thing fell.
Twitched once.
Twice.
Then… silence.
A still corpse. All around them was blackened earth and mist evaporating.
~~~
Calen swayed.
The red light in his eyes dimmed.
The glow on his face flickered.
[Star Stream Core: 1%]
[System Alert: Critical Failure Imminent]
[Echo Protocol — Disengaging…]
~~~
He collapsed.
~~~
Echo's voice flickered in his ear, tinny and distant.
"Calen...? No no no—stay awake—Calen, you idiot—"
Darkness closed in.
~~~
He saw the code again.
Falling through a tunnel of light and symbols. Floating strings of ancient command lines.
In the distance—something watching.
Not the monster.
Something deeper.
"Welcome home."