As they faced the stone wall, the seven eyes carved into it seemed to bore into their very souls. They didn't blink, they didn't move, but Ren could feel their gaze like a weight behind his ribs.
"Back away slowly," Sera whispered, stepping between Ren and the wall. "Do not turn your back on the wall."
Ren hesitated, unsure what to make of the situation.
"Why? What is it?"
Sera's eyes locked onto the eyes, her voice barely above a whisper.
"It's not a beast. It's... something higher. A Witness."
The system alert flashed:
[Unbound Presence Detected: ???] _Warning: Entity Outside System Parameters._ _Recommendation: Retreat._
As they backed away, the air grew thick, like breathing through wet cloth. Then, a voice boomed, not whispering this time.
"The boy sees. The boy remembers. The boy steps."
Ren's mark pulsed with heat as Sera grabbed his wrist.
"Don't listen."
But Ren was already drawn in. The voice was ancient, layered, like multiple people speaking the same sentence at different times, in different languages.
"Return the shard. Or feed the gate," the voice commanded.
The altar behind them began to hum, a crack splitting down its middle, glowing faintly red.
The system alert flashed: [Warning: Lesser Gate Resonance Detected] _Gate Status: Stirring. Ren turned to Sera, the weight of their actions crashing in.
"We woke something, didn't we?"
Sera's expression was grim. "No, we woke everything."
As they ran, the tower moaned behind them, deep and old, like the stone itself was warning the world. Ren and Sera sprinted through the darkening corridors, their footsteps echoing off the stone walls as the tower shuddered and groaned around them. The air was thick with dust, and debris rained down forcing them to dodge and weave to avoid getting crushed.
"Hurry!" Sera shouted, her voice barely audible over the cacophony of crumbling stone and splintering wood.
Sera cursed. "The tower's sealing itself again. It doesn't want anyone else getting in while you're in possession of the Whispering Stone."
***
They had descended multiple floors, and now they had to climb back up to the first floor before the tower sealed itself. The walls were cracking, and the floor beneath their feet trembled with every step. Sera grabbed Ren's arm, pulling him closer as a chunk of stone fell from the ceiling, barely missing him.
The higher they climbed, the more treacherous the stairs became. Finally, they saw a glimmer of light ahead-the entrance of the first floor. With renewed determination they burst through the doorway, the sound of crumbling stone and debris growing fainter as they stumbled out into the open, they heard the towers final, deafening roar. The structure behind them imploded, sending massive cloud of dust and debris into the fog.
They had barely made it out before the tower crumbled to seal itself, but just when they thought thing couldn't get worse, a figure landed in front of them, hard. Kor Malek rose from a crouch, tall and imposing in dark hunter's leathers. His bone-white helm covered the upper half of his face, with only one eye glowing a furious crimson.
"He found us!"
The system alert flashed: [Gatebearer Detected: Kor Malek – Rank: Second Key] _Affiliation: Silent Chain _ _Combat Level: Suppressed (80%)
"Run," Sera said, but Ren's legs didn't move. Kor Malek's voice sounded like cracked glass. "Hand over the Whispering Stone."
Sera stepped forward, her voice firm. "He's Marked. That's Echo Law. You touch him, and the Tower will—"
"I don't serve the Tower. I serve the Chain." Kor Malek's response was cold.
In a blink of an eye, Kor Malek appeared in front of them. Sera moved with lightning speed, her dagger flashing in the dim light. But Kor Malek was not to be underestimated. He passed through her attack like smoke, appearing behind her and elbowed her in the spine. Sera dropped, gasping.
Ren screamed and stepped using Shadow Step to appear at Sera's side. She was breathing, dazed.
"I'll buy you ten seconds," she hissed. "Then run north. Find the Woken Field."
"What about you!?"
"I've survived worse." Sera said with a faint smile.
Kor Malek stepped towards them. Calm. Slow. Certain. Then Ren activated Phantom Bind again—his only trick. It worked, Malek*staggered* slightly, halted in place, head twitching like he was caught in memory.
At that moment Ren grabbed Sera and ran down the ruined slope of the tower, through the swirling fog into the woods beyond and behind them, he heard him laugh.
"Run, little Key. You'll unlock something greater soon enough."
The words didn't make sense but Ren kept going.
***
Deep into the woods when Ren felt the distance between them and Malek was enough he let his legs trembled beneath him as he stumbled and fell, dropping Sera to the ground. He gasped heavily, his chest heaving up and down. Coughs racked his body, and he turned to the side, watching as Sera slowly sat up. Ren followed suit, sensing that Sera had something important to say, but instead, she scrambled to her feet and urged him to move.
As they walked, the weight of the silence between them grew suffocating. Ren finally broke the silence, his voice laced with concern.
"Who was that?" Sera remained silent, her eyes fixed on the path ahead, her pace unwavering. Ren's curiosity turned to frustration, and his tone turned demanding.
"Wasn't he a Gatebearer too, why did he attack us?"
Sera's expression turned guarded, and she halted, her eyes locking onto Ren's.
"Ever since I got here, it's been one thing after the other. This whole thing is messed up." His voice was laced with frustration and desperation.
"Come." Sera responded as she walked into the woods.
***
As they settled into a small clearing, Sera started a fire and began roasting a snake on a makeshift stick. Ren watched her, his hunger momentarily forgotten as he studied her serious expression. Sera noticed his gaze and slowed her eating, swallowing the meat in her mouth before beginning to speak.
"Kor Malek….. Like you said, is a Gatebearer," her voice measured.
"In the Echo, everyone is fighting for survival – man, animal, or Echo beast. Everything here is looking for a means to survive." She took a sip from her sash, her eyes clouding over.
"But surviving for what is the reason? No one has ever left the Echo, so why bother surviving if there's no guarantee you'll leave this place?"
Sera's words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning. Ren felt a shiver run down his spine as he realized the depth of the mystery they were entangled in.
"These questions have lingered in the minds of every Gatebearer who's entered here," Sera continued, "That's when The Silent Chain emerged."
The fire crackled, casting flickering shadows on the trees around them. Ren leaned forward, his eyes locked onto Sera's, eager to hear more about the Silent Chain and the secrets of the Echo.