"What is your name, boy?" the old man asked as they stepped out of the room.
"Joel Warren," Joel replied, trying to steady his breathing.
The old man studied him for a moment before asking, "How old are you, Joel?"
"Twenty," Joel answered, his voice still shaky.
The man nodded. "Call me Cyrus," he said, his tone calm but serious. "Come with me. There's much I need to explain."
As they walked down the dimly lit corridor, the walls were lined with cold, smooth steel, and the soft hum of machinery echoed around them. The air felt unnaturally cool, carrying an undercurrent of electricity that made Joel uneasy. Soon, they arrived before a large, imposing metal door.
Cyrus paused, turning to Joel. "I need to ask you something before we continue," he said, his voice dropping a notch. "Have you heard of Corrupted Egos?"
Joel shook his head, confusion flooding his chest. "No… I haven't. What are they?"
Cyrus gave a brief nod, then opened the door. "Walk with me, and I will explain."
As they entered a vast chamber, the ceiling loomed above them, held up by massive steel beams crisscrossing like the bones of some giant beast. The floor gleamed with polished concrete, reflecting the faint light from above. In the distance, rows of stasis chambers stood, each containing a person suspended in a peaceful, almost lifelike sleep.
Joel couldn't help but glance at one of the chambers, where a young woman rested, her face serene. Cyrus, noticing the direction of Joel's gaze, spoke quietly.
"Corrupted Egos are dangerous, but they're not what most people think. They're humans who lost control of something—something called an 'echo'—and became overtaken by it. It's… hard to explain in simple terms, but I'll do my best."
Joel turned to Cyrus, his curiosity piqued. "What's an echo? And why does it turn people into monsters?"
Cyrus hesitated, his expression thoughtful. "It's not about monsters, Joel. It's about losing yourself—losing your ability to fight back against your own darkness. But for now, let's just say it's something that connects us to another world, another dimension. And the echoes that people can't control… that's when things become dangerous."
Joel's mind raced, the pieces not fitting together. "But what does this have to do with me? Or my family?"
Cyrus stopped, looking down at Joel, a flicker of something unreadable in his gaze. "The answers you seek are closer than you think."