The morning arrived quietly, though the Boundary itself was anything but silent. Faint whispers echoed in the distance, carried by a cold, unnatural wind. Vero stirred from his uneasy sleep by the dying embers of the campfire. The woman—who had yet to give her name—was already awake, sitting cross-legged on a jagged rock with her back turned to him.
Her gaze seemed fixed on something far off, her posture tense. Vero watched her for a moment before speaking. "You didn't sleep."
She didn't turn to look at him, her voice low but firm. "In the Boundary, sleep can cost you more than time. Best you remember that."
Vero frowned but decided against arguing. The weight of the strange, fragmented memories he carried had made his own sleep restless. He sat up, rubbing the stiffness from his shoulders, and looked around. In the daylight, the Boundary seemed even more alien. The cracked ground shimmered faintly as if it was alive, and the dark stone pillars reached toward the sky like grotesque sculptures.
The woman finally stood, brushing the dust from her coat. "We move in five minutes. If you want to keep up, don't waste time asking questions."
"At least tell me your name," Vero said as he gathered his belongings.
For a moment, she didn't respond. Then, without looking at him, she said, "Aelara."
The name hung in the air like a challenge. Vero considered pressing her for more, but the sharp look in her glowing green eyes when she glanced back at him made him think better of it.
---
The two set off, navigating the treacherous terrain of the Boundary. Aelara moved with practiced ease, her steps precise as though she knew exactly where to place her feet. Vero followed closely, his senses on high alert. Every so often, he would catch a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye—shadows that danced unnaturally or figures that disappeared the moment he turned to look.
The whispers grew louder as they ventured deeper, a dissonant chorus of voices speaking in a language Vero couldn't understand. He clenched his fists, his grip tightening on the strap of his pack.
"What are they?" he asked finally, his voice low.
Aelara didn't stop walking. "Echoes," she said simply. "Fragments of things that were, or could have been. Don't listen too closely, or you might lose yourself."
"Helpful," Vero muttered under his breath, but Aelara didn't seem to hear—or didn't care.
As the hours stretched on, the landscape grew stranger. The black stone pillars were now joined by towering arches that shimmered faintly, as if made from liquid light. In the distance, a massive structure loomed—an ancient ruin half-sunken into the cracked ground.
"We stop here," Aelara said, leading him toward the ruin.
Vero looked at her in confusion. "Why? I thought you said time was precious."
"It is," she replied, her tone sharp. "But this is where we part ways."
Vero blinked, taken aback. "Wait, what? You said you'd guide me to Iris."
"I said I'd take you part of the way," Aelara corrected, her expression unreadable. "This is as far as I go."
"Why?"
Aelara hesitated, her eyes flicking toward the ruin. "Because this place is a threshold," she said quietly. "What lies beyond it... isn't meant for me."
Vero followed her gaze. The ruin seemed to pulse faintly, its edges blurred as though it didn't fully exist in this reality. The whispers in the air grew louder, more insistent.
"What's in there?" he asked.
"Answers," Aelara said simply. "Or maybe just more questions. Either way, it's your path to walk, not mine."
---
Without another word, she turned and began to walk away, her figure quickly blending into the shadows of the Boundary. Vero stared after her, a mix of frustration and unease bubbling in his chest.
"Great," he muttered. "Guess I'm on my own again."
Taking a deep breath, he approached the ruin. The closer he got, the more the air seemed to change. It grew colder, heavier, pressing down on him like an invisible weight. The whispers became a deafening roar, and Vero had to grit his teeth to keep himself focused.
The entrance to the ruin was a massive archway, its surface covered in glowing runes similar to those on the black stone pillars. As Vero stepped through, the world around him seemed to shift.
The ground beneath his feet felt different—softer, almost like sand. The air was filled with a faint luminescent mist, and the light around him seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.
Inside the ruin, the whispers changed. They became clearer, more distinct, and Vero could almost make out words. He stopped in his tracks, his heart pounding.
"Who are you?"
The voice was sharp and clear, cutting through the noise like a blade. Vero turned, but there was no one there.
"I... don't know," he admitted aloud, the words surprising even himself.
The air seemed to ripple in response, and the mist began to coalesce in front of him. Slowly, a figure took shape—a humanoid form made of shifting light and shadow.
"Then why have you come?" the figure asked, its voice echoing strangely.
"I'm looking for answers," Vero said, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at him. "About the Echo. About myself."
The figure tilted its head, its movements unnaturally fluid. Then, without warning, it lunged toward him. Vero barely had time to react, throwing up his arms as the figure collided with him.
But instead of pain, he felt... nothing. The figure passed through him, its form dissolving into the air. Vero staggered, his vision swimming. For a moment, he thought he would collapse.
And then the memories came.
Flashes of places he didn't recognize—towering cities of glass and steel, vast oceans that stretched beyond the horizon, and a sky filled with countless stars. Faces blurred together, some familiar, others alien. And at the center of it all, a single, unchanging image: the silver-haired woman from his fragment of memory, her piercing eyes locked onto his.
"Find me," her voice echoed once more, louder than ever.
Vero gasped, falling to his knees as the vision faded. His chest heaved, his heart racing. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
The ruin was silent now, the whispers gone. But the path ahead was clear, a faint trail of glowing light leading deeper into the structure.
For the first time since his journey began, Vero felt a glimmer of hope. He didn't have all the answers yet, but he was closer.
And he wouldn't stop until he found them.