The air in the cavern rippled as Vero took another step forward, the light from the shard illuminating his path. The eerie symbols on the walls dimmed, their energy retreating into the shadows as the cavern began to morph again. The jagged stone walls smoothed, the darkness gave way to faint twilight, and the cold, damp air grew warmer.
Vero found himself standing at the edge of a strange, sprawling landscape. Towering pillars of light stretched into the heavens, their brilliance casting long shadows over an endless expanse of cracked earth and glowing, crystalline structures. This was no ordinary place—it was as though he had stepped into another plane of existence.
Before he could take in the surreal beauty, a voice broke the silence.
"So, you're the one stirring up the Echo. Gotta say, you don't look like much."
Vero turned sharply, his blade raised, as a figure strolled casually toward him. The man was tall and lean, his features sharp and mischievous. His sandy blond hair was disheveled, and his dark, flowing coat swayed as he walked. Despite the apparent chaos of the Echo, he moved with an air of complete ease, as if he belonged there.
"Who are you?" Vero asked, narrowing his eyes.
The man stopped a few paces away and tilted his head, his lips curling into a playful smirk. "Name's Levin. Levin Vayne. You, my friend, look like someone who could use a bit of guidance."
Vero's grip on his blade tightened. "Guidance? What are you doing here?"
Levin shrugged, his tone light and casual. "Let's just say I have a knack for finding interesting people in interesting places. And you, Vero Zenith, are very interesting."
The mention of his name caught Vero off guard. "How do you know my name?"
Levin tapped the side of his head. "I have my ways. Let's just say the Echo and I are well acquainted. I've been wandering these parts long enough to pick up on certain... patterns. And you, my friend, are breaking quite a few of them."
Vero didn't lower his weapon. There was something about Levin that felt both intriguing and dangerous, like a storm contained in human form. "What do you want?"
Levin chuckled, spreading his arms. "Relax. I'm not here to fight you. Quite the opposite, actually. I'm here to help."
"Help?" Vero's voice was skeptical.
"Sure," Levin said, his grin widening. "I mean, look at you. Wandering through the Echo with no idea what you're doing, fighting off fragments of your past, and clutching that shard like it's your lifeline. You're going to need someone who knows how to navigate this place if you want to survive."
Vero hesitated. Levin's words struck a chord. The Echo was a labyrinth of memories, shadows, and trials, and so far, he'd been stumbling through it blindly. But trusting a stranger—especially one as enigmatic as Levin—felt like a risk.
"What's in it for you?" Vero asked, his tone cautious.
Levin's eyes gleamed with something unreadable. "Let's just say I have my reasons for keeping you alive. The Echo has a way of drawing people like us together. Call it fate, call it coincidence—I call it opportunity."
Before Vero could respond, the ground beneath them rumbled, and a low growl echoed through the air. Cracks spread across the earth, and shadows began to seep from them, coalescing into monstrous shapes.
"Ah, there they are," Levin said, his tone still casual as he drew a pair of sleek, curved daggers from his coat. "The welcoming committee."
Vero turned to face the emerging creatures, his blade ready. "You can handle yourself, I take it?"
Levin smirked. "Oh, don't worry about me. Just try to keep up."
---
The creatures lunged, their shadowy forms writhing and shifting as they attacked. Vero moved instinctively, his blade cutting through the first creature with precision. Levin, meanwhile, darted through the fray with almost inhuman agility, his daggers flashing as he struck with deadly accuracy.
Despite his reservations about Levin, Vero couldn't deny the man's skill. Together, they carved through the wave of creatures, their movements oddly synchronized despite having just met.
As the last creature fell, dissolving into nothingness, Levin sheathed his daggers and turned to Vero with an approving nod. "Not bad. You've got some fight in you."
Vero lowered his blade, his breath coming in heavy. "What were those things?"
"Echo-beasts," Levin said, as if it were obvious. "They're drawn to strong memories and unresolved truths. The deeper you go into the Echo, the nastier they get."
Vero frowned, the weight of his journey pressing on him. "Why are you really here, Levin?"
Levin's smirk faltered for a moment, replaced by a more serious expression. "Like I said, I have my reasons. But let's just say I'm not a fan of the way things are shaping up in this little dreamscape of ours. And you, my friend, might just be the key to shaking things up."
Vero didn't know what to make of Levin, but one thing was clear: he wasn't navigating the Echo alone anymore. Whether Levin was an ally, a rival, or something in between remained to be seen.
For now, they had a common goal—to survive the Echo and uncover its secrets.