"Ssshhh" His exhale was sharp and heavy, like steam hissing out of a cracked pipe no longer holding the pressure.
It made my heart hurt hearing that gentle voice that dangerously sweet voice, It was Naia's. I had the overwhelming urge to rush out there and hug her, hug it and say I'm sorry.
He didn't.
Anecus had noticed a while ago the theme of this creature's abilities. This has just confirmed it. It could do more than just read your surface thoughts and memories to mimic the voice of a loved one.
It would coax out your most desired, most natural inclination to that voice and elicit a reaction.
With my mother it was warmth and safety perfect for ensnaring with my father it was obedience good for commanding the prey to stop and then with Naia…
Anecus's fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white. "How dare that thing use her voice. How dare it mask its own maliccce! With her pureness!"
Anecus felt such a rage he could feel the flames of his Pillar slam against the locks the Divine circuit had placed on him...but nothing came. With found resolve and a forming hatred he wanted to set something straight.
Ripping his shirt off he wrapped it just above the cut on his leg. 'This is a fight between you and me!'
He stood and walked out of the archway so the beast could see him "You here that Malice!" he limped forward a step "I know you can read my thoughts!"
Malice made a sickly sweet pitching sound almost as if it was changing voices. "Anecus I need your help."
Anecus's teeth clenched.
This will be the first time I've spoken to it directly since landing in this echo. With his eyes closed a voice that didn't sound like his own came forth. "How dare you!"
I don't know how but I felt the beast's 'head' tilt…it was reminiscent of Naia. "You dare use the voices of my loved ones. Of her!"
I took a step forward still in the protection of the light "mixing your malice with the pureness of something you'll never have!" Taking another step entering the border of the light. My words dripped forth like the profane silver blood this creature secreted.
Thinking about it I almost felt bad...almost. This thing probably knew peace once maybe even knew what love was, but now? "Now you are anything but a creature who could feel such beautiful things."
"Now you can only crave what you don't have, corrupt what it sacred and take that is precious." Anecus slouched slightly grabbing at his stomach.
A mix of anger and glee started to tug at his lips making his face split into a wicked grin. "This fight is between you and me no one else!" looking up with his eyes still closed and pointing a finger at the beast.
"so keep their voices out of whatever you have that passes for a goddamn mouth."
There was a silence, almost like Malice didn't know how to respond, until it did. If gentle voices don't work then jabs might.
First it was father's "you were always a disappointment, I had already killed a man when I was your age."
Anecus smirked 'poor effort, father told that story in the hope I wouldn't be like him. Try again!'
then Mothers "Cassia is such a better child than you, she doesn't carry so much…baggage."
His smirk waivered slightly 'Good thing she'll help me carry that baggage then.'
Then Naia "I wish we had never met, my parents would have loved me more. They wouldn't always compare me to you."
there was a pause "I hate you."
Even though I knew it was fake it stung just to hear those words in her voice.
My thoughts become adrift my mind clouded with something not mine but my lips couldn't deny it. They didn't want to, my shoulders laxed my head fell back while looking to the sky.
"hehehaha...HAHAHA!"
whipping the sweaty hair from my forehead I spoke through the cackle's of laughter.
"Oh what a marvelous ability, I might need to borrow it sometime!" through the words I wanted to reach and choke her choke mother! Choke father! I had such rage aimed at them.
It was such an intense level a rage it was akin to...I stopped moving toward the edge of the light. "Akin to Malice."
Anecus eyes went wide in realization "My flaw."
[▸ Identity Drift: If not anchored in self, subject may temporarily adopt foreign emotional patterns, behaviors, or beliefs.]
[ ▸ Effects: Subject absorbs the emotional states of others ]
It was a cold splash of water.
I was going mad with Malice, adopting this thing's nature. Anecus stepped back and stumbled to the archway. "That was close."
Slumped down against the wall he let the sounds of the land fill his ears, there was wind and a faint ambience to the land here he hadn't noticed while being hunted.
It had a soothing rhythm to it.
An overwhelming sense of fatigue hit him so In this small enclosure of obsidian Anecus started to doze off.
'what am I supposed to do here?' Drifting to sleep Anecus started asking the big questions 'what is this place?'
Cassia POV
I had just finished training with my spirit when mother and I got the news of Anecus entering his Echo stream.
"W-what?" was all I could say
I was pathetic, shaking from worry about my brother, my twin entering such a place.
Naia was with us, she must have been with him when it happened. 'I should have been there.'
I gripped my mothers hand. "Will he be ok?" She didn't respond right away. She looked to father for an answer.
"Anecus has had more training than most young adults, if anyone can make it…" I could see him steadying his breath rationalizing the possibilities. "We just need to be ready for all outcomes."
Hearing my father say that of all people, made it seem all the more real. The truth that. 'Anecus might not come back.'
Wiping the tears from my eyes mother knelt in front of me "honey, I need you to be strong right now, Anecus entering his echo stream might be a signifier."
she cupped my cheeks, I could see the strain in her eyes "you might enter one soon, we need to prepare you. Pack whatever you need."
My mind still stuck on Anecus I asked "what about Ane? Did he go in with anything?"
It was Naia who answered "he didn't have a chance to gather anything."
As dangerous as Echo streams were they thankfully didn't distinguish between the person and what was on their person. More often than not clothes and a small pack of supplies could slip into the echo stream with the Accursed.
So those who had more than one child of the same age could give those who came after a better starting off point. Sadly, usually one of the children or an only child could be sent without warning, with nothing prepared.
This was happening all over the Goldenfields as the newly Accursed are awakening their Divine Circuits and being sent into their first Echo Streams.
It was a more somber event this time of year and having a larger than normal portion of the young Awaken it was projected they would lose many.