Calen didn't sleep that night. Not that he had a choice. The city beneath him throbbed with life—sirens, shouts, and the distant wail of engines weaving through narrow streets—but it was quieter than usual, like it had sensed what had happened earlier. The Echo hummed softly against his chest, a living thing now, pulsing with every thought and fear he had.
He moved before dawn, sticking to the rooftops. The glow from the sigil on his chest had faded almost completely, but he could feel it, a constant reminder that nothing would ever be the same. His steps were careful, measured, but the shadows followed him naturally now, curling at his feet, reacting instinctively. Every time he thought he understood it, it did something unexpected, something alive, something frightening.
The lower tiers of the city weren't safe, but they were familiar. Calen knew the alleys, the shortcuts, the places where a kid could disappear if they ran fast enough. He kept to the shadows, ears straining for any sign of the Guild. Every passing figure made him tense, every stray cat or drunk in the street set his instincts on edge. He couldn't afford mistakes. Not now.
By mid-morning, he reached a crumbling warehouse at the edge of the district. It had once been a storage facility, but now it was abandoned, its windows shattered, the walls pocked with holes. He slipped inside, moving silently, and found a corner that would do for now. The Echo pulsed, curious, restless, but not threatening.
He sank to the floor, exhausted, and let the memories wash over him. What he had done in the alley… it wasn't just survival. He had hurt people, even if they hadn't been entirely human. He didn't know what the limits of the Echo were. He didn't know if it would obey him next time, or act on its own. And worse, he didn't know if it would ever stop wanting more—more fear, more instinct, more control.
The city outside groaned, a living thing he could almost feel through the concrete. And then he heard it—a soft shuffle, a whisper of movement. He froze, heart hammering, and instinctively called the Echo to him. Shadows thickened around his hands, curling, coiling, ready.
From the darkness, a figure emerged. Human, or close enough to be recognizable, dressed in tattered clothing patched with sigils. The man moved with an ease that was unnerving, every step silent, every movement deliberate. His eyes were sharp, and when they met Calen's, they seemed to see straight through him.
"Relax," the man said, voice low but commanding. "I'm not here to hurt you."
Calen didn't lower the shadows. "Who the hell are you?"
"Call me Riven," the man replied. "I know what you are. I know what's in you."
Calen tensed. "You're with the Guild, aren't you?"
Riven shook his head. "Not anymore. I used to be. Left… didn't agree with their methods." He paused, eyes scanning the room. "You've awakened an Echo. That makes you a target. And you don't know how dangerous that is yet."
Calen swallowed, fingers tightening on the shadows. "Then why are you here?"
"Because you won't last long alone. Not against the Guild. Not against the Hollows." Riven crouched, resting a hand on the floor. "You need to learn control. You need to understand what you can and cannot do. Otherwise, the Echo will consume you—or worse, you'll get killed trying to fight it."
Calen looked down at his hands. "I've been surviving alone for sixteen years. Why do I need you?"
Riven's gaze didn't waver. "Because survival isn't enough anymore. This… thing in you changes that. It makes you dangerous. To yourself. To others. And the Guild doesn't care if you live or die. They'll come for you anyway."
Calen's stomach twisted. "So… I'm supposed to just trust you?"
"No," Riven said simply. "You're supposed to do what you have to do to survive. I'm offering knowledge. Training. A chance to not get torn apart on your first day out."
Calen exhaled, tension leaving his shoulders slightly. "Alright… fine. But I don't even know what this thing wants, or how to… control it."
Riven nodded. "Then we start there." He reached toward the shadows that coiled around Calen's arms. The tendrils pulsed, reacting to him, but the longer they lingered near Riven, the calmer they became. It was… strange. The Echo seemed to sense him as something safe. Or at least not immediately threatening.
"Listen," Riven said. "An Echo is a fragment of something older. Something alive, something that wants to exist, wants to feed. It's tied to your instincts, your fears, your desire to survive. The stronger your emotions, the stronger it becomes. You can guide it, but you have to understand it first. Fear doesn't make it weak—it sharpens it. Anger doesn't control it—it fuels it."
Calen tried to process the words. "So… it's like a weapon? Or like a monster?"
"Both. Neither. It's exactly what you make of it. But make no mistake—you will need it. The Guild doesn't play fair. They hunt anyone who touches an Echo. And you're not the only one."
Calen's throat tightened. "Not the only one?"
Riven's eyes darkened. "There are others like you. Some survived. Some didn't. And the Guild doesn't just take them—they exploit them. They bend them to their will, or they break them."
A chill ran down Calen's spine. He clenched his fists. "So… I fight them?"
"Eventually," Riven said. "First, you learn control. Then, you learn strategy. And finally… you learn to use the city, its shadows, its people, and even your own instincts to your advantage. You can survive. But only if you don't let fear—or the Echo—decide for you."
Calen exhaled slowly. The weight of everything pressed against him—the city, the Guild, the Echo, his own fear. It was suffocating. And yet, somewhere under it all, a spark of defiance stirred.
"I… I want to learn," he said, voice quiet but firm. "Even if it kills me, I want to know."
Riven's lips curved into the faintest smirk. "Good. That's the only way anyone survives this."
And for the first time since the whisper had chosen him, Calen felt a flicker of hope. A dangerous, fleeting thing—but enough to keep him moving.
He didn't know how many days he would last. He didn't know how far the Guild's reach extended. And he didn't know if he could ever fully control the Echo pulsing in his chest. But he knew one thing: he was no longer alone.
And that, for now, was enough.