Erik walked slowly beside the woman, keeping his presence steady and gentle. Echo stayed close but cautious, her movements light and controlled, as if each step had to be approved by some internal guardian. She clutched her jacket loosely with both hands, eyes flicking between Erik and the ground.
He did not rush her.
He simply walked at her pace.
Lady Death watched them approach. Her smile was warm but subtle, the kind one offered when witnessing something delicate unfold. She shifted slightly, making space beside her.
Erik gestured for Echo to take the seat across from him. She hesitated only a second before sitting, posture straight but not defensive. Lady Death offered her a small nod, respectful and calm.
Echo's eyes drifted around the table. Two empty coffee cups. A half eaten berry scone. A plate of pancakes Erik had abandoned when the music called him.
Then her gaze returned to him.
Erik sat with his hands relaxed on the table, not reaching for her, not crowding her. His eyes were soft, the white wave patterns calm and steady.
Echo studied him with a quiet intensity.
She lifted her hands.
Not quickly. Not abruptly. Carefully.
Erik recognized the rhythm immediately.
Sign language.
But he did not understand human sign language fully. The symbols were intricate, based on visual structure rather than vibrational meaning. He watched her gesture slowly, trying not to miss a movement.
She repeated the signs once, patiently.
Erik tilted his head. He understood one thing: she was asking something.
Echo paused, realizing he might not understand her. A flicker of embarrassment crossed her features. She shifted slightly, ready to drop her hands.
Erik raised one finger gently, signaling her to wait.
Then he placed his palm over his heart again. A soft vibration radiated outward. Not strong. Not invasive. Just a whisper of resonance that brushed her fingertips and lingered.
Her eyes widened.
He reached forward a little, letting the vibrations guide his next action. He touched his own lips gently, then tapped his chest, then opened his hand to her.
A simple, universal pattern.
I hear you. I feel you. Speak however you need.
Echo stared at him, a sudden warmth rising behind her eyes. She lifted her hands again, slower this time.
He watched.
She signed one sentence.
Her fingers moved like water flowing through rocks, graceful and sharp. When she finished, she exhaled through her nose, as if saying the words had cost her something.
Erik closed his eyes.
He reached lightly into the resonance she released when signing, the emotional imprint behind her movements. Not reading her mind. Not peering into her memories. Just sensing what she meant to convey emotionally.
He opened his eyes again.
"You are asking why I chose you," he said softly.
Her breath caught.
That was exactly what she signed.
Lady Death observed with interest. "He is good at reading intention," she said gently. "Even when the language is new."
Echo folded her fingers together tightly. Her eyes lowered, and for a moment Erik saw past the calm facade. Pain. Pride. Confusion. Gratitude she did not know how to express.
He leaned forward slightly.
"Because I felt you," he answered. "Your heart. Your silence. The weight you carry."
Her eyes lifted sharply.
"You were alone in a room full of noise," Erik continued. "And I know what that feels like."
She stared at him, stunned.
Not frightened.
Not skeptical.
Stunned in a way that revealed how rarely anyone understood her without words.
Echo's hands moved again, quicker this time. She signed something short, almost sharp, like she did not trust herself to make the gesture smoother.
Erik listened through the vibration of her emotion.
"You want to know how you heard the music."
Echo nodded.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
Lady Death watched her with sympathy. "She has lived in silence a long time. The song would have felt overwhelming."
Erik placed his hand gently on the table.
"I did not speak to your ears," he said. "I spoke to your heart. To your mind. Music does not have to be sound. Not for me. And not for you."
Echo pressed her lips together, eyes burning with an emotion she kept tightly guarded.
Erik added softly, "You deserved to hear something beautiful."
Her breath broke.
She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to steady herself.
Lady Death looked at her with kindness. "You were not chosen at random. Erik is drawn to pain he understands."
The woman blinked tears away quickly and set her hands down again, signing slower this time, gentler.
Erik watched carefully, letting the emotion behind each gesture settle into meaning.
He translated aloud.
"You want to know if it was real," he said.
She froze.
"Yes," Erik whispered. "It was real. You heard it. And I will let you hear as much as you want, whenever you want."
Her eyes widened.
A single tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it.
She turned her face away quickly, embarrassed.
Erik gently reached out but stopped short of touching her, letting the intention carry the meaning rather than contact.
"You are not broken," he said. "And your silence does not make you lesser. It makes you strong."
Echo wiped her cheek, swallowing hard.
Her hands lifted again.
She signed only one word.
Thank you.
Erik responded with a soft nod.
And for the first time in years, the world did not feel silent to her.
Yet her musings didn't last long.
The softness around the table lasted only a few seconds before the atmosphere changed.
Not the air. Not the sound.
The feeling.
Erik sensed it first. A ripple of hostility, sharp and metallic, cut through the café like a blade dragged across glass. His eyes shifted slightly, the white wave patterns narrowing. Lady Death lifted her chin, her expression calm but alert. Echo felt it too. Her shoulders tightened, posture straightening in instinctive defense.
The front door opened.
A group of three men stepped inside.
They did not look like customers. Their clothes were too clean, too coordinated. Their movements too precise. Each one scanned the room with the same cold efficiency.
Death whispered quietly, "Trouble."
The tallest man, dark jacket, shaved head, scar along the jaw, spotted Echo instantly. His eyes widened before narrowing to fury.
"There," he hissed to the others. "Found her."
Echo's breath stopped.
Her hands tightened on her jacket. Her pulse spiked so sharply Erik felt it like a vibration through the floor.
The man stepped forward, voice low but filled with recognition and anger.
"Thought you could run forever, Maya?"
Echo flinched. Her real name.
Spoken like a threat.
There was weight behind his tone. The weight of someone who knew exactly who she was and what she had survived. Someone tied to a past she avoided. Someone dangerous enough to follow her into a quiet café in a peaceful city.
The second man cracked his knuckles.
"Boss is going to be happy we found her."
Echo's hands shook, not from fear, but from something deeper. Rage. Trauma. Memory. Her eyes darkened as she instinctively reached for the small knife she kept hidden beneath her jacket.
Erik placed a gentle hand on her wrist.
Not to stop her. To steady her.
Death spoke softly without rising from her seat. "Interesting. They are alive and do not yet realize the danger they are walking into."
Erik stood slowly.
The café fell dead silent.
He faced the men with a calm that was almost unnatural. The tallest man hesitated only a moment before sneering.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be? Her boyfriend?"
Erik tilted his head slightly. "I am someone who dislikes threats."
The man reached into his jacket.
Lady Death sighed. "This is irritating."
Before he could pull the weapon free, Erik acted.
The entire café vibrated with a single resonance pulse. Chairs rattled. Glasses trembled. Lights flickered. The men stumbled, clutching their heads as a deep pressure filled their skulls. But the pulse was controlled. Perfectly contained.
Only the aggressors felt it.
Echo looked up at Erik with surprise. The vibration was nothing like his song. This was power shaped with precision sharp enough to slice intent in half.
The tall man tried to take another step.
He could not.
His legs refused him, body locking as if the air thickened around him.
Erik's voice remained quiet.
"You should leave."
The man snarled. "We are not leaving without her. She belongs to us."
Echo stiffened, her jaw clenching so hard her teeth almost cracked.
Erik stepped forward once.
Just once.
The man fell to his knees as the pressure increased, invisible but absolute.
"No one in this world belongs to you," Erik said. "And she is under my protection."
Lady Death rested her chin in her hand, smiling slightly. "I love when he talks like this."
The other two men reached for weapons.
Erik did not lift a finger. He simply shifted the air.
Their guns clattered to the floor. Their arms went numb. Their bodies dropped to one knee.
Everyone else in the café watched with stunned silence, unsure if they should run or stay very, very still.
Erik spoke again.
"This is your last chance. Leave. Do not follow her. If you threaten her again, you will regret it."
The resonance in his voice shook their bones.
The leader glared up at him, face twisted with hate but body trembling.
"You have no idea who she is," he spat. "Or who we work for."
Erik's eyes sharpened.
"I do not care."
Death stood then, finally rising from her seat. Her presence washed over the trio like a cold wind from another world. They shuddered, reacting instinctively to something their minds could not comprehend.
She smiled sweetly.
"You really should listen to him."
The men scrambled backward, grabbing each other as they dragged themselves toward the door. They stumbled out of the café, nearly tripping over chairs in their rush to escape.
The door slammed shut behind them.
Silence.
Everyone stared.
Echo sat frozen, breathing unevenly, eyes wide with shock at how swiftly danger had turned away. Erik turned back to her slowly, lowering himself into a crouch beside her chair.
"Are you hurt?" he asked gently.
She shook her head.
He offered his hand.
She looked at it for a long moment… then placed her hand in his, letting him guide her back into calm.
Death leaned on the table, smiling. "Well. That was an interesting first outing."
Erik ignored her playful tone and focused on Echo.
"You are safe," he said.
She nodded.
But in her eyes… Erik saw a storm beginning to open.
Not fear.
Recognition.
Whoever those men were, they would not be the last.
__________
The café owner finally exhaled. Several customers murmured nervously, some pretending nothing happened, others whispering about the strange force that stopped three armed men without a fight.
Echo stood up on her own, steadying her breath. Her jaw was tight, shoulders squared. No trembling. No collapse. She pushed her hair back, composed herself, and looked at Erik not with fear, but with a determined calm.
She signed something short, sharp, and confident.
Erik read the tone behind the movements.
I am fine.
She followed with another gesture, firmer this time.
This happens sometimes. I can handle it.
He nodded in full respect. "I know you can."
Echo blinked, surprised for half a second. Most people tried to coddle her, or assume she needed saving. Erik's acknowledgment of her strength was something she wasn't used to. Her posture eased slightly.
Lady Death stretched her arms above her head. "As entertaining as this was, perhaps we should step outside. The mortals are beginning to stare."
Echo nodded. She grabbed her jacket, pulled it on in a smooth motion, and walked to the exit without waiting to be escorted. Erik and Lady Death simply followed, matching her pace.
Outside, the city sounds pulsed with life. Echo walked confidently along the sidewalk, not a single trace of fear in her stride. She moved with the alertness of someone who had survived a lot, adapted to even more, and refused to be broken by any of it.
Erik walked beside her quietly.
"Do you want us to walk with you," he asked, "or would you prefer to go alone?"
Echo stopped. She looked at him carefully, reading his posture, not just his lips. She could tell he meant it fully. No pressure. No assumption. No pity.
She signed slowly.
Walk with me.
Not because I need it.
But because I want company.
Erik smiled softly. "Then we will."
Lady Death hummed contentedly. "Good choice. We make excellent walking companions."
Echo allowed herself a small exhale of amusement through her nose. Just a flicker. But Erik felt it.
They moved through the city under the glow of streetlights.
Echo led the way.
She stepped with confidence, checking reflections in windows, scanning alleys, aware of every detail. She wasn't scared. She was prepared.
Lady Death leaned closer to Erik. "She has spirit," she whispered.
"Strength," Erik corrected. "A lot of it."
Echo glanced back, giving them both a look that said very clearly:
I can see you talking about me.
Death smiled innocently. Erik raised his hands slightly in surrender.
They continued on until Echo stopped before an apartment building. Not fancy. Not rundown. Practical. Secure locks. reinforced windows. She knew how to survive.
She reached for her keys, but paused.
She turned back to Erik.
Signed slowly… almost reluctantly.
Thank you. For earlier.
But do not fight for me again unless I ask.
Erik bowed his head slightly. "I will respect that."
Her shoulders eased again. She appreciated being heard.
She signed one last thing.
You helped. That is enough.
Then she waved once, short and subtle, before turning toward the door.
Lady Death watched her go with a thoughtful look. "She is tough. I like her."
Erik nodded. "Me too."
Echo paused at the entrance. She looked back one final time. Her eyes held a question. Not spoken, not signed. Just a silent, unguarded moment.
Will I see you again?
Erik smiled gently.
"Yes," he said. "Any time you want."
She lingered a second… then disappeared inside, closing the door behind her.
Erik and Lady Death stood under the streetlight, the city buzzing softly around them.
"This world is interesting," Death commented.
Erik looked at the apartment door one more time.
"Yes," he said quietly. "It is."
__________
__________
That's it for this one. Sorry this one was kinda rushed. Felt like i could have refined it a little more.
Anyway, any questions or concerns leave a comment.
Help this book out, send some powerstones and save to your collection. Thank you.