Kai stood in the middle of a collapsing street and tried to breathe normally.
It did not work very well.
The world was still breaking around him, but that was no longer the most confusing part.
The most confusing part was the voice inside his head that was not his own.
"You are still standing in an open danger zone," the voice said calmly.
Kai blinked. "I noticed."
The voice did not react to his sarcasm.
Instead, a transparent screen appeared again in his vision.
[ECHO SYSTEM ACTIVE]
Host: Kai Voss
Active Echoes: 1
Current Echo: Reginald Ashford III
Status: Untrained Host
Warning: Cognitive overlap beginning
Stability: 92%
Kai frowned. "Stability? What does that mean?"
The voice answered immediately.
"Your mind is not designed to carry foreign cognitive structures. If you accumulate more Echoes, your sense of self will weaken."
Kai looked around at the collapsing street. "That sounds like a future problem."
"No," the voice said. "That is a current problem."
Kai was about to respond when the air shifted again.
He felt it before he saw it.
Pressure.
Like the space around him had become heavier.
He turned slowly.
A man was standing a few meters away.
Kai had not seen him arrive.
He was just there.
Dressed in dark fitted clothing with markings on his arms that looked like code or symbols. His expression was calm, but his eyes were scanning Kai like an object that had already been classified.
Kai stepped back slightly.
The system reacted instantly.
[THREAT DETECTED]
Designation: Echo Hunter
Rank: Class B
Function: Retrieval or neutralization of unstable Echo carriers
Risk Level: High
Kai swallowed. "I am guessing you are not here to help me."
The man looked at Kai directly. "You extracted an Echo."
Kai hesitated. "I did not exactly plan that."
The man nodded once. "No one does."
Kai frowned. "That is not comforting."
The man took one slow step forward.
Kai felt something tighten in the air around him.
His body suddenly felt heavier, like gravity had increased just for him.
He stumbled slightly. "What is this?"
The voice inside his head answered.
"Suppression field. It limits movement and reaction speed."
Kai grit his teeth. "Why is it targeting me?"
"Because you are unstable."
The man spoke again, calm and controlled. "You need to come with me."
Kai looked around quickly. The city was still collapsing. People were still running. No one was paying attention to them anymore.
"Where exactly?" Kai asked.
The man replied without hesitation. "Containment."
Kai shook his head. "That sounds like a bad answer."
The man lifted his hand slightly.
The system reacted again.
[SUPPRESSION FIELD INTENSIFYING]
Motor response reduced
Breathing resistance increasing
Kai felt it immediately.
His body slowed.
It was not pain.
It was restriction.
Like invisible weight pressing down on every muscle.
He tried to move his arm and barely succeeded.
The man watched him carefully. "You are resisting more than expected."
Kai gritted his teeth. "I do not even understand what I am resisting."
Inside his mind, the voice spoke faster now.
"You are not built to withstand direct suppression. You need counter influence."
Kai blinked. "Counter what?"
The system responded before the voice did.
[AVAILABLE ACTION]
Echo Influence: Reginald Ashford III
Effect: Cognitive enhancement and pattern prediction
Risk: Increased identity overlap
Kai looked up at the man.
"So I let the dead rich guy in my head take control again?"
The voice answered.
"Temporarily."
Kai laughed once, but it came out strained. "That is the worst sentence I have heard today."
The man raised his hand again.
Kai felt pressure building.
Something was about to hit him.
He did not have time left to think.
"Fine," Kai said. "Do it."
The change was immediate.
His posture shifted.
Not dramatically.
But noticeably.
His breathing slowed. His shoulders relaxed slightly even under pressure.
And when he spoke, his tone changed.
Not fully different.
But sharpened.
"I understand your suppression pattern," Kai said.
The man paused.
That was not the reaction he expected.
Kai continued, stepping forward slightly even though the field was still active.
"This is a basic field lock. It relies on panic response. It is inefficient against cognitive adaptation."
The man narrowed his eyes. "You should not be able to analyze that."
Kai tilted his head slightly.
Or rather, the Echo inside him did.
"I am not reacting emotionally," Kai said calmly. "That is your mistake."
The pressure around him weakened slightly.
Not gone.
But unstable.
The system updated again.
[ECHO INTERFERENCE DETECTED]
Suppression efficiency reduced
Cause: Active cognitive override
The man's expression changed for the first time.
"You are not a normal carrier," he said.
Kai felt the Echo influence begin to fade.
His normal voice returned slightly.
And with it, confusion.
"I do not feel normal," Kai said honestly.
The voice inside him responded.
"That is accurate."
The man stepped forward again, faster this time.
Kai looked around.
No help was coming.
The city was still breaking.
And he was still standing in the middle of something he did not understand.
He exhaled slowly.
"Okay," Kai said. "Then I need rules."
The man stopped briefly.
Kai looked directly at him.
"If this system is real," Kai said, "then I need to know how to survive it."
Inside his mind, the voice paused.
Then it answered.
"Survival is the first rule."
Kai nodded once.
The man raised his hand again.
This time, Kai did not step back.
He stepped forward.