They burst out of the Door of Echoes just as it collapsed behind them, folding in on itself like paper set aflame. The forest was gone. Now they stood in a barren wasteland of ash and glass, the sky overhead rippling with unnatural hues—green, violet, and red as open wounds.
Nimbus zipped toward them, wings frantic. "Where were you?! One second you were there, the next—poof! I thought I'd been abandoned like a cursed family heirloom!"
"We were in a memory vault," Rose said, dusting off soot. "Mortain's personal scrapbook. And we just tore a page."
Nimbus froze mid-hover. "You met him?"
Rose nodded. "He wants me to become something I'm not. Said I was made to unravel the world."
Nimbus paused. "I mean… you do have that energy."
Basil, scanning the horizon, interrupted. "We're not alone."
From the ash dunes, figures emerged. Dozens. They weren't people, exactly—they were versions. Echoes. Faces half-familiar. Variations of Rose, Basil, and others they'd known—some twisted, some broken, some beautiful and terrifying.
"They're reflections," Rose murmured. "Loose echoes that slipped through Mortain's mirror worlds."
One stepped forward—an older Rose, with white-streaked hair and golden eyes. She wore armor made of thorn and lightning, her presence electric.
"Which one are you?" she asked, voice low and rough with years of battle.
"The one that says no," Rose replied.
The older version nodded. "Good."
Another stepped forward—this one darker, eyes wild, laughter curling like smoke from her lips. She clapped. "Wonderful! It's a reunion! Shall we all scream into the void together or just tear each other apart for sport?"
A third, quieter echo spoke from behind. "He's coming. Mortain knows you refused him. He doesn't take rejection well."
Basil drew his blade. "What do you want from us?"
The armored echo looked at Rose. "To warn you. To test you. And maybe… to help."
Rose narrowed her eyes. "Why would any of you help me?"
"You're still the spark," said the armored one. "Some of us forgot what that meant. Some of us never knew. But you—you still burn