Chapter 4: Chains of Choice
The clearing swam with violet eyes. The Hollowfangs crouched in the branches, their growls rumbling like thunder. The girl's bound body shook, her voice a mix of fear and something far older.
> "Free me, Elias… or you will fail."
The system's screen flickered again, words searing across his vision:
> [Decision Required.]
A: Cut her free. Chance of Ally.]
B: Leave her. Guaranteed Survival.]
Timer: 00:00:29
The seconds bled away. Elias's pulse roared in his ears.
Survival means leaving her. Logic says walk away. He glanced at the dozens of Hollowfangs circling like vultures. But if I abandon her, what if the system punishes me? What if she's real?
He grit his teeth and lunged.
The stone blade bit into the black vine. The vine hissed like steam, recoiling from the strike. He hacked again and again until the last tendril snapped, and the girl crumpled forward, gasping.
The forest erupted.
The Hollowfangs screeched, leaping from the trees in a storm of claws and fangs. Elias yanked the girl upright. "Run!" he barked, shoving her ahead.
But she didn't run.
She straightened, her trembling gone, her posture suddenly calm. Her faintly glowing eyes locked on his.
> "You chose well."
Elias froze. Around them, the Hollowfangs stopped mid-lunge. Dozens of beasts hung in the air as if strings held them. The girl raised her hand, and the creatures dropped, motionless, their bodies dissolving into black smoke.
The system chimed:
> [Echo II Complete.]
Reward: Bond Trait — Resonant Link (Lv.1).]
Linked Entity: ???]
The girl smiled faintly, wiping dirt from her face. "You shouldn't trust everything you see… but I'm glad you trusted me."
Elias's chest heaved, stone weapon still clutched tight. "What are you?"
Before she could answer, the system's voice cut through his skull, colder than ever:
> [Warning: The Linked Entity belongs to a failed Echo. Proceed with caution.]
The girl's smile didn't fade. If anything, it grew sharper.
"Elias," she said softly, as though she had always known his name. "You've stepped onto a path that cannot be turned back. The echoes will come faster now… and each one hungrier than the last."
The forest trembled. The ground beneath them cracked, and from the soil rose another shard of black obsidian, etched with glowing runes. The same tablet that had killed him once before.
The system whispered:
> [Echo III Initiating…]