The morning began.
The kind that makes your ears ring.
Sai woke feeling his heart beating too fast.
For a moment, he thought someone was standing beside his bed—in the shadows, in the corner of the room. But when he blinked, there was nothing.
He sat up, ran a hand over his face. Sweat. Cold.
The dream wouldn't let go—fragments, strange, like torn fabric: someone's eyes, silver, a silent scream, a hand reaching through smoke.
The Echo.
He took a deep breath and stood. It was overcast outside. The world seemed faded.
---
In the yard, Grandpa was already waiting.
He stood leaning on his staff, glumly watching the sky.
"You're awake," he said, without turning.
"Wasn't sleeping."
"Even better. Today, we must dig into what you fear most."
Sai frowned. "Into what?"
"Yourself."
---
They went down to the basement.
Sai had been here once before—when Grandpa had shown him the alchemical apparatus and the strange symbols engraved on the walls. But today it was different. The air was dense, saturated with something invisible.
In the center of a circle stood a crystal, similar to the one Grandpa had used on the first day, only now something moved inside it—like a living shadow.
"Sit," said Grandpa. "Inside the circle."
Sai obeyed.
"This is a bonding technique. Not meditation, not control. It's a step towards symbiosis. You and the Echo are not two separate beings. You are two sides of a single will."
He walked around the circle and stopped behind Sai.
"Close your eyes. Don't seek the Echo. Let it find you."
Sai exhaled.
Darkness.
At first, just darkness. Then—a whisper.
Not words. Vibrations. As if someone was speaking in a language not meant for ears.
He concentrated.
And suddenly—he saw.
Before him, in the void, stood a figure. His shadow.
But now—with eyes. Silver. Deep.
It was looking directly at him.
Are you me? Sai thought.
The figure tilted its head slightly.
And suddenly—smiled.
Sai opened his eyes.
He was sitting on the floor, the air around him vibrating. The veins on his arms darkened, as if liquid shadow flowed through them.
"Excellent," Grandpa's voice was even. "You've opened the channel."
"I… I saw it…"
"It?" Grandpa smirked. "Or yourself?"
---
The next few hours were hell.
Every attempt to maintain the connection brought pain—as if his skull was being split from the inside.
Sometimes he felt disoriented. Sometimes—as if he was seeing through another's eyes.
And sometimes… as if someone was whispering directly into his mind.
Words. Fragments.
Don't be afraid.
You are not alone.
We can become stronger.
"Did you hear that?!" Sai cried out.
"What?" Grandpa looked up from his book.
"The voice! It was talking to me!"
Grandpa came closer, serious. "That means the connection is strengthening."
"But it… it's alive!"
"The Echo has always been alive. It is not a weapon, Sai. It is an echo of your soul, distorted by power. If it's speaking, it means you have finally become interesting to it."
Sai swallowed. "And if it… is stronger than me?"
Grandpa smirked. "Then it will devour you."
"What?!"
"That's why no one should rush. To control the darkness is not to command, but to negotiate. Even madmen must observe the balance."
---
By evening, Sai was exhausted. His head was buzzing. His vision was doubled.
He went outside to get some fresh air.
The sky was darkening. It smelled like rain.
He sat on the steps, closed his eyes—and heard footsteps.
"Don't give up," said Grandpa, emerging from the darkness. "This is only the beginning."
"I'm not giving up… it's just… it hurts."
"And it should. All power is paid for in blood. But remember: it's not the pain that's可怕, but the habit of it."
Sai looked at him.
"You knew the Echo could talk to me, didn't you?"
Grandpa didn't answer immediately. He just looked into the distance.
"Yes. And I knew that one day it would speak."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because if I had told you, you wouldn't have heard it for yourself."
Sai lowered his gaze.
"And if I lose control?"
"Then I will kill you," Grandpa said calmly.
A pause hung between them.
And suddenly Grandpa laughed. "I'm joking. Well, half-joking."
Sai didn't smile. He wasn't in the mood for laughter.
---
Later that night, when the house was asleep, Sai woke again to a rustling sound.
He opened his eyes. Movement in the corner.
The same shadow. Only now… it stood closer.
He sat up slowly.
"Echo?…"
Silence.
And suddenly—a voice. Not aloud. Inside.
Are you afraid of me?
Sai didn't answer.
You are afraid of yourself.
He froze. His heart beat faster.
"What do you want?…"
To live.
And in that moment, Sai understood—the Echo was not just his protection.
It was a part of him, locked in the darkness, that had finally awoken.