"…Vlad."
A softer voice broke the tension.
Kai turned.
And everything shifted.
She walked forward calmly.
Her presence—
Warm.
Gentle.
Completely different.
"…you're being too harsh again," she said.
Vlad didn't respond.
"…he needs to understand," he replied.
"…he needs to recover first," she corrected.
She stepped closer to Kai.
"…you must be Kai."
He hesitated.
"…yeah…"
She smiled softly.
"…I'm Isabella."
A pause.
"…Lady Isabella."
Kai blinked.
"…you don't feel like him…"
She laughed quietly.
"…that's because I fix what he breaks."
She raised her hand slightly.
A soft golden glow formed around it.
Warm.
Comforting.
"…may I?"
Kai hesitated.
Then nodded.
"…go ahead…"
She placed her hand lightly on his chest.
The effect was immediate.
The pain—
Gone.
The tension—
Easing.
Even the exhaustion faded.
Kai's eyes widened.
"…what… is this…?"
"…Restoration," she said gently.
"…my Echo."
Kai exhaled slowly.
"…this feels… insane…"
She smiled.
"…there are many Echo types beyond the main four."
Kai looked at her.
"…like yours?"
"…yes," she nodded.
"…support-type Echoes."
A pause.
"…healing, reinforcement, stabilization."
Kai frowned.
"…stabilization?"
Her expression softened slightly.
"…your Echo is unstable."
Kai looked away.
"…yeah… I noticed."
"…you experienced an Echo Break," she said.
"…that's when your power exceeds your control."
A pause.
"…if it happens too often…"
Kai looked back.
"…I become a Devourer."
She didn't answer.
But her silence was enough.
Kai clenched his jaw.
"…then I just won't let it happen."
Vlad spoke again.
"…that's not how it works."
Kai shot him a look.
"…then how does it work?"
Isabella answered this time.
"…you don't suppress it."
A pause.
"…you understand it."
Kai's expression shifted.
"…how?"
She looked at him gently.
"…by facing what created it."
Silence.
Kai looked down.
"…Lina…"
Isabella didn't react outwardly.
But her gaze softened.
"…your Echo is tied to loss," she said.
"…but not just loss."
A pause.
"…regret."
Kai's chest tightened.
"…yeah…"
She lowered her hand.
"…your type is a rare subclass of Temporal Echo."
Kai looked up.
"…subclass?"
"…yes," she said.
"…Memory-Linked Temporal Echo."
A pause.
"…you don't control time."
"…you relive it."
Kai froze.
"…that's…"
"…why you could reset before," she said.
"…but now…"
Kai swallowed.
"…it's gone."
"…because the anchor is gone," she replied gently.
Silence.
Heavy.
Kai looked away.
"…so what do I do now?"
Isabella's voice remained calm.
"…you move forward."
Vlad added—
"…or you break."