The Pocket of Echoes
The announcement came without warning.
"Attention, candidates of Coach Fourteen. In recognition of your continued survival, you are granted access to a Class-B training domain — the Pocket of Echoes. Participation is encouraged. Observation is absolute."
The CNC's voice was flat, precise, devoid of inflection — as always, more a statement of fact than an invitation. Every Halo Watch blinked simultaneously, new symbols spinning across their surfaces like tiny stars forming and collapsing in code.
Raghu stirred inside his capsule, the hum of the Doom Train's walls vibrating faintly through his back. His Halo Watch projected the prompt:
Entry Fee: 6,000 CreditsReward: Variable (Performance-Based)Environment Type: Cognitive Sync – Natural
He let out a slow sigh. "Even free gifts have a bill attached."
A ping sounded again. New message from Jivan:
"Forests are kind, Raghu. Unless they're bored — then they gossip, complain, and occasionally throw branches. Go stretch your legs before they decide you're compost."
Raghu rubbed his forehead. "Yeah… I'm definitely getting scammed again."
Still, curiosity gnawed at him. He tapped Accept.
Scene 2 – The Supervisor's Console
Far above the compartments, in the transparent control deck, Supervisor Harry adjusted his lenses and synced the pocket feed. The order from the CNC had been brief and cold:
"Initiate. Record. Do not interfere."
The forest bloomed on his display — bioluminescent growth rendered from green code and fractured data. The Pocket of Echoes.
"Six thousand credits each," he muttered. "The ones with pride will pay first."
He scanned the list of active participants: Raghu, Lucien, Kara Thane, Zira Orlov, Anselm, Ji Woo, and fourteen others. Harry keyed Initialize, and a faint vibration rippled through the train — like the sound of wind trapped inside glass.
Scene 4 – Into the Forest
Raghu landed in silence. The world shifted around him.
He was standing beneath towering trees that shimmered faintly with veins of liquid silver. The air itself pulsed green, a strange hue that didn't exist anywhere else. His footsteps echoed as if the ground remembered every sound that passed over it.
When he exhaled, the mist from his breath glittered before fading. The forest breathed back.
"Observation acknowledged," the CNC's voice came from nowhere. "Proceed."
"Right. Easy for you to say," Raghu muttered.
A narrow glowing trail appeared beneath his feet, like living moss. He followed it, heart steady, as the forest seemed to watch, test, and breathe in sync with him.
Scene 5 – The Trial
The air grew cooler as he approached a hollow ringed with crystalline roots. At its center floated a sphere of soft green light, pulsing like a heartbeat. The forest whispered louder, urging focus, demanding awareness.
A vine struck like a whip, grazing his arm. It was not attacking, only testing — pulse, reaction, fear.
Raghu calmed himself. He synchronized with the forest's rhythm, letting it guide his movements. The vines slowed, mirroring his breathing.
A soft glow spread from his hand into the forest floor. The pulse of the forest harmonized with his own. The sphere at the center brightened and dissolved into light.
Halo Watch chimed:
Task Complete. Sync Achieved.New Ability: Verdant Pulse (Rank 1)Reward: +10,000 Credits. Current Total: 26,000.
( 6000 pocket fees not deducted due to perfect sync)
Raghu felt it — the subtle hum beneath his skin, alive and resonating with the forest.
Scene 6 – Observers' Reactions
Brenda and Nathan both watched silently, each analyzing the data independently.
"Sync achieved in twenty-one minutes," Nathan noted flatly. "Faster than anyone expected."
Brenda's eyes narrowed. "He didn't force the environment. He listened to it."
Nathan chuckled. "That's what they all say before the next pocket chews them up."
Even from their stations, they noticed something odd — the forest dimmed slower around Raghu, lingering as though reluctant to release him. The Pocket itself seemed to like him.
CNC Debrief
Pocket Duration: 48 Hours ( 15 hours left)Total Entrants: 20Returned Candidates: 15Losses: 5 (Cognitive Collapse, Neural Overlap)Gold Bracket
– Raghu: Exceptional cognitive synchronization. Verdant Pulse integrated.
- Ayush Dhal: Exceptional Cognitive synchronization. Erosion beam stabilized
- Vedant keal: Exceptional Cognitive synchronization. Fire breath stabilized
-Gudi Moru: Exceptional Cognitive synchronization. Bubble wrap integrated.
Other Notable candidates
– Lucien: Stable adaptability.
– Zira Orlov: Aggressive, short endurance.– - - Kara Thane: Strong neural sync, failed environmental empathy.
– Ji Woo: Partial success; amplification overuse.
Remarks: Candidate Raghu exhibits early-stage domain feedback integration. Observations continue.
Final report will update once pocket duration ends.
The CNC recorded every metric with cold precision, noting each spike in energy, vitals, and adaptive response.
Candidate Rankings Update
As the compartment lights flickered, screens updated automatically with the latest CNC synchronization. Candidates leaned toward their Halo Watches, some frowning, some whispering.
CNC Rankings — Coach 14, Compartment 10
Ayush Dhal — 28,000
Vedant Kael — 27,800
Gudi Moru — 26,500
Raghu — 26,000
Karsh Yen — 25,900
Den Olo — 24,900
Isha Meran — 23,500
Uren Tally — 21,700
Ravi Korr — 10,900
Nathan Varr — 9,820
Toma Shree — 8,750
Zeyn Orl — 7,780
Mira Len — 7,700
Jorik Den — 7,680
Vri Laan — 7,550
Kiro An — 7,350
Sornap Dha — 7,120
Raal Tim — 6,950
Drake Lamar — 6,800
Heena Voh — 6,700
The moment the numbers flashed, the compartment buzzed. A few candidates glanced at Raghu with curiosity.
"Wait… didn't he just return from the new pocket?" whispered Uren Tally."Yeah," muttered Mira Len. "That explains the jump. 26,000 — 4th place overall. That's insane."
Across the compartment, Nathan Varr's gaze sharpened while Ayush Dhal's smirk faltered slightly. Brenda, observing remotely, noted the ripple effect: faction members were already calculating alliances, assessing who could be useful — or dangerous.
Harry, however, did not comment. The screens blinked and updated again, silently recording every reaction, every spike in vitals, every flicker of envy or excitement.
Raghu awoke in his pod, the Doom Train's hum vibrating faintly under him. The pulse beneath his skin — Verdant Pulse — throbbed softly, like a second heartbeat.
He flexed his fingers. Green light flickered faintly between them, then vanished.
Beneath his feet, the metal seemed to respond, pulsing faintly with the rhythm of his energy. The train itself — its living metal, its silent awareness — had noticed.
He frowned. "That… shouldn't happen."
Outside the pod, corridor lights flickered in sync with his heartbeat, subtle yet precise. A whisper of anticipation lingered in the air.
Somewhere in the control decks, Harry's console blinked: unidentified resonance detected in compartment ten.
He looked at the ID: Raghu.
Harry rubbed his jaw, a rare smile forming. "Well… that's new."
And for the first time in months, the supervisor felt something that wasn't duty — curiosity.