The ruins trembled behind them as they emerged into the open air. Dust and ash rose into the twilight sky, casting long shadows across the broken valley. The sanctum was gone, swallowed by its own silence.
Eiji stood at the edge of the cliff, looking back one last time. The mark on his hand glowed faintly in rhythm with his heartbeat. It didn't hurt, but it pulsed like it was alive.
Lyra brushed dirt off her cloak and groaned. "Three seals down, four to go, and my legs feel like they've been through a meat grinder."
Kael smirked faintly. "You'll live."
She shot him a glare. "You say that now. Wait till I collapse halfway through the next death trap."
Selene smiled faintly, though her eyes were fixed on Eiji. "You feel it, don't you?"
He nodded slowly. "It's like… the seal is trying to speak. Not in words, but in memory."
They made camp by the river that cut through the valley. The water shimmered under the pale moonlight, cold and clear. For a while, no one spoke. The sound of running water and crackling fire filled the night.
Eiji sat a little apart from the group, staring at the medallion in his hands. Its surface flickered, showing faint glimpses of scenes — a city on fire, a child crying, a man standing alone before an altar.
When he blinked, the images vanished. But when he closed his eyes, he heard a voice. Soft at first, almost hesitant.
"Why do you keep following me?"
Eiji froze. His eyes snapped open, but the camp was the same. Selene was meditating, Kael sharpening his sword, Lyra fast asleep by the fire.
The voice came again, quieter this time.
"You're walking a path that ends in ruin. Haven't you seen enough?"
Eiji clenched his fist around the medallion. "Who are you?"
"You know who I am," the voice replied. "I'm what's left of you."
The air around him shimmered, and suddenly the camp was gone. He stood in a vast field of ashes. The sky was red and cracked, and the ground beneath him was littered with broken weapons.
From the distance, a figure walked toward him — his own reflection, cloaked in shadows, eyes burning with pale light.
The Echo.
Eiji felt his chest tighten. "You're the reason this keeps happening, aren't you? Every seal, every vision… it's you."
The Echo tilted his head slightly, a small, bitter smile forming. "You speak like you're separate from me. But every step you take brings you closer to what I became."
"I won't become you."
"Won't you? You already carry my memories. You already feel my pain. How long before you start agreeing with me?"
Eiji shook his head, stepping back. "You destroyed everything. You thought killing the world would save it."
The Echo's voice was calm, almost gentle. "You don't understand yet. But you will. When the fourth seal breaks, you'll see why I did it."
He raised his hand, and the ground began to crumble. The ash rose into spirals, forming faces — people crying, reaching out, fading.
"They never forgive you," the Echo whispered. "Not even after you save them. That's the curse of being chosen."
Eiji gritted his teeth. "You're lying."
The Echo smiled faintly, almost sorrowfully. "I wish I were."
The vision shattered like glass. Eiji gasped and found himself back by the campfire, drenched in sweat. His hand was burning again, the mark glowing bright enough to light the night.
Selene's eyes snapped open. "Eiji?"
He nodded weakly, his breath uneven. "He spoke to me."
Kael looked up sharply. "The Echo?"
Eiji nodded. "He said the fourth seal will show me why he destroyed everything."
Silence fell around the fire. Lyra stirred in her sleep, mumbling something, then turned over.
Selene's expression softened, though her eyes were shadowed with worry. "The seals are doing more than unlocking power. They're breaking the walls between you and him."
Eiji looked at the glowing mark, then at the stars above. "Then we need to find the next seal before he does."
Kael nodded firmly. "Where to next?"
Selene opened the old map she carried and pointed east. "The next seal lies beyond the Dead March — a valley of shifting sand and echoes of lost souls. Few who enter ever return."
Lyra sat up suddenly, rubbing her eyes. "We're going where now?"
Eiji smiled faintly. "To the place where even the dead don't rest."
Lyra groaned. "Great. My favorite kind of vacation."
They all laughed softly, but the sound carried a nervous edge. Above them, the night sky rippled faintly, as though something unseen was watching.
Far away, deep within the red mist, the Echo stood alone, staring at the stars from his own crumbling realm. His expression was unreadable.
"You'll understand soon, Eiji," he murmured. "You'll see that I never wanted to be your enemy."
The wind carried his words away, and the world went quiet once more.