(The Breath of the Dead)
Eva raised her head slightly to understand where the sound was coming from.
Silence…
But this wasn't an empty silence. It was a waiting silence.
The corridor lights flickered for a moment. The abandoned lower levels of London Station were now more like a remnant of memory than of time. The concrete walls were damp, the metal rails rusted. Eva's palms were sweating, but she didn't let go of her weapon.
"You didn't have to do this," Eva said, her voice cutting through the echo.
No answer.
She took another step.
And then…
applause.
Slow. Measured. Mocking.
"You've always been like this, Eva," said a familiar voice.
"You take another step. Always."
Eva's throat went dry.
"That's impossible," she whispered.
"You—"
"I was dead," the man finished the sentence. "Yes. That was your favorite version of me."
He emerged from the shadows.
Ekrech.
His face was pale but alive. Under his left eye, the thin scar Eva had left the last time she saw him was still there. He wore a dark coat; it was as if time hadn't touched him.
Eva's hand trembled.
"Is this… a reflection?" she said.
"A fragment of the universe?"
"Or—"
"It's the truth," Ekrech said.
"And I can read the disappointment on your face."
Eva pointed her gun.
"One more step and—"
"What?"
Ekrech smiled.
"Are you going to kill me a second time?"
The silence stretched on.
"I don't want this," Eva said.
"I thought it was over."
The smile on Ekrech's face slowly faded.
"Is it over?"
His voice hardened. "Nothing is over for me, Eva. While you were running away, while I was being buried, while you were choosing new universes… I was calculating here."
Eva gritted her teeth.
"How did you escape?"
Ekrech tilted his head slightly to the side.
"Wrong question," he said.
"Who saved me?"
Eva's mind began to work rapidly.
"No…"
"Don't bring them into this."
Ekrech's eyes gleamed.
"Too late."
He pulled a small, thin device from his pocket. Eva recognized it. A frequency emitter. A model that locks personal time traces.
"When did you—"
"When you were talking to Adrian," Ekrech said. "In the Vienna universe. You remember. You were very emotional."
Eva's face tensed.
"Don't touch Adrian."
Ekrech laughed. A short, unpleasant laugh.
"You're late."
He activated the device.
Suddenly, Eva's headset crackled.
"Eva?"
"Eva, can you hear me?"
It was Mara. Her voice trembled.
"Disconnect!" Eva shouted.
"Now!"
But Ekrech had already started speaking.
"Mara," he said in a calm tone.
"I know how much you love him."
"Who is this?" Mara asked.
"Eva, who is this?"
Eva's heart raced.
"Ekrech," she said.
"Don't listen to him."
"Ah," said Ekrech.
"You know me? How nice."
Another channel opened.
"Eva?"
"There's someone in the house."
It was Jonas.
Eva's face turned deathly pale.
"Jonas, get out of there!"
"The window—"
"He can't," Ekrech said calmly. "Because I haven't even started yet."
Eva shouted angrily:
"You want me!"
"Leave them alone!"
Ekrech approached Eva. The distance between them was now only a few steps.
"No," he whispered. "I want you alone."
Eva's eyes filled with tears, but she didn't back down.
"What do you want from me?"
Ekrech raised his head. There was no humor left on his face.
"Everything," he said. "And this chapter…is just the opening."