The rain had finally stopped.
But Kazuki couldn't shake the feeling that something worse had just begun.
He stood in front of his window, staring at the quiet streets of Tokyo. No police sirens. No fire trucks. No evidence that he'd just fought three temporal phantoms born from technology and something darker.
The suit under his skin buzzed with static. His bones ached like they'd run a thousand years. But the thing that hurt most—
Was the silence.
Aeva had seen him. She didn't say it, but she had. She saw him move at speeds no human should, saw energy distort around him like a vortex, saw one of the Echoes vanish into lightning and dust.
And now she was quiet.
He glanced at his phone again. Her last message still there.
"Kazuki. Please tell me the truth."
He hadn't replied. What could he say?
He closed his eyes.
The memory of the maskless Echo haunted him—the black static beneath, the face that wasn't a face. A corrupted timeline? A broken reality?
And the note left on his desk.
"IF YOU RUN, WE'LL FIND YOU. IF YOU FIGHT, YOU'LL BECOME US."
He didn't sleep that night.
The Next Day — School Grounds
Kazuki tried to blend in. Hoodie up. Eyes low. But every step felt magnified. Every breath echoed in his chest. The suit kept humming.
Like it knew something was coming.
Aeva stood near the vending machines. She didn't look angry. Or scared.
Just sad.
"You okay?" he asked, quietly.
She blinked. "You? That's the better question."
Silence.
"You don't have to tell me," she added, "but… I saw what I saw. And I'm not stupid."
Kazuki looked away. "I didn't ask for this."
"I know. But you have it now. And they came for you. Those things." Her voice lowered. "Are they coming back?"
Kazuki didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
Somewhere Else — A Chamber of Light and Glass
The remaining two Echoes stood before a wall of cascading code.
A distorted voice rang through the room.
"He's adapting faster than the timeline allowed."
The lead Echo bowed. "He defeated Unit 3."
"Unacceptable."
The code twisted, becoming a face. Genderless. Blank. A holographic projection with no name.
"Continue surveillance. Engage only if he crosses the threshold."
"Understood."
And then the code folded in on itself. Erased.
The Echoes turned. Watching another screen. Kazuki, walking the school hallway.
Afternoon — The Roof
Kazuki sat alone. Wind blowing harder than usual.
He liked the roof. The silence. The space to breathe.
Aeva found him there.
"You know," she said, sitting beside him, "you're a terrible liar."
He gave a tired laugh. "I guess so."
"Whoever they are… whatever you are now… you're still Kazuki, right?"
He hesitated.
The suit shifted beneath his skin—a flicker beneath the surface, like liquid lightning threading through his veins. It was part of him now, integrated into muscle and nerve. It responded to emotion. Reacted to thought. When the suit shifted, it meant it was aligning with his instincts—priming him for danger or bracing for truth.
"I think so."
They didn't speak for a long time. Then:
"Whatever happens next," she whispered, "don't do it alone."
That Night — Tokyo Tower
A ripple tore through the air near the top of the tower.
A man in a cloak appeared. Not an Echo. Something… older. Cracked skin. Pale eyes. Technology embedded in his spine.
He stared down at the glowing city.
Then smiled.
"Let's see if the child outruns fate."
[To Be Continued…]