The dim light of dawn seeped through the cracked ceiling of the underground training chamber, casting long shadows that seemed to writhe and pulse with an unseen life.
Jayden's breath came fast, heart pounding against ribs bruised from yesterday's fight. But exhaustion was a luxury he couldn't afford.
Silas stood across from him, his eyes cold and unyielding — a mountain of silent judgment.
---
"Again," Silas commanded.
Jayden forced himself to stand. The weight of the shadows clinging to his arms felt heavier than before, like chains forged from doubt and fear.
"Control your Echo," Silas said, voice sharp like a blade. "It's not just power — it's an extension of your will. Bend it, don't let it bend you."
---
Jayden clenched his fists, focusing.
He extended his right hand, willing the Shadow Tendrils to rise.
They flickered — weak and jittery — like smoke struggling to hold shape.
A sudden twitch in his nerves caused the tendrils to lash out uncontrollably, smashing a nearby pillar into rubble.
Silas's eyes narrowed.
"Pathetic."
Jayden's throat tightened. "I'm trying."
Silas stepped closer, voice low but intense.
"Trying isn't enough. You need discipline. You need to accept that the Echobound system feeds on your emotions — anger, fear, regret. Harness that. Don't run from it."
---
Jayden closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to calm the storm inside.
He recalled the voices — the whispers of the Echoes inside him. Wrath Echo screaming for release, Regret Echo pulling him downward.
Balance.
---
With trembling focus, Jayden stretched his hand again.
This time, the tendrils rose smoother, swirling like dark liquid silk.
He felt a flicker of triumph, quickly stifled by the draining sensation in his chest.
---
"Good," Silas said. "Now, freeze time."
Jayden's breath hitched.
Chrono Disruption had been fleeting — a blink, a pause barely more than a heartbeat.
He concentrated, will clawing through the fog of pain and fatigue.
The world slowed.
Shadows stretched unnaturally long.
For a moment — a whole two seconds — time stopped.
---
When time snapped back, Jayden collapsed onto one knee, gasping.
"Not bad," Silas said, a rare note of approval in his tone.
"But that's your limit. Push further and you risk breaking your mind."
---
Jayden lifted his head, meeting Silas's gaze.
"What happens if I break?"
Silas's eyes darkened.
"Echo Fracture."
A shiver ran down Jayden's spine.
---
"It's what happens when the Echobound system overloads the user — the subconscious energy tears apart the mind, leaving only a hollow shell."
Jayden swallowed hard.
"Then I have to be stronger."
---
Training stretched on for hours, each exercise a war between Jayden's will and the chaotic power within.
By evening, Jayden's shadow tendrils could stretch farther, twist sharper, obey commands more clearly.
Chrono Disruption extended to three seconds — a fragile grasp on time's fragile thread.
---
As the sun dipped below the city, Jayden sat quietly with Rika and Elira.
Rika's fiery aura had softened, and Elira's thoughtful eyes studied Jayden with cautious hope.
---
"You're making progress," Rika said softly.
"But the Echobound isn't just about strength," Elira added.
"It's about understanding the echoes within you. Your past, your pain, your fears — all feed it."
Jayden nodded slowly.
"I'm ready to face whatever comes next."
---
But as shadows lengthened, a cold dread seeped into his bones.
Because the deeper Jayden delved into the Echobound, the more he realized — some echoes are better left silent.