Jayden lay flat on the cold rooftop, the night air sharp against his skin. Above him, the city's neon haze bled into the dark sky like a wound. But even amidst the glow, the shadows whispered secrets only he could hear.
They tugged at his mind — fragments of memories, half-forgotten echoes from the Echobound realm, and warnings he didn't yet understand.
His breathing slowed, and the faint pulse beneath his wrist scar quickened — a reminder of the power simmering inside him, waiting.
Suddenly, a voice cracked through the silence.
"Jayden."
He bolted upright. Standing across the rooftop was a man cloaked in a shifting aura — the air around him shimmered like heat waves.
"I didn't expect you so soon," Jayden said cautiously.
The stranger's smile was thin, cold. "Time is a luxury you won't have much longer."
Jayden's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
"Call me Vharis."
The name sent a shiver down his spine — whispered in fearful tones among the rebel factions. A rogue Echobound user, rumored to manipulate not just time, but fate itself.
Vharis stepped closer, shadows crawling around him like living snakes. "You carry a power that could unravel everything. That's why the Apex Council wants you dead. And why I want to offer you a choice."
Jayden's grip tightened on the ledge. "I don't take offers from people like you."
Vharis chuckled. "Oh, but you will. Because soon, you'll have no choice at all."
He raised a hand, and reality warped — the rooftop around them flickered, time bending like ripples in a pond.
"See this moment," Vharis said, "It's not fixed. It's a thread in a tapestry I can weave or unravel."
Jayden's heart hammered. The power to control time felt alive and unpredictable — a burden and a weapon.
"If you want to survive, you need to learn more than just shadows. You need to understand the Echobound's true nature. Come with me, and I'll teach you."
Jayden looked away, battling the storm inside. The safety of the rebels, the mystery of his powers, the shadow of his past — all crashing down like thunder.
But one thing was clear: the path ahead was darker and more twisted than he imagined.
Jayden's breath came quick and shallow, the rooftop's cold air now thick with unease. Vharis's presence was like a shadow eclipse — oppressive and mesmerizing.
The shimmering heat waves around Vharis curled and twined like living things, distorting reality in small, unnerving ways. Time felt… unstable here.
Jayden swallowed hard, fighting to steady his voice. "What do you want from me? Why come now?"
Vharis's cold smile deepened, eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. "I watch you, Jayden. Every falter, every spark of your power. You're a rare breed — a true Echobound anomaly. Not just a shadow wielder, but a potential to reshape fate itself."
Jayden's fists clenched, the old guilt and fear bubbling beneath his skin. "I don't want to be anyone's weapon. Least of all yours."
"Weapons are tools, and tools can build or destroy," Vharis said, stepping closer until Jayden could feel the oppressive heat radiating from him. "The Apex Council hunts you because they fear what you might become. But what if I told you I could teach you how to control your power without limits? To break free from their chains and rewrite your destiny?"
Jayden's mind flashed to the rebels — Rika, Silas, Elira. People depending on him, trusting him. Could he risk betraying them?
"And if I refuse?" Jayden challenged, summoning a small tendril of shadow to coil around his wrist.
Vharis's grin twisted, eyes darkening. "Then you'll die slowly — hunted, betrayed, broken. Or worse, you'll become a pawn in their twisted game. You don't have time to be noble, Jayden."
A sudden flicker in the corner of his eye made Jayden glance down. His shadow writhed unnaturally — responding to Vharis's presence, twitching as if sensing the other's power like a rival beast.
"I'm not afraid of you," Jayden whispered, but the tremor in his voice betrayed him.
"Fear is a lie we tell ourselves," Vharis murmured, voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "But I sense your guilt, your pain. The thing about the Echobound bond — it feeds on your emotions, your regrets. Your power is tied to your soul's darkest corners."
Jayden's heart thudded painfully. The Shadow Echo inside him stirred, a low, rumbling growl that threatened to burst free.
"Come with me," Vharis urged again. "Learn the truth behind the Echobound. Understand the power you hold. I offer knowledge. Freedom. Control."
Jayden's eyes darted upward — the city lights flickering like distant stars, cold and indifferent.
Is this freedom, or another cage?
"I'll think about it," Jayden said finally, voice hoarse. "But if this is a trap…"
Vharis raised a single finger, and time warped once more. The rooftop momentarily stretched and cracked like glass, before snapping back perfectly.
"No trap, just choice," Vharis said softly, stepping back into the shadowy mist. "Remember, Jayden — time is the one thing you can't afford to waste."
With that, Vharis vanished, leaving Jayden alone with the restless shadows and his racing thoughts.
---
Jayden sank to his knees, breathing ragged. The weight of the offer pressed down on him like a stone. Could he risk it?
His shadow tendrils curled tighter, pulsing with uneasy life. Somewhere deep inside, a faint voice echoed — the Shadow Echo calling, hungry for release.
But Jayden clenched his teeth. He had to be stronger than that. For Rika, for Silas, for the fight ahead.
I decide my own fate.
Yet, in the quiet night, the question lingered — could he really escape the system that had bound him since birth?