"Echo… it's an Echo..."
Sunny stared at the glowing runes, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing.
Echoes were rare. Extremely rare.
They were among the most coveted rewards an Awakened could receive after slaying a Nightmare Creature. The chances of obtaining one were so low that many went their entire lives without ever encountering one. In the real world, an Echo could be sold for an astronomical sum, far surpassing the value of most Memories.
And now, one belonged to him.
Excitement flared in his chest, but he didn't waste time dwelling on it. Without hesitation, he dove into his Sea of Soul.
The moment he entered, he noticed a few changes.
The iridescent lines of [Web] had finally spread across every inch of the space, an intricate, shimmering lattice weaving itself into the very fabric of his soul. Above the silent, ink-dark waters, the lonely black sun of his Shadow Core hung ominously, its cold light casting eerie reflections across the sea's surface.
Orbiting the core, like distant stars, were the glowing spheres that represented his Memories—three of them now.
And, just as before, he couldn't shake the feeling that something lurked just beyond his sight. A presence—hidden, watching, moving at the edges of his vision.
He ignored it.
Instead, his attention fixed on a new sphere of light, much larger than the rest, hovering farther from the Shadow Core. His Echo.
With a thought, he commanded it to descend.
The sphere drifted downward, its glow dimming as it touched the still waters. Slowly, as if emerging from mist, the shape within became clear.
A hulking Carapace Scavenger stood before him, its armored body eerily motionless. Unlike the mindless, screeching abominations he had fought, this one bore no trace of madness in its gaze. In fact, it bore no emotion at all.
It wasn't alive.
It was just… an Echo.
Shining runes materialized in the air around the scavenger:
Echo: [Carapace Scavenger]
Echo Type: Beast
Echo Core: Awakened
Echo Attributes: [Strong], [Armored], [Web]
Echo Description: [A cursed soldier of the fallen legion.]
Sunny's eyes narrowed.
"Oh… it spreads."
The realization settled over him like a weight.
[Web]. That strange, unknowable force tied to his Attribute… it had latched onto the scavenger, infecting it just as it had everything else in his Sea of Soul. He still didn't understand exactly what it did, only that it held things together in ways he could barely comprehend.
But that didn't matter right now.
What mattered was that the scavenger was his.
He could summon it to fight for him, to carry heavy loads, to serve him however he saw fit. And, more importantly—it was Awakened. A whole rank above its master. Stronger, tougher, and far deadlier than a Dormant Dreamer like him should rightfully command.
With this at his disposal, survival in the Dream Realm would become… easier.
Following an impulse, Sunny raised a hand and let his fingers brush against the creature's cold, black chitin. The smooth surface was hard beneath his touch, utterly lifeless.
And then—
The waters beneath him rippled.
A new set of glowing runes appeared:
[Transform Echo into a Shadow?]
Sunny flinched and yanked his hand back.
"What the hell?"
He had never heard of this before. Echoes weren't supposed to transform. They were static, immutable entities. Yet, here was his Aspect offering him something entirely new.
Then again…
His Aspect had already proven to be unlike anything he had ever read about. Shadow Cores, Shadow Fragments—things no one had ever mentioned. It seemed his abilities still held more secrets than he could grasp.
Sunny swallowed and licked his lips.
Slowly, cautiously, he whispered:
"Yes."
Nothing happened.
A moment later, the runes shifted.
[Not enough Shadow Fragments to perform transformation.]
[Shadow Fragments required: 26/100.]
He frowned.
So, the transformation wasn't free. It required Shadow Fragments—a lot of them.
His mind churned. Shadow Fragments could be used to strengthen his own core… or to transform an Echo into something unknown.
Which was more valuable?
He had no way of knowing.
An Echo was already an incredible asset, and he doubted that many Awakened in the world had a creature as strong as this serving them. It was probably wiser to focus on himself first, at least for now.
The transformation could wait.
With a final glance at the silent, obedient scavenger, Sunny took a deep breath and left the Sea of Soul.
'*'
Since he had been lost in thought for quite some time, Sunny snapped back to reality to find Nephis watching him intently. A silent question lingered in her pale eyes, though she didn't voice it.
Sunny grinned, unable to keep the excitement from his face.
"I got an Echo."
A barely perceptible flicker crossed Nephis's expression—her pupils widening just slightly.
Cassie, on the other hand, had no such restraint.
"An Echo? You actually got an Echo?!"
"Yes."
There was no time for lengthy explanations. The larger group of Nightmare Creatures was only minutes away, their distant screeches growing louder. Wasting no time, Sunny summoned the Echo.
A cascade of tiny, shimmering lights converged in front of him, forming the rough outline of a hulking beast. Within seconds, the glowing fragments coalesced into something solid—gleaming black chitin reflecting the dim light of the Labyrinth. The Carapace Scavenger materialized in its full, menacing form, its massive pincers twitching as it shifted under Sunny's control.
Nephis studied the Echo in silence, her gaze sharp and unreadable. Then, after a moment, the corner of her lips curved slightly upward.
"Good."
Sunny flashed her a smile before turning to Cassie.
"I think we can have it carry you. Outside of battle, it'll be most useful that way."
The blind girl's mouth parted slightly in surprise.
"Carry me? Like… like a mount?"
Sunny chuckled, stepping forward to pat the scavenger's hard shell.
"This bad boy can fit a pretty little girl like you with no problem at all. Trust me! I've been clambering on these things a lot for the past few days. It's actually quite spacious up there. Especially when they're not trying to kill you."
Cassie blushed a bit, probably at the idea of how ridicules she would look on the scavengers back , but after a moment, she nodded, placing her trust in her first friend.
With Sunny and Nephis's help, she carefully climbed onto the creature's broad back. To make sure she wouldn't fall, they used the golden rope to fashion a set of makeshift reins for her to hold onto.
With no time to waste, they quickly retrieved soul shards from the fallen scavengers and hurried out of the passage—narrowly avoiding another deadly encounter.