Chapter 13: The Watchers' Wrath
The moment they stole the crystal, the city turned against them.
The towering glass-like structures of Echoes trembled, their surfaces rippling like disturbed water. The shadows reflected within them moved unnaturally—no longer mimicking the real world, but shifting of their own accord. The Watchers had noticed. And now, they were hunting.
Kiran, Aadhya, Barry, and Unit 37 ran through the twisting streets, their footsteps echoing as the ground beneath them warped and cracked. The air was thick with static, buzzing with an unseen energy that sent shivers down their spines.
Barry clutched the crystal to his chest, its glow pulsing erratically. "We need to move fast!"
Aadhya shot him a glare as she sprinted. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?"
Barry hesitated, then shrugged. "I had a theory."
Kiran groaned. "Oh, great! So we're running for our lives because of a theory?"
Unit 37's mechanical voice interrupted, eerily calm despite the chaos. "Entities approaching from all directions. Estimated survival probability—28%."
"Not helping!" Kiran snapped.
Then, the Watchers arrived.
---
Manifestation of the Watchers
At first, they were just distortions in the air—flickering shapes barely visible against the mirrored cityscape. But then, they took form.
The Watchers were humanoid, but only barely. Their bodies were elongated, stretched unnaturally tall, their limbs too thin and flexible. Their faces were smooth, reflective surfaces—voids of light that showed nothing but the fear of those who looked into them.
And they moved with impossible speed.
One moment, they were standing still. The next, they snapped forward, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. Their reflections in the mirrored buildings seemed to move first, as if reality itself lagged behind them.
Aadhya barely had time to react before one lunged at her. She ducked, rolling to the side as its clawed fingers slashed through the air where she had just been. The air itself hissed, a sharp crackle of energy marking the near miss.
Kiran pulled out his weapon—a modified energy baton. He swung at the nearest Watcher, but his attack passed through it, as if striking smoke. The Watcher's featureless face turned toward him, unreadable, and then it reached out.
Before it could touch him, Unit 37 stepped in, its robotic arms extending as it fired a pulse of blue energy. The blast struck the Watcher, and for a brief second, it shuddered—its form flickering, unstable. But then it recovered, unaffected.
"Energy-based attacks ineffective," Unit 37 noted.
Kiran cursed. "Fantastic. How do we kill these things?"
Barry, still clutching the crystal, glanced back. "We don't."
Aadhya shot him a glare. "That's not what I want to hear right now!"
Barry shook his head. "Listen to me! The Watchers aren't alive. They're echoes of the city itself—projections of the Observer Network."
Kiran narrowed his eyes. "Meaning…?"
"Meaning they're not something we can fight," Barry said. "We have to outsmart them."
Aadhya clenched her fists. "And how exactly do we do that?"
Barry pointed to the towering Glass Gate in the distance. Unlike the rest of the city, it wasn't collapsing—it stood firm, untouched, almost as if it existed outside of time itself.
"That's our exit!" Barry shouted.
---
The Chase Through the City
They ran.
The Watchers moved in bursts—one second distant, the next right behind them. Their limbs stretched, their fingers clawing at the air, their silent faces reflecting distorted versions of their prey.
Kiran could feel them getting closer, the air around them vibrating with an unseen pressure. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
Aadhya pulled out a small hexagonal device from her belt, clicking it open. A pulse of golden energy expanded around them, forming a temporary barrier.
The moment the Watchers touched the barrier, they shrieked.
The sound wasn't something heard, but felt—a pressure inside their skulls, a horrible vibration that sent sharp pain through their nerves. The Watchers recoiled, their forms flickering violently.
Aadhya gasped, gripping the device tightly. "This won't last long—MOVE!"
They sprinted through the crumbling streets. Buildings warped and melted, shifting in impossible ways to block their path. The sky cracked open, revealing glimpses of strange, alien landscapes—burning deserts, frozen wastelands, and stormy oceans that did not belong to this world.
Barry, still gripping the crystal, was muttering under his breath. His eyes darted across the shifting city, analyzing patterns.
"The city's collapsing around us," he murmured. "It's not just attacking—it's trying to erase us."
Kiran gritted his teeth. "Then we'd better move faster!"
A Watcher lunged through the barrier, forcing Aadhya to roll aside. She landed hard, coughing as the device in her hand sparked.
The barrier failed.
The Watchers surged forward.
---
The Final Stand at the Glass Gate
They reached the base of the Glass Gate, panting, as the Watchers surrounded them.
There was no way out. No more tricks.
Barry looked at the crystal in his hands, his expression unreadable. Then, without warning, he threw it directly at the gate.
The moment the crystal touched the archway, everything exploded into light.
A deafening boom shook the air as a wave of energy blasted outward. The Watchers screamed, their forms distorting violently. The city itself trembled, the mirrored buildings shattering into cascading fragments of light.
And then, silence.
---
The Aftermath
When Kiran opened his eyes, he was lying on solid ground.
Not the reflective surface of Echoes.
Something soft. Grass?
He sat up, blinking. The sky was no longer violet—it was blue, with drifting clouds. A warm breeze carried the scent of flowers and damp earth.
Aadhya groaned beside him. "Did we… make it?"
Barry was sitting cross-legged, inspecting the crystal, which had dimmed significantly. He looked satisfied.
"Looks like it," he said.
Kiran frowned. "Where are we?"
Unit 37 scanned the surroundings. "Unknown environment. No immediate threats detected."
That was both reassuring and not reassuring.
Aadhya stood, narrowing her eyes at the ruins surrounding them. Towering stone structures loomed in the distance, covered in glowing symbols.
"This doesn't look like anywhere on Earth," she muttered.
Barry smirked. "That's because it isn't."
Kiran groaned. "Oh, come on!"
Barry chuckled. "Welcome to the Sanctuary of Forgotten Time."
Kiran sighed. "And let me guess—this place has its own set of problems?"
Barry's smile widened. "Oh, you have no idea."
A distant, haunting bell rang through the air.
Something stirred within the ruins.
To Be Continued…