The deeper Kyle went into the Kalos forest, the quieter everything became.
The trees stood tall like ancient sentinels, their twisted limbs filtering the late morning sun into scattered beams. The wind rustled faintly, brushing through the leaves like whispers from something watching.
He paused on a small mossy incline, catching his breath. Something tugged at him—deep in his chest.
Then it happened.
The Fragment on his glove began to glow.
It started with a soft hum, subtle and rhythmic. Kyle blinked, holding his hand up as the Fragment's light grew brighter and brighter until it cast molten patterns across the ground like flickering firelight.
Then, without warning, it erupted.
A pulse of shadow and flame spiraled out from it, curling into a tight sphere of energy. Kyle stumbled back, shielding his eyes as the air around him twisted with heat and darkness.
The light snapped away—gone in an instant.
And where the Fragment had hovered, something now stood.
A small feline.
Its fur was pitch-black and shimmered like smoke, its eyes glowing faint red. Lava-like markings streaked down its legs and across its back, glowing faintly as if something was burning just beneath its skin. Its tail flicked as it looked around, taking careful steps forward on cautious paws.
"…What…?" Kyle whispered.
The creature sat down and tilted its head at him, then—like any curious cat—proceeded to lick its paw and rub its face.
Kyle just blinked.
"This… is you?"
The feline didn't respond. It stretched out lazily, then padded toward him and circled his leg once before curling up at his feet, tail twitching.
It didn't act strange. It didn't act mystical or otherworldly. It didn't even seem to recognize itself.
It was just a cat. A shadowy, lava-marked cat. Acting like it had always existed.
Kyle stared at it in awe. "You were the Fragment… weren't you?"
The cat gave a small mrrrrow in response and rolled onto its back, exposing a warm underbelly lit by pulsing embers beneath the fur.
Then the glove activated.
> Echo Identified:
Name: Obsidaclaw
Type: Shadow / Inferno
Class: Starter – Kalos Region
Status: Wild – Unbonded
Warning: Unknown Fragment Signature Detected
Kyle's heart skipped.
It wasn't bonded to him yet. It didn't even realize it had just emerged from something unnatural. This Obsidaclaw thought it was just… born. A normal creature.
He knelt down slowly.
"Hey… I'm Kyle," he said softly, holding out his hand.
Obsidaclaw sniffed it once, then playfully batted at his fingers before resting its chin on his palm.
A warm pulse surged up his arm.
> New Bond Initiated
Echo Registered: Obsidaclaw
Status: Bonded
The moment felt small—quiet—but it filled something deep inside him with a sense of meaning.
Just then, a low growl cut through the silence.
From the brush ahead, a creature emerged. Its thick, scaled body slithered forward with bone armor scraping the forest floor. A Gravern. Wild. Irritated. Looking for a fight.
Obsidaclaw shot up, arching its back and flaring its lava-markings.
Kyle clenched his fists. "I guess this is it."
The real journey was beginning.
And neither of them knew what they truly were yet.
---