Location: Outside Lumina's house

  Time of Day: Night

  Day 5 Week 2

  A small campfire crackled in a clearing near the edge of the dojo trail, just before the path to Lumina's home. The flames flickered gently, casting a light on the party. Slayer lay stretched across a log with his arms behind his head, and still in his full armor.

  "All right, confession time," he groaned dramatically. "I didn't expect Hikari to almost knock me off my feet today."

  "Almost being the key word," Hikari muttered, curled up beside the fire with a blanket over her shoulders.

  "Seriously though," Slayer said, sitting up. "You've got good instincts and quick feet. Which is hilarious, considering you still trip over your own lab coat when we're not in combat."

  "Hey!" Hikari blushed. "That was one time! Okay, maybe three..."

  Laughter rolled softly around the fire. Across from them, Captain sat cross-legged, sharpening his combat knife. Beside him, Lumina leaned against a tree, sipping from a cup of tea she brewed. Her expression composed.

  "First off, I want to congratulate you both on passing the Strength Trial," she said, glancing at Hikari and Captain in turn. "Slayer and I talked beforehand, and we've decided that you've earned it."

  Slayer leaned forward, nodding enthusiastically. "Yeah, you two pushed past your limits and kept your aura alive under pressure. That's what strength really is."

  Lumina gave a small nod of agreement, her lips curving faintly. Then, in unison, both mentors lifted a hand. "We now declare the Strength trial complete!"

  Hikari perked up, a grin breaking through her tired face. "Yay, finally! My legs feel like their about to burst, but I'll take it!"

  Captain smirked faintly, rolling his shoulder. "Hmph. Expected nothing less."

  Lumina's expression softened, her voice turning proud. "You've all done well. Most people struggle just to awaken their Emanation. But you've not only awakened to it... it's become a part of you, even under pressure."

  Hikari and Captain exchanged a glance, nodding in unison.

  "Tomorrow," Lumina said, setting her cup down beside her, "we begin the final training. The third and last trial... Mind."

  Hikari narrowed her eyes. "Please tell me that doesn't involve you throwing boulders at us."

  "No," Lumina replied with a small smile. "But it might be worse than that."

  "Awwe great. I never get a break do I..." Hikari groaned.

  Laughter rippled softly around the fire. Then, as the crackle of flames filled the quiet, Hikari turned to Lumina with a smug look on her face. "Hey Lumina, you didn't mention that Elegant form of yours."

  Lumina tilted her head. "Hm? Oh, heard about it already?"

  "Captain told us," Hikari continued. "Said he couldn't even catch a glimpse of you and that you blinked around like a ghost. Nearly giving him a heart attack haha."

  "Yeah," Captain muttered flatly. "She definitely moved faster than light."

  "Awwe," Slayer teased, leaning in with a grin. "And here I thought I was your biggest threat."

  Without glancing up from his knife, Captain said flatly, 'You still are... just in a different way.'"

  A round of chuckles passed between them.

  "Wait, so can you do the same thing Slayer?" Hikari asked curiously, tilting her head.

  Slayer gave a playful shrug. "That's something you'll just have to wait and see soon enough. Can't reveal all my cards at once or else where's the fun in that?"

  "Fair enough, I guess." Hikari tapped her chin, thoughtful. "Hmm... to think there's something beyond a regular Emanation State. You think I can reach that someday, Lumina?"

  Lumina's tone shifted steady, almost teacher-like. "Of course you can, anyone can. With dedication and and at least a thousand hours of training, you'll eventually reach it." Her lips curved faintly as she added, half-joking. "Give or take a few."

  "Jeez, a thousand hours?" Hikari groaned, forcing a sheepish smile. "Yeah... I think I'll just stick with the regular training for now."

  Lumina chuckled softly. "Well, something like that takes time to achieve and master. It doesn't just come from hours of typical training. You must first understand what makes your Emanation uniquely yours and what you hope to accomplish with it. When the moment is right, your Emanation will choose you... and when it does, you'll resonate with it fully, turning it into something more than just power."

  Hikari glanced down at her hands, then back at Lumina. "I see... so it's not just me choosing it then. It has to choose me too, huh."

  "Dah don't sweat it Hikari." Slayer chimed in. "I'm sure you and Captain will break past normal Emanation one day. You've only just started holding the blade with this stuff so don't overthink it until you're ready for the next step."

  Hikari nodded, determination firming in her eyes. "Yeah, you're right."

  Captain stayed quiet, listening, though something in his expression showed he was intrigued. A quiet moment passed, the fire crackling softly as Hikari gazed up at the stars.

  "You know... I didn't think I could do all this," she admitted. "The whole Emanation thing and fighting. I thought I'd just be the one analyzing data and holding clipboards."

  "Now you're drop-kicking shields," Slayer said proudly. "That's growth if I've ever seen it hehe."

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  Hikari muttered, slumping back. "At this rate, I'll be drop-kicking my own grave soon."

  Lumina's lips curved faintly. "You can say that again."

  The team's laughter faded into the night air, the campfire crackling softly between them. Warmth lingered, but Hikari's smile dimmed as her gaze fell into the flames. She rested her chin on her palm, her thoughts drifting away from the conversation. (It's been nearly two weeks since we've stayed here... but for him, almost 2 hours have passed. Still... I can't help but wonder... what's happening to Dr. Naru right now? I really hope he's okay...")

  Meanwhile...

  Echohold-09 - Two hours later.

  The alarms had long gone silent, leaving only the screech of bending metal and the hiss of failing vents. THUD! THUD! THUD! Dr. Naru sprinted down the corridor, flashlight beam jerking wildly across blood-smeared walls and dead bodies on the floor. His breaths came ragged Hah! Hah! Hah! boots slipping on shattered glass. The recorder in his hand rattled with every stride.

  Then came the sound. Tik... tok... tik... tok... The rhythm echoed through the metal hall. Naru's chest seized with dread. He didn't need to turn around because he knew what stalked him. SKREEEECH! Sparks erupted as claws scraped the walls. The beam of his light caught glimpses of the Echo... bare bones, stretched muscle, and two snapping skulls, their cold blue eyes glowing in the dark.

  THUD! THUD! CRASH! The floor shook as the creature bounded forward on its twisted legs, its whip-like tail lashing the air with a SWISHK! Naru clicked the recorder on mid-run, his voice breaking between breaths. "This is Dr. Naru from Echohold-09! Currently at Day 0 Hour 2 of the Echo breach! Emergency power is starting to fail! And most of the Hollow members didn't-"

  THUMP! A clawed limb slammed down where he'd been a second earlier. WHAM! He stumbled, his shoulder slamming against a doorframe, but he kept running. The sound grew louder, Tik... tok... tik... tok... closing in. Naru's flashlight shook as he muttered into the recorder, his voice breaking. "...If anyone hears this... I'm still alive-" KSSSHHH! A tail strike ripped into the wall beside him, sparks spraying. The twin skulls lunged out of the dark, jaws snapping shut inches from his arm. Naru stumbled forward, breath ragged, flashlight shaking in his grip. The recorder slipped in his sweaty hand CLACK! tumbling onto the floor and ending the recording. He didn't stop to pick it up. THUD! THUD! THUD! The pounding steps of the Echo echoed closer, its Tik... tok... tik... tok... rattling through the steel corridor.

  Naru rounded the corner SKREEECH! claws tore sparks across the wall as the beast pursued. His eyes locked on the elevator at the far end. "Come on, come on, come on-" He slammed his hand against the button CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! his panicked breaths fogging the elevator's steel door. THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! The Echo's steps drew closer. His flashlight beam caught a glimpse of its spine like jagged blades.

  Then KZZZT! something pulsed in his pocket. It was the Artifact. Its faint hum filled the corridor, a sound Naru didn't notice, but the Echo did. Tik... tok... tik The rhythm broke, turning into a distorted growl. The creature recoiled, skulls twitching, claws scraping violently against the floor. It hissed, HRAAAAAAEEEIIIIIIIIIII! shaking its heads as if the unseen resonance cut into it.

  Naru kept hammering the button CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! eyes darting to the ceiling display. The elevator's gears groaned, emergency power struggling then... DING! The doors slid open, light spilling into the corridor. "Yes!" Naru dove inside. SKREEEEECH! The Echo lunged, its double skulls snapping shut just as the doors slid closed with a CLANG! The elevator shuddered, metal denting under the impact, but it held. Naru collapsed against the wall, chest heaving, unaware of the Artifact's faint glow in his pocket fading into silence.

  A minute later...

  DING! The elevator doors slid open, and Dr. Naru stepped onto the sub-level floor. The corridor stretched out in dim red light, casting everything in a harsh, hellish glow. His flashlight beam swept across the smoke and dust, checking corners, tracing along the cracked walls. There was only silence and no Echos around, for now. Then his light caught it... a massive blast door, half-buried in warped bio-matter and scorched steel.

  "There..." he muttered, rushing to the side panel. BEEP! CHK! Sparks jumped, circuits flickered, and the lock gave. The door creaked open an inch. "Perfect. The terminal should be past this tunnel. If I can just reach it, I might be able to end all of thi-" SKRRRRK...

  A sound crawled out from the dark. Naru froze, his breath caught in his throat. SCRRRK... SCRRRK... The claws dragged against the floor as the shape bent forward into view, four-legged humanoid but wrong. The red lights flickered across its body, showing flashes of stretched muscle and extended bone. Too thin and twisted to still be alive. He raised his flashlight FWIP! but before the beam landed SPLRRRGHHHHH!

  A spray of flesh-colored bile burst forward. KSSSHHHH! It splattered the wall, sparks hissing where it hit. Dr. Naru staggered, coughing, a streak catching his coat. "Ghkk-damn it!" He clawed at the fabric, checking for holes, but there was none. But his side still stung beneath the layers. He brushed at it, grimacing. Just a scrape, he told himself.

  More shapes shifted above. SKRRR! CRRK! Fingers scraping the ceiling and claws tapping metal. Dozens of eyes blinked open in the red haze. "Time to go!" Dr. Naru bolted, shoving through the blast door. He slammed his hand on the controls. The steel shrieked THUNK! as it shut close. BAM! BAM! BAM! Claws struck instantly, denting the metal inward. Each hit rattled the frame. "What the? They're breaking through?!" Then... FWOOM!

  The Artifact in his coat pocket flared, pale light spilling through the seams of his clothes. A white glyph traced itself across the blast door, burning into the metal like a brand. The dents smoothed out, the steel reshaping as if time itself rewound. BANG! The Echos slammed once more, then stopped. Their blows fell into silence and the door held.

  Naru's eyes widened. His breath hitched as he stared at the glowing mark. Slowly, the artifact dimmed, its light fading back into his pocket like nothing had happened. "...Incredible," he whispered, barely audible. He pressed a hand to the door, still warm beneath his palm. Whatever it was... it had saved him. But the quiet afterward felt heavier than before. The glyph lingered faintly on the steel, glowing like an eye that refused to close.

  Dr. Naru slipped a hand into his coat and pulled the artifact free. For the first time, the light caught it fully. The stone was obsidian-dark, the way Hikari had once described... but at its center, carved deep into the surface, was a single white star. It glinted faintly, not glowing, but engraved. The white star seemed to stare back at him. "...What the hell just happened," he muttered under his breath.

  His grip tightened around the Artifact. "I'll have to study this more closely," he muttered. "It holds more than just the power to open portals... I can feel it. I know who I must contact again... but first, I need to reach the terminal." His flashlight beam slid across the corridor ahead. A tunnel stretched before him dimly lit, long, and descending. The walls narrowed as they curved downward, swallowing into shadow.

  Reaching into his inner coat pocket, he pulled out a small directional tag beacon. He stared at it for a moment, his voice softening. "Hikari... I really hope you're doing okay. I know you'll find a way back, and when you do... I'll still be here guiding you through." Naru pressed the beacon to the wall Click! and it hummed to life, glowing faint blue, its light pulsing softly against the cement wall. He lingered for a moment, eyes fixed on its glow. His voice dropped, steady but heavy with meaning. "I'll be waiting... Hikari. And Captain."

  The words echoed faintly through the corridor, carried down the tunnel long after he had stepped into the dark. Tap... tap... tap... His footsteps faded as the shadows swallowed him whole. The beacon's glow remained, a lone light against the silence.