The Driftways twisted violently this time.
Leo felt it the moment he stepped through—the plane spat him out like a rejected thought, hurling him onto jagged stone with a force that knocked the wind from his lungs.
The air screamed.
Literally.
A cacophony of howls, moans, and shrieks swirled around him, bouncing off broken pillars and shattered platforms that floated midair. Wind tore through the hollow like a living thing, and each gust carried the sound of his own voice… twisted, angry, unrecognizable.
"⟪Memory Realm Detected: The Howling Hollow⟫
Emotion Signature: Anger | Stability: 39%⟫"
Leo stood slowly, shielding his eyes against the whipping gale.
This place was fragmented—a series of cracked bridges spiraling upward toward a cyclone of black clouds. Each bridge led to a memory… or a monster.
"Not subtle, are you?" he muttered, gripping the Verdant Fang.
He took his first step—and the world roared back.
From the swirling winds, something emerged.
Himself.
But not just a mirror image. This version was monstrous. Hair matted with blood, eyes glowing red, armor blackened and cracked. It carried a version of the Fang—twisted, barbed, pulsing with corruption.
"⟪Entity Detected: Rage Echo⟫
Classification: Shadowborne Projection
HP: 4,000 | Status: Berserk⟫"
The thing snarled. "You talk about control. But you're still angry. Always angry."
Leo steadied his stance. "I control it. That's what makes me dangerous."
The Rage Echo lunged without warning, claws extended.
"⟪Skill Activated: Shadow Step⟫"
Leo blinked out of range, appearing above and behind his enemy, striking downward.
"⟪Hit Landed⟫ +48 Damage | Verdant Bloom Applied⟫"
But this version of himself didn't stagger—it grinned, spun mid-air, and slashed his shoulder.
"⟪Status Applied: Bleeding | -8 HP/sec⟫"
Leo winced. "Fast…"
The system pulsed again.
"⟪Environmental Modifier Active⟫
Effect: Wind Distortion | Ranged Attacks -50% Accuracy⟫"
The Hollow wasn't just hostile—it was alive.
The Rage Echo pressed in. Its attacks were erratic, fueled by emotion, but precise—his own tactics turned against him.
Every movement pushed Leo to the brink. Every blow forced him closer to the edge.
Until the system chimed.
"⟪Resonance Spike Detected⟫ Emotional Saturation: 89%⟫"
Leo shouted over the storm. "Is this what I become if I lose control?"
The Rage Echo didn't answer. It screamed.
Leo blocked a slash, then drove his foot into its chest, creating just enough space to breathe.
"I'm not afraid of my anger," he growled. "I am my anger. But I don't let it rule me."
He gritted his teeth, raised the Fang—
And embraced it.
"⟪Ultimate Skill Activated: Verdant Requiem⟫"
He stabbed the ground. Vines exploded outward in all directions—imbued with fury and memory. They wrapped the Rage Echo, thorns lancing through the air, choking the storm itself.
"⟪Critical Hit!⟫ +210 Damage | Echo Rooted⟫"
The Rage Echo howled—but this time, it didn't attack. It spoke.
"You still hate them. The ones who abandoned you. The system. The gods."
Leo stared at it, panting.
"Yeah," he said, voice raw. "And I'll use every ounce of that hate to protect what's left."
He drove the Fang through the Echo's chest.
The storm went silent.
---
The Hollow began to unravel.
The clouds dissipated. The winds died. The shattered bridges reassembled into a single spiral stair, leading upward.
The Rage Echo dissolved into black mist, leaving behind a sliver of glinting metal embedded in the stone.
"⟪Memory Echo Acquired: Anger⟫
Signal Strength Increased: +18%
Current Resonance: 78%⟫"
"⟪Item Acquired: Shard of Fury⟫
Type: Memory Token
Effect: +5% Critical Chance when HP is below 50%⟫"
Leo grabbed it and exhaled slowly.
He hadn't just fought a monster.
He'd fought himself.
And he'd won.
For now.