The sky wasn't gray this time.
It was still. Quiet. Too quiet. The type of silence Tokyo never had. No wind. No birds. No movement. Like the world was holding its breath.
Kazuki sat in class, his eyes half-lidded, trying to ignore the buzzing in his skull. Every second, his senses picked up more — the shifting heartbeat of the teacher, the vibration of a text message from three phones away, the echo of footsteps five floors below.
The suit was evolving.
So was he.
But today wasn't about discovery.
It was about being hunted.
Later that day, Kazuki sat beside Aeva Lin in the school courtyard. Her laugh was genuine, soft like spring rain, and her eyes sparkled when she talked about the things she loved — old poetry, wild storms, the smell of books.
"So…" she looked at him, teasing. "You gonna keep ignoring me in class or are we gonna be actual friends now?"
Kazuki gave a rare smile. "I… guess friends is okay."
Before he could say more, a sharp vibration cracked through his spine. Something… shifted in the air. Time warped. The sky above them rippled like heat on metal.
He stood instantly.
And saw it.
Three figures. Standing on the rooftop of the far building.
Clad in black and silver. Their bodies blurred — like they existed slightly outside of time. No one else seemed to notice them.
But Kazuki could.
And one of them pointed straight at him.
Scene Shift – Inside a Cold Lab
A digital map of Tokyo glowed on the wall. Dots pulsed.
"He's accelerating faster than we predicted," said one of the men in cloaks, his voice modulated like a broken radio.
Another one, the leader, responded coldly:
"We eliminate him now. Before the merge completes."
Behind them, a name was written on the screen in flickering red.
"PROJECT: ECHOES"
Evening — The Chase Begins
Kazuki ran.
Not through the streets — but through reality itself.
The moment he moved, the world bent backward. Glass shattered in nearby windows. Every step echoed across rooftops.
They were following.
The three Echoes moved like specters, using speed Kazuki had never seen. They didn't speak. They didn't blink. Their faces were hidden behind blank, white visors shaped like cracked hourglasses.
One threw a dagger made of pure energy. It struck the wall beside him — time around the spot froze, birds stuck in mid-air, sound muted.
Kazuki stumbled, breath ragged. They weren't chasing him.
They were cornering him.
And then…
One of them appeared in front of him, whispering:
"You weren't meant to survive the bonding."
They attacked.
Kazuki moved.
Faster than ever before. The suit reacted with thought — phasing him through objects, slowing perception, distorting time.
He dodged, countered, and kicked one Echo into a building — but the Echo melted into static and reappeared behind him, unharmed.
They weren't people.
They were… something else.
For every move he made, they adapted.
But Kazuki wasn't just fast.
He was unpredictable.
He sprinted into a construction zone, baiting them, then redirected a collapsing beam to separate them. For the first time, one of them faltered.
Kazuki tackled him — slammed him against steel.
And then ripped off the mask.
Underneath… was nothing.
Just black static. A face erased.
The Echo hissed like a broken television and exploded into dust.
The other two stared, their visors flashing symbols.
Retreat.
They vanished in a blink of white flame.
Kazuki collapsed beside the wreckage, breathing heavy, blood on his lip.
In the silence, he noticed something glowing in the cracked concrete.
A symbol — etched in lightning, pulsing faintly.
Aeva's voice pulled him back. "Kazuki?"
She was behind him, phone in hand, eyes wide. "What just happened?"
He turned slowly.
And lied. "I don't know."
But she didn't believe him.
Not really.
Later that night, Kazuki stood in his room. Thunder rolled above. His phone buzzed with another message from Aeva.
But something else caught his attention.
On his desk…
A piece of paper that hadn't been there before.
Words burned into it:
"IF YOU RUN, WE'LL FIND YOU."
"IF YOU FIGHT, YOU'LL BECOME US."
Kazuki stared at it.
Then looked up.
And saw his reflection — standing still — even though he was moving.
[To Be Continued…]