Chapter 7: The Echo Files
"Memories are weapons. And lies… are just truths told out of order."
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The package arrived wrapped in old newspaper, stained slightly with ink and time.
No return address.
No courier name.
No fingerprints.
Just a single word printed on the label:
> "Echo."
Kaito Shiranami sat on his desk as the rain poured outside.
He didn't flinch. Didn't hesitate.
He peeled it open.
Inside: a black USB drive.
And a note that read:
> "Play it alone. Wear headphones.
Truth lives in sound."
He plugged it in.
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File 01 – Childhood, Distorted
Audio static. Then—
His mother's voice. Soft. Familiar. Warm.
> "Kaito… don't play in the basement again. Remember what happened to the dog…"
Kaito's eyes narrowed.
He never had a dog.
Never had a basement.
> "Memory trap," he muttered.
The file spliced into another:
> "You said you hated me, Kaito. You wanted us to die."
His father's voice—angry, broken, trembling.
But the tone was digitally off.
Too perfect.
AI-replicated.
The file was a deepfake—a synthetic compilation of false memories, constructed to make Kaito question his own past.
He hit pause.
And smiled.
> "So this is Phase II."
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What Are the Echo Files?
It was a psychological operation designed to trigger cognitive dissonance—overwriting emotional trust in memory.
A weapon used on former whistleblowers.
Designed to cause breakdowns.
But Kaito didn't break.
Instead, he dissected.
He began decoding the metadata of each file—layer by layer.
Date stamps were tampered.
Audio waveforms contained subliminal triggers.
A specific ultrasonic pulse repeated every 13 seconds—designed to disorient.
But beneath all of it… was a pattern.
A signature.
Whoever made these files… wanted him to know.
This wasn't just Blue River's work.
Someone on the inside was sending him a signal.
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A New Name: SpecterZero
Buried in the last file's hidden data:
> Origin: SPECTERZERO // NODE-BR.13//
Msg: "They're lying to you, too. Meet me where the world ends."
Kaito stared.
SpecterZero.
A ghost in the system.
A rogue AI expert?
An inside man?
It didn't matter.
The location embedded in the metadata was clear:
An abandoned observatory on the city's northern edge—known locally as "the End of the World."
He had a lead.
A possible ally.
And maybe… someone else like him.
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The Emotional Weapon: Airi's Photo
As he prepared to leave, he found one more file—labeled: Untitled_finalhope.jpg
It was a photo.
Airi, smiling.
Hugging someone.
Not him.
Timestamped just a week before his parents died.
In the corner of the image—barely visible—was a Blue River ID badge.
They were using her to fracture him again.
He stared at the image.
Long. Still. Cold.
Then he did something strange.
He smiled.
> "You think you're using her.
But soon… she'll be the one who buries you."
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Journal Entry – That Night
> They sent me a story where I was the villain of my own childhood.
They think confusion weakens me.
But I was born from chaos. Raised by contradiction. Shaped by silence.
You don't break me by lying about my past.
You give me proof… that you're afraid of my future.
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Meanwhile – Inside the Digital War Room
Director Rinko Takarabe watched the Echo results in real-time.
Stress levels: Stable.
Response time: Accelerated.
Frontal lobe scans: Unchanged.
A cold silence filled the room.
> "He decoded the trap," an agent said.
Rinko didn't look away from the screen.
> "Of course he did.
Which means he's ready… for Phase III."
She turned to the monitor.
> "Send in the Ghost."
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