Chapter 20: Echoroot Ascension
Time passed differently inside the submerged vault.
Kai couldn't tell how long they trained—hours, days, maybe more. But each cycle inside the low-gravity chamber stretched like slow breathing through ancient stone. Within the meditation array, his perception of time was blurred by drifting memory-pulse frequencies. Yet his control over his Fragment—his inner rhythm—deepened.
The sensation of cultivating alongside Mira was unlike anything he had experienced. Her presence was steady, like a tuning fork guiding his chaotic harmonics into balance. She did not force knowledge upon him. She offered threads, and let him weave them.
"Breathe from the base of the spine," she said, her voice low. "Anchor your thoughts to memory—but not just your own. The Star Veins awaken when you harmonize with the memory of place, of people, of pain. Not every wound is a weakness."
Kai inhaled.
Within him, his Fragment resonated, its light pulsing across his inner meridians. He visualized his core as a night sky, fractured but beautiful. Veins of starlight spread from his dantian, creating constellations through his limbs.
He reached into that constellation—and touched the first Vein Node.
A blast of insight surged through him. His blood sang with information. Images flashed: memories of battles he'd never fought, lands he'd never walked, and faces he'd never known. Yet they were his.
Future echoes. Possible selves.
He grit his teeth and focused.
His inner world began to stabilize.
Outside the chamber, Lina sat cross-legged, attempting to mimic her brother's posture. She wasn't ready for full Fragment harmonization, but Mira guided her gently, helping her strengthen her mental barrier. Unlike Kai, Lina's affinity leaned toward defensive energy and sensory expansion—what Mira called Echoroot Potential.
"She'll never be a brawler," Mira explained to Ashen, who remained near the entrance. "But she can become a stabilizer. An emotional anchor. She'll hear echoes before others see them. And one day, she'll shield not just herself, but timelines."
Ashen gave a rare smile. "A mental cultivator. That's rare, especially in a war-born lineage."
Mira tilted her head. "Not war-born. Hope-born. Kai chose survival for her, over revenge. That shaped her energy."
---
Inside the array, Kai began his final cycle.
The pressure inside his meridians increased. His core brightened.
Mira's voice whispered from outside the light:
"You're approaching the Second Alignment. Let it emerge naturally. Do not force it. The Echoroot Veins will only bind if you accept all versions of yourself—not just the one you admire."
Kai opened his eyes within the array—and saw six versions of himself staring back.
Each radiated different energy: one clad in black, eyes hard with fury; another in white, peaceful and distant; a third covered in scars, laughing despite blood; the fourth surrounded by machines; the fifth sitting atop a broken world; the last, kneeling beside Lina, hands glowing with healing light.
They all stepped forward.
Kai did not recoil.
He let them come.
And they merged.
A burst of cosmic energy flared through the room. The platform shook, the fluid rippled outward in perfect concentric waves. Symbols lit up around the array, and the Fragment inside Kai rotated, casting light through the chamber.
Mira stood.
"He's done it."
Kai opened his eyes.
He was changed.
A second node had bloomed along his Star Veins. His aura had shifted—more focused, deeper, quieter. But also stronger. Resonant.
He stepped down from the array.
Lina hugged him tight, eyes wide with awe. "You look different."
Kai smiled softly. "I feel... centered."
Ashen crossed her arms. "Good. Because we have a problem."
She handed him a communicator.
A distorted signal played through static.
"...Rhen… anomaly breach near Skyvault… multiple casualties… tracking target Kai Ardent… repeat… Kai Ardent identified as priority target... do not engage without echo-class suppression."
Mira's expression darkened. "They've begun mobilizing Echo-class operatives."
Kai looked up. "That's the next tier?"
Ashen nodded. "Not soldiers. Not machines. Cultivators who've willingly surrendered to Fragment corruption. Living weapons."
Lina's voice was small. "They're coming for us?"
"No," Kai said. "They're coming for me."
He turned toward Mira. "How soon can I handle the Fragment of Judgment?"
"Soon," she said. "But not here. You need to face it on neutral ground. And you need allies. We're leaving the vault. Tonight."
Ashen raised a brow. "Where to?"
"North," Mira replied. "To the Spiral Expanse. Where the sky touches the earth. And where Kai will make his first stand—not just against enemies, but against himself."