The walls were tighter now
Ceilings lower
Like the place was folding in on itself
Kai walked faster
His name flickered on his wrist
Faded
Returned
Then dimmed again
Echo stopped at a sealed door
No handle
Just a black circle in the center
She pressed her palm to it
It didn't open
"Password?" Kai asked
"No
It only opens for those the sky remembers"
Behind them
A hum grew louder
Footsteps
But not walking
Sliding
The stitched man from before
The clone
It was back
But now it was whispering names
Dozens
Rapid
Some of them were Kai's
But not his name now
His name in other timelines
Versions of him that never made it here
Echo drew a blade from her coat
Not metal
Memory
Shaped sharp
"Keep your name alive
No matter what"
Kai turned to the door
Spoke his name
Nothing
He closed his eyes
Whispered his sister's
His mother's
Then his
Still nothing
Then
He remembered the dreamer's voice
Softer
Younger
He whispered what she called him
Kairen
The door opened