Kaiser didn't move.
The man charging toward him had his exact face. His same build. His same dagger.
This wasn't just a trick.
It was like watching his own reflection come to life but only colder, faster, and deadlier.
The other Kaiser didn't hesitate. His blade cut through the air, aimed straight for Kaiser's throat.
Kaiser barely dodged.
Metal scraped against the stone pillar behind him. Sparks lit the darkness. His heart thudded loud in his ears. There was no time to think.
He ducked, spun, and slashed back.
But the other one was gone.
Silence.
Rain.
And then...
A whisper from the shadows.
"Is this all you are? A broken tool pretending to be king?"
Kaiser's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
A chuckle echoed through the aqueduct ruins. It wasn't mocking. It wasn't angry.
It was familiar.
Then the system's voice echoed sharply in his head:
[WARNING: Echo Signature Active]Identity Match: 99.98%Entity Designation: 'Shadow Echo – Prototype IV'
Threat Level: HIGH
New Mission Available: Eliminate the Echo. Reward Unknown.
Kaiser clenched his teeth.
This wasn't an assassin. It wasn't even a man.
It was something created from him.
"Who sent you?" he asked again.
The double stepped out from behind a stone arch. Same cloak. Same eyes. But his version of Kaiser smiled wider. His movements were looser. More... free.
"No one sent me," the Echo said. "I woke up. Same as you. But I remember everything."
Kaiser froze.
"Everything?"
The Echo nodded slowly. "The thrones. The betrayals. The first time you died. And the second."
He tapped his temple. "It's all here, waiting for you too. But the more you dig, the more the system will break you."
Kaiser stepped back. His dagger twitched in his grip.
"How do I know this isn't just a trap?"
The Echo tilted his head. "It is. But not mine."
And then he moved again.
Faster this time.
Kaiser blocked, barely. Their daggers clashed. The sound echoed like thunder. They traded blows in the rain, their cloaks swirling like smoke. Each movement was mirrored, like fighting a memory.
But the Echo was better.
Stronger.
Like he had already lived through this fight before.
Kaiser's side burned-he'd been cut.
He jumped back, breathing hard. The system whispered in his mind:
[Health: 73%]Wound detected. Bleed effect active.
Recommend tactical retreat.
But Kaiser didn't run.
He'd trained for this. Survived worse. This was his city. His name.
"You think you're me?" Kaiser growled, blood mixing with rain. "You're not even close."
He threw a knife, not at the Echo-but at the ground near a loose support beam. It snapped with a loud crack. Part of the aqueduct ceiling collapsed between them.
Dust and stone rained down, separating them for a moment.
Silence returned.
But the Echo was gone.
[Mission Failed: Target Escaped]Tracking…Status: Unknown
Kaiser knelt, breathing hard. His wound ached. His head buzzed with system alerts, but he ignored them.
That thing wasn't a hallucination.
It wasn't magic.
It was real.
And it knew him.
Too well.
He pulled down his hood, letting the cold rain wash over his face. Around him, Kaelthorn slept beneath the storm. No one knew what had just happened. No one knew that the city's king of shadows had just fought something that shouldn't exist.
He looked down at Vow breaker. The blade shimmered like oil. For a second, it looked like it had… cracked.
Just a hairline fracture. But it was there.
Kaiser stood, blood dripping from his side, and vanished into the dark.
He needed answers.
But first, he needed to survive.
Far away, high on a tower overlooking the city, a pale figure watched the whole thing through a crystal lens.
He smiled, whispering to no one:
"The Crown has chosen… but the Crown never lies still."