“Firstly, I’ll explain how an echo works. When you absorb an echo, the magic settles in your brain. Your mind has to be in sync with the monster’s core, yet be strong enough to suppress it. If you are not able to achieve this, your mind will be corrupted by the rift-stone and you will either go insane or die.”

  A chill ran down Rayfe’s spine. “Go insane… or die?”

  “Yes. It sounds grim, but it’s the truth. Echoes are dangerous, whether you like it or not. Most people only choose to absorb the echo if they are definitely sure they are compatible with it. You can generally predict what kind of echo will come out of the stone if you know which monster it was obtained from.”

  “This is why some people choose not to absorb the echo directly, especially those from stronger monsters. There are many other ways to use a rift-stone. The mages from Bellanova Academy prefer to just absorb the core elemental powers of the stone, gaining control of the element that it represents, instead of just absorbing the whole technique. Some martial artists from Xianlong just absorb only the energy in the stone to enhance their bodies. You can also forge tools with rift-stones. These methods are far safer for the brain.”

  “That’s… cool.” Rayfe’s eyes sparkled with interest as he heard Silas’s explanation.

  “However, you have successfully absorbed an echo, so we’ll be focusing on that.”

  Rayfe nodded. “How do I use it?”

  “Your echo… it’s called Genesis Gate, isn’t it?”

  “Genesis Gate? Yes… That’s what the gem said.”

  “I see… In truth, the gem doesn’t actually say anything,” Silas corrected. “It… engraves the name in your brain. You hear the name - as if it’s coming from your soul and reverberating about the insides of your body.”

  “This Genesis Gate… It’s part of you now. Think of it as a friend. You have to call upon it to help you.”

  “A… friend?”

  “Yes. Like a friend. Try concentrating on its name.”

  Rayfe nodded, understanding.

  He closed his eyes, imagining the small wooden door manifesting before him. He imagined the worn wood of the door, the cold metal of the handle. He imagined it opening to reveal that tiny vault of space behind it.

  Genesis Gate… Hello? Please… Please help me…

  He opened his eyes. That small wooden door, that appeared in that burning home, was there before him. But before he could rejoice, the door faded into thin air again.

  Silas showed no visible reaction, as if he expected this to happen.

  “Try again. There’s no shortcut to this. You have to keep trying until it stays.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Yes… I’ll do it.”

  Rayfe closed his eyes, and concentrated once more.

  Genesis Gate… Please… Please just help me.

  This time, the gate stayed for just a fraction of a second longer.

  But Rayfe kept trying, focusing, calling the echo’s name. And each time he pleaded for the gate to stay, it did. Just for a fraction longer.

  Until it stayed solid for ten seconds. Twenty. Thirty. A minute. Two.

  He kept trying and trying, until the sun reached the west side of the sky and the evening twilight filtered through the clouds. Silas stood there like a statue, not moving an inch

  When ten minutes passed and the door was still intact, Silas walked up to it and pushed it open. Inside was that same tiny space he remembered. About the length of an adult man’s torso.

  “There it is.” A hint of a smirk crept up Silas’s face, “Your Genesis Gate.”

  “I… I did it.”

  For the first time since he lost everything, he smiled. A small, exhausted smile. He quickly wiped away the sweat dripping from his forehead.

  “So… What now?”

  “We’ve discovered the first rule of your echo.”

  “Rule…?”

  “It’s getting late. Come, I’ll explain it to you back in the village.”

  Silas turned and started walking back in the direction of the village.

  The unlikely duo started their journey against the backdrop of the sunset, Rayfe taking small quick strides to catch up with Silas’s long ones.

  -

  “Every echo has their own rules,” Silas said as Rayfe sat down at the table in their small room, “It is the user’s job to figure out the rules of their own echo.”

  “As a standard rule, all echoes consume mana - the subconscious energy in your body. The mana cost will vary depending on the intensity you use your echo at. Mana capacity can be increased by consuming more rift-stones.”

  Looking at Rayfe’s confused face, Silas gave a sigh.

  “I’ll give you an example of an echo’s rules. My echo is called the Shadow Architect. I can create shadows and modify them into any state.”

  Silas reached out his hand, and a black ghastly orb floated above his palm. The orb’s shape was unstable, as if it was a black coloured flame. However, it soon solidified and turned into a small ball, about the size of Rayfe’s hand. It dropped onto the table and Silas rolled it towards him.

  Rayfe picked it up. It was hard like metal, and had a perfectly smooth texture. It felt cool to the touch, and it was surprisingly light.

  “Woah… Cool. You have an echo?” Rayfe inquired in wonder.

  “Obviously.” Silas remarked dryly.

  “I’ll explain the rules to my echo to give you a general idea of how echo rules work.” Silas continued his explanation.

  “There are four states to my constructs - Solid, Liquid, Gas and Shadow.” Silas took a sip of water from his water jug before continuing, “I’ll assume you’re not a moron and know what the first three are, so I’ll explain the Shadow state first.”

  “All of my shadow constructs start in the shadow state. This state is the most volatile. It is easily destroyed and dissipates unless I constantly feed mana into it.”

  He created another small flame of shadow, but this time the shadow did not turn solid. It slowly broke into small pieces, each of them fading away into the stale air of the room.

  “To turn the construct from the shadow state into the other states, I must pay varying costs of mana. The lowest cost is gas, and the highest cost is solid.”

  “Obviously, a solid shadow is far more useful than a gaseous shadow.”

  “Gaseous shadows can dissipate quickly, and liquid shadows can evaporate slowly. But a solid shadow doesn’t disappear unless destroyed.”

  “I can also control the movements of these shadows, but this is only possible if I am looking directly at the construct.”

  Silas stretched out his hand, pointing to the shadow ball and making a grabbing gesture. The ball sprang out of Rayfe’s hand and into his own, making Rayfe jump.

  “Solid shadows are not like liquids or gases. Once I shape a solid echo, I can’t change its shape. I can control the shape of liquids and gases, but I need to concentrate on it.”

  “Furthermore, when a solid construct is forcefully destroyed, I feel some portion of the pain in my heart, but I can manually disable my constructs by myself without feeling pain.”

  Silas’s expression darkened. “For my personal safety, I will not reveal how durable my shadow constructs are.”

  “Do you understand how echoes work now?” Silas asked.

  “Yes... I think so. Every echo costs mana to use, and each echo has their own set of rules.” Rayfe summarised.

  “So… How do I find out the rules of my echo?”

  “I’ll explain it to you tomorrow. For now, get some sleep.” Silas stood up, then blew out the oil lamp.

  Rayfe curled up on the rough wooden floor, for his first sleep since he lost his village.

  Since he lost his world.

  I can’t say this enough, but thanks for reading!