Chapter 14: This Hurts

  Tairen woke up te—way past the scheduled time for the first recruitment meeting. The clock hands were ticking toward eleven.

  “Damn it… They seriously expect me to wake up right after coming back from the Trial?

  That’s never going to happen.”

  — “Good morning, sir… Or should I say, good afternoon.”

  “If there’s one thing I could decre sacred, it would be sleep. Untouchable. Holy.”

  — “You’re unbelievably zy.”

  “Obviously. Anyway… I’ve decided to call you ‘Echo’ for short.”

  — “Umm…”

  “What?”

  — “Nothing.”

  Dragging his feet, Tairen made his way to the bathroom. After a brief shower, he fixed a zy breakfast and began munching in silence.

  “Soon, I’ll need to buy some clothes. I can’t keep walking around like this… I look homeless.”

  — “Trust me. Even in new clothes, you’ll still look homeless.”

  A faint ugh echoed in his ear.

  “Screw you.”

  — “Of course, sir. I learn from the best.”

  “Your teacher is awful—wait a second!”

  — “Goldfish comprehension. Obviously.”

  “Screw you.”

  Tairen stepped out to shop for some clothes, gravitating toward neutral colors: white, bck, brown, and grey.

  — “Your taste is weird. Why these colors? What's your deal?”

  “You’ve seen all my memories. Don’t pretend to be clueless. Also… who’s talking now? Echo of the Silent Scream? Or the voice of some cosmic being?”

  — “Screw you, sir… Tsk… I’ll shut up.”

  “Good.”

  Tairen kept walking, muttering to himself, “Two weeks before the Rift Summon begins. I’ll train. I’ve already found the perfect trainer… and he's free.”

  A wicked grin crept onto his face as he rented a training hall for the week.

  “Alright… Let’s begin.”

  — “Sir, where’s the trainer?”

  “He’s right here.”

  — “What?”

  A sphere of bck liquid hovered midair, swirling like a living mist.

  “Finally… I get to try physical form.”

  “Yeah, yeah, no time for awe. You have access to the lost souls within my Void Core… Take the form of a knight. Let’s begin.”

  “Understood.”

  The darkness rippled, thickened, and took the shape of a mysterious knight—solid and unmoving, like he had emerged from impenetrable fog.

  “I’ll now begin training in the combat style of the First Voidborn.”

  Tairen grabbed a sword and tossed another to Echo.

  Without warning, he dashed forward, striking directly. Echo dodged smoothly, countered, and nded a blow that flung Tairen across the room.

  — “Only the weak have no enemies. You must have mastered that art.”

  The knight’s face was unreadable, but something about him radiated smugness. Tairen got up from the floor, strangely calm—even anger couldn’t reach him.

  He charged again, bde slicing through the air, but Echo parried coldly, tilted his head to dodge another heavy strike, then smmed a punch that sent Tairen tumbling again.

  “Damn it… Ahem, could you at least expin this combat style?”

  — “I can’t. I don’t understand it. It feels… instinctual. Like a cat. Or a lion.”

  Tairen tried another punch. Blocked. Then another shove threw him ft.

  And so… Echo of the Scream spent the whole day spping, kicking, and crushing Tairen’s pride—mercilessly.