A blinding pulse of energy swallowed Echo whole. The world around him twisted and folded like an ancient parchment set ablaze. For a brief moment, he felt as if he were weightless, suspended in the vastness of the Rift itself, with no sense of time or direction.
Then, reality snapped back into place. His feet hit solid ground. The sensation of falling was replaced by an eerie stillness.
Echo's vision cleared, and he found himself standing in the heart of the Rift, though it no longer resembled the stone chamber from before. The vast, swirling vortex of energy loomed before him, pulsating like a living heart, its surface rippling with memories of the past and glimpses of the future. The air was thick with power—raw, untamed, and ancient.
And standing at the center of it all was the figure.
It had Echo's face.
But the resemblance ended there.
