Location: Echohold-09 (Inside - Sublevel Area)

  Time of Day: Morning

  The broadcast cut to static and then silence filled the console room.

  Dr. Naru exhaled slowly. "And that," he said quietly, "is only one of many incidents."

  Captain crossed his arms. "It's gotten pretty bad out there hasn't it."

  Hikari nodded, turning to Dr. Naru. "Do you happen to know how many locations the Echos have spread to?"

  He adjusted his glasses. "Yes. Give me a second to pull up the map." His fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard.

  The central display shifted and a massive map filled the screen. Red dots began appearing, first a few... then dozens more, spreading across cities and densely populated regions. Each marker pulsed faintly as the locations locked in. Dr. Naru zoomed out. The borders of an entire state came into view and nearly a third of it was now stained red.

  "Those are confirmed spread zones," Dr. Naru said. "Areas where Echos have already attacked... or where sightings continue to escalate."

  Slayer gestured at the screen. "...That's a good amount of red."

  A percentage indicator appeared along the edge of the display. 28% OVERTAKEN.

  Hikari's eyes widened. "Woah... And this was only in two days?"

  Dr. Naru nodded once. "Yes. And that's only from a few facilities that were breached." He tapped a key then three locations on the map pulsed brighter. "To be precise, three Echohold facilities." He tapped the screen, highlighting each location. "Echohold-12, Echohold-06, and this one... Echohold-09." He paused. "And that's just within this state... Neverah state."

  Hikari narrowed her brows. "Three Echohold facilities were breached already... that's not good."

  Dr. Naru coughed lightly before continuing. "We still don't know how this all began. But whoever - or whatever - is responsible for this... is most likely not going to stop at three." He zoomed the map out further and more states appeared, Echohold markers lit up across the screen. "If more facilities are breached," he said quietly, "this won't end well for any of us."

  Captain's jaw tightened. "Dammit..."

  "They'll move on to other states," Dr. Naru said quietly. "Then countries." His eyes stayed on the screen. "And eventually..." The map zoomed out once more. The world came into view. "...the entire world will be overrun."

  Hikari clenched her fists. "No... we absolutely cannot let that happen."

  Dr. Naru turned his chair around, facing the team. "That's why you all need to figure out how this all started in the first place. So we can get some kind of lead way." He suddenly coughed, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth.

  Captain gripped his rifle. "But that's what we were hoping for. For you to know how this all began."

  Dr. Naru lowered his hand, his expression tight. "Unfortunately, with all the information I was able to dig up... I couldn't figure out what caused this breach." He turned back to the screen briefly. "For all we know, it could've been someone within an Echohold facility who triggered this." After a pause, he added, "Or perhaps an Echo itself managed to break free, and then released the others."

  Hikari placed a hand on her chin. "Hm... those are some possible outcomes." She shook her head slightly. "But I refuse to believe that a Hollow would willingly cause something like this." Her voice hardened, looking slightly down. "What would they even gain from creating a catastrophe on this scale? What's the point if the whole world is gone?" She looked back up at him. "There has to be something else in play here."

  Dr. Naru exhaled slowly. "I understand where you're coming from, Hikari. Believe me... I've asked myself those same questions, too." He pushed himself up from his chair. "And that's exactly why you need to go to the Hollows of Echo Institution and search for those answers there."

  Captain's eyes widened slightly. "Hold on... did you just say the Hollows of Echo Institution?"

  Dr. Naru nodded once. "Yes, you heard that right."

  Lumina turned toward Hikari. "Didn't you mention that place once before?" Her gaze sharpened slightly. "You said that they offered you a position as an Ascendant Hollow... correct?"

  Hikari blinked in surprise, then nodded. "Yeah... that's correct."

  Dr. Naru let out a small chuckle and glanced at Lumina. "Looks like you already know who they are."

  Lumina shook her head. "Not really. I just remembered the name that's all."

  Slayer tilted his helmet toward Dr. Naru. "Okay, now I'm lost. What exactly is this Hollows of whatever you called it place?"

  Dr. Naru let out a small chuckle and adjusted his glasses. "Don't worry, Slayer. I'll fill you all in on what that place is." He placed his hands behind his back. "The Hollows of Echo Institution is the central authority responsible for maintaining all Echohold facilities." He continued calmly, "They ensure every Echohold is operational, secure, and properly monitored. They also manage the global Echo database. Every recorded Echo is logged in there." He raised a finger slightly. "From how each Echo is identified... to how it was captured... and even which vault it's currently sealed in."

  Slayer whistled softly. "So basically... that place is like the main castle."

  Dr. Naru nodded once. "Yes, you could say that." Then his tone shifted. "But there's something important you should know." He folded his arms behind his back again. "No Hollow stationed at any Echohold facility knows where the Institution itself is located." A brief pause. "Only Ascendant Hollows are permitted to enter or leave freely."

  Lumina rested a hand on her hip, thinking. "Hm... very interesting. Knowing all that, how do we even manage to get in, then? Or find this place for that matter, if it's kept secret?"

  Hikari nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Its not a place where just anyone can locate it. Unless..." She looked at Dr. Naru. "Wait, Don't tell me you actually found a way to track it??"

  Dr. Naru shook his head slightly. "No, not exactly. I wish I did though." He adjusted his glasses. "I actually contacted the one overseeing the entire operation." After a brief pause, he added, "Supreme Hollow Agent Solareth Ashcroft. An S-Class Hollow Agent."

  Captain's head snapped up. "The hell... there's a Supreme Hollow Agent?" He narrowed his brows. "I've never heard of such a rank before."

  Hikari glanced at him. "Yeah, there is actually. Solareth is actually the only S-Class Hollow Agent that exists." Her tone turned more serious. "He's the leader of the entire organization, so it makes sense that he is." She then added calmly. "He's also the one who offered me the Ascendant Hollow title... which I never accepted."

  Captain sighed lightly. "Right. You said that you didn't accept the position because then it'd be too much paperwork for you, huh?"

  Hikari smiled. "Right on point."

  Captain shook his head. "Unbelievable."

  Hikari chuckled softly, then turned back to Dr. Naru. "So what did Solareth tell you anyway? Did he send you coordinates for where the Institution is located at?"

  Dr. Naru shook his head. "If only it were that easy." He folded his arms. "Only A-Class Hollow agents and above are permitted to know the Institution's location, strictly for security reasons." His expression hardened slightly. "And sharing that information with anyone else is forbidden. If any Hollow is caught leaking it... they will immediately take disciplinary action."

  Hikari exhaled slowly, looking down. "Right... that makes sense." She looked up again. "Okay, then how exactly are we supposed to find a place that we've never seen before?"

  Dr. Naru coughed lightly before speaking again. "I explained to Solareth that I sent my best team to search for help... by sending them through a portal to stop this Echo breakout." He let out a quiet breath. "But even that... may not have been enough seeing our current situation." He glanced toward Lumina and Slayer. "Of course. No offense to you two."

  Lumina gave a small nod. "Don't worry about it. None taken."

  Slayer crossed his arms proudly. "Yeah. Even so, we'll keep fighting alongside them no matter how bad it gets out there."

  Dr. Naru nodded in appreciation. "Thank you. Glad to hear it." Then he turned back toward Hikari. "So I told Solareth that I used this." He reached into his coat pocket and carefully pulled out something familiar. Its obsidian surface gleamed faintly, and at its center... was a White Star engraved on it.

  Hikari's eyes widened slightly. "An Artifact... and it has a White Star on it."

  Captain narrowed his gaze. "Hmph. So I'm guessing that was the Artifact you used to open up that portal we went through, right?"

  Dr. Naru nodded once. "Yes, the same one."

  Lumina leaned closer, studying it carefully. "Hikari... that Artifact looks almost identical to the one we found back at Xevia."

  Dr. Naru froze. "...Wait." He looked at her sharply. "Did you just say you found an Artifact in your world too?"

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Lumina nodded. "Hm-hm. And it's extremely similar to the one you're holding." She paused, then added firmly. "But instead of a White Star... it has a Black Star engraved on it."

  Dr. Naru adjusted his glasses. "I see... and where is this Artifact you're referring to?"

  From within Hikari's coat pocket, the Black Star Artifact suddenly pulsed. THUMP! Akari's voice followed, speaking gently. "It's in here..."

  Dr. Naru froze. "...What was that voice just now?"

  Hikari blinked, then refocused. "Oh right! Here." She reached into her coat pocket and carefully pulled out the Artifact, holding it up slightly for him to see. "This is the artifact Lumina was talking about." She glanced down at it briefly. "And the voice coming from it is... well, we still don't know everything about her, but her name is Akari."

  The Black Star glowed faintly. Akari's voice came gently from within it. "I-It's nice to meet you, Dr. Naru."

  He stared for a moment, eyes wide with intrigue. "Hmm... how fascinating." Then his expression steadied. "Oh sorry. Just got caught by surprise." He gave a small nod. "It's nice to meet you too, Akari." He turned his attention back to Hikari. "So... who exactly is she, Hikari?" He coughed slightly. "And why... is she speaking from within the Artifact?"

  Hikari hesitated. "To be honest... I don't really have a straight answer to those questions." She looked down at the Black Star. "All I know is that this Artifact allows us to open portals, capture Echos... and that Akari started speaking from it once we contained enough Echos."

  Dr. Naru placed a hand on his chin, nodding. "Very interesting... those are some really impressive properties it carries."

  Slayer leaned in slightly. "Oh, and don't forget to mention that some crazy lady is after that Artifact, too."

  Dr. Naru raised an eyebrow. "Hm... Crazy lady?"

  Hikari blinked. "Oh... I think he's referring to Serava."

  Dr. Naru tilted his head slightly. "Who?"

  Captain crossed his arms. "She's the one who told us that the Artifact is called the Black Star Artifact."

  Hikari nodded. "And she also tried to take it from us."

  Dr. Naru’s expression tightened slightly. “Serava…” He adjusted his glasses. “I got nothing. That name doesn’t ring a bell at all. But I’ll make sure to keep it in mind.”

  Hikari let out a small breath. “Yeah… I don't blame you since she just kinda appeared out of nowhere.”

  Lumina placed a hand on her hip. "Luckily, Akari was able to drive her off when we were outmatched."

  There was a small pause.

  Akari's voice chimed in softly. "O-Oh... uhm... it was nothing really."

  Dr. Naru chuckled lightly. "Sounds like you've all been through a lot since you left."

  Captain let out a dry huff. "Hmph. Tell me about it. We've been fighting Echos left and right since we came back."

  Slayer let out a laugh. "Gotta admit It was pretty fun, though."

  Dr. Naru glanced back toward Hikari. "So I'm guessing you used the Black Star Artifact to open another portal and return here."

  Hikari nodded. "That's right. It wasn't easy... but we managed to make it through."

  Captain added with a mock-serious tone. "Yeah. And if Hikari hadn't messed up our destination coordinates-" He shot her a sideways glance. "-we would've gotten here a lot faster."

  Hikari raised her chin, voice rising. "Hey, like I said before, I was stabilizing multidimensional energy fields, managing molecular destabilization, recalibrating harmonic frequencies-"

  Slayer waved her off. "Yeah, yeah. You already said all that once before when we arrived. Whatever all that science gibberish means."

  Hikari shot him a bothered look. "I'm just saying... it wasn't all my fault."

  Dr. Naru let out a light chuckle. "Well, at least you all made it back in one piece." He adjusted his posture, then looked back at Hikari. "One more thing, Hikari. You mentioned that the Artifact is capable of capturing Echos. How exactly does that work?"

  Hikari answered with certainty. "Oh yeah. As long as the Echo is out of commission, this Artifact can capture it." She glanced at the Black Star. "Then Akari steps in and seals them." A small smile formed. "It's a really useful ability she has."

  Akari's voice followed gently. "I-I just try and help as much as I can."

  Dr. Naru folded his arms, intrigued. "I see... that's far more efficient than transporting them to containment vaults."

  Hikari tilted her head. "Yeah. Now I'm wondering if that Artifact you have can do the same thing."

  Dr. Naru shook his head. "I can confirm that it cannot. I've already tested it and observed its properties. It functions very differently."

  Captain raised a brow. "And how the hell did you manage to test that?"

  Dr. Naru turned slightly and pointed toward a nearby desk. "By using that device over there."

  Sitting atop the workstation was a compact scanning unit, a sleek metallic frame with a blue glowing interface panel and a circular sensor lens at its center. Thin cables ran from its base into the terminal beside it, faint lights glowing softly along its surface.

  Hikari glanced toward the device, eyes lighting up slightly. "Oh I see now. Is that the unit that can analyze foreign objects... no matter what they're made of?"

  Dr. Naru nodded. "Correct." He stepped closer to the scanner. "That device is actually classified as an Echo. But instead of being a life form its an object instead." His tone was calm, but confident. "It allows us to scan and extract detailed data on an object's internal properties. A tool we've learned to use to our advantage."

  Hikari nodded in understanding. "Right. And that Echo is codenamed FOS if i remember correctly."

  Captain raised an eyebrow. "Is that suppose to stand for something?"

  Hikari answered smoothly. "Uh-huh. FOS stands for Foreign Object Scanner."

  Slayer whistled lightly. "Man. Didn't even know Echos could be objects, too."

  Hikari nodded. "Yup. Some objects turn out to be useful to us, meanwhile... others are a serious threat to humanity."

  Lumina crossed her arms slightly. "You think we can use that scanner on the Black Star Artifact?"

  Hikari glanced down at the Artifact in her hand. "Yes. We can actually." Her voice sharpened with focus. "With it, we'll be able to analyze the Artifact's properties and see what else it's capable of."

  Dr. Naru folded his hands behind his back. "Well, what do you say we scan the Artifact, then?"

  Hikari glanced down at the Black Star Artifact in her hand. "Hmm..." She then spoke gently. "Akari... is it okay if we scan the Artifact?" There was a brief pause. "I won't do it if you don't want us to."

  Akari's voice followed, soft and hesitant. "U-Uhm... yeah. That's okay with me. If it's something that will help you on your journey... then count me in."

  Hikari smiled faintly. "Thanks, Akari."

  There was a small pause before Akari spoke again, her voice carrying a quiet determination. "Besides... this could be a good chance for me to figure out who I really am. And why I'm inside this Artifact."

  Hikari nodded. "Yeah. Let's hope we can get some answers for you." She then turned to Dr. Naru. "Alright. Let's do it."

  Dr. Naru slipped his Artifact back into his coat pocket. "Okay, Hikari. Let's proceed, then." He gestured toward the scanner station.

  The group stepped closer, stopping in front of the workstation where the compact scanning unit rested. Dr. Naru tapped the interface panel. TAP! The circular platform powered on, metal plates shifting smoothly into position with a low mechanical hum. HMMMM! A transparent energy field formed above the platform, glowing a faint blue.

  Dr. Naru motioned toward the platform. "Just place the Artifact at the center and I'll take care of the rest."

  Hikari stepped forward, glancing down at the Black Star in her hands. "Okay... well, here goes." She carefully set the Artifact onto the scanner. The moment it made contact, the Black Star lifted slightly into the air, hovering in place above the platform.

  Dr. Naru turned back to the interface panel. "Good. Now let's see what the scanner reveals." He pressed the command BEEP! and the scanner activated.

  Soft rings of blue light rose from the platform, rotating slowly around the Artifact. Thin lines of energy traced across its surface, scanning its shape and internal structure. The containment field hummed quietly. HUMMMM... Then the blue rings flickered. For a split second, the light stuttered before shifting to red. The scanner's glow spiked violently.

  Hikari's eyes widened. "Woah... Wh-What's happening?!"

  Dr. Naru's expression shifted in shock. "...Impossible." He stepped closer to the scanner, eyes darting across the interface. "For some reason, the scanner isn't able to read the Artifact." His voice tightened. "The power it possesses is too great... it's beginning to overload the system."

  The hum deepened and sharpened. HUMMMMM!

  Slayer leaned back slightly. "Oh-oh... that doesn't sound good."

  TZZZT!! Electricity surged around the scanner, sparks bursting outward as the system began to overload. Then BOOM! The scanner exploded in a sharp blast of light and sound. The red energy rings instantly faded. The Black Star Artifact lost its levitation and dropped onto the platform CLANK! Smoke poured from the damaged device, sparks crackling weakly as the room filled with the sharp scent of burnt circuitry.

  Dr. Naru stared at the smoking wreckage in disbelief. "...No way. The scanner just blew up." He shook his head slightly. "I've never seen anything like this happen before."

  Captain stepped forward. "The hell just happened, Doc?"

  Dr. Naru adjusted his glasses, eyes still locked on the platform. "This is... actually quite fascinating." He frowned in thought. "It's almost as if the Artifact rejected the scan entirely."

  Hikari moved closer to the platform, carefully picking up the Black Star Artifact from the scorched surface. "Akari... are you okay?"

  There was a brief pause.

  Then Akari's soft voice answered. "Y-Yes... I'm okay." She hesitated. "It actually felt kinda... funny. But I'm not hurt."

  Slayer chuckled lightly. "Well... at least she's alright."

  Hikari nodded slowly, then turned toward Dr. Naru. "So what exactly happened? Why did FOS fail to scan the Artifact?"

  Dr. Naru rested a hand on his chin, thinking. "Going by what I know about the FOS. It was most likely because the scanner detected multiple overlapping readings coming from it." His eyes shifted toward the Black Star Artifact. "If I had to guess... it's because of the Echos you've been capturing with that Artifact." He looked back at Hikari. "Just how many Echos have you sealed inside it?"

  Hikari hesitated. "Uh..." She lifted her hand, quietly counting on her fingers. Then she looked up with a small smile. "Let's just say... it was quite a lot."

  Dr. Naru exhaled slowly. "I see. Then that would explain it." He straightened slightly. "The Artifact is carrying an immense concentration of energy. So much that FOS simply couldn't process it... and ended up overloading instead."

  Lumina let out a quiet sigh. "Guess there goes that plan."

  Slayer slumped slightly. "Man... I got excited for nothing."

  Captain turned toward Dr. Naru, his tone steady. "...Since we unfortunately couldn't analyze the Black Star Artifact, think you can at least tell us about the Artifact you have?"

  Dr. Naru nodded. "Of course." He reached into his coat pocket and carefully pulled it out. The White Star gleamed softly in the light. "Before the scanner was fried," he continued, "FOS was unable to detect this Artifact's origin." He adjusted his glasses. "All I can confirm is that I first discovered it inside Mimiris's vault."

  Hikari's eyes widened slightly. "...Mimiris's vault?"

  Dr. Naru coughed lightly. "Yes. I don't know why it was stored there, but that's where I retrieved it before scanning it." He paused. "And not long after that... the breach began."

  Lumina turned toward Hikari. "Wasn't that Echo the one we fought before we encountered Serava?"

  Hikari nodded slowly. "Yeah..." Her expression darkened slightly. "And now I'm starting to wonder why that Artifact was kept there in the first place."

  Captain crossed his arms. "Maybe a Hollow agent found it and left it behind without reporting it?"

  Hikari looked away for a moment. "That's possible..." She frowned slightly. "But then why would they have it in the first place?"

  Dr. Naru exhaled quietly. "I don't know." He adjusted his glasses. "All I can say is that it was quite fortunate that we've been able to use it to our advantage, though."

  Hikari gave a small shrug. "...Guess so." But the thought didn't sit right with her. Her gaze drifted down to the Black Star Artifact resting in her hand.

  ("There's something that still bothers me... That Artifact Dr. Naru recovered appeared right before the breach happened. For all we know... it could be an Echo itself.") She shook her head slightly. ("No. That wouldn't make any sense since there was another one in Lumina's world. And Echos don't exist within that world.") Her gaze lowered. ("Perhaps these Artifacts are part of something much bigger... something we still don't fully understand just yet.)

  Another thought surfaced. ("And then there's still that message the Black Star Artifact gave us... warning us that both worlds were in danger.") Her fingers tightened around the Artifact. ("I wonder if Akari even remembers saying any of that stuff. I'll have to ask her about it at a later time.") Hikari exhaled quietly. ("For now... I'll just observe her. Until we uncover the truth about her origins.")

  Dr. Naru continued, gesturing a hand toward the scorched FOS. "The scanner revealed that this Artifact is capable of opening portals to other worlds. To be precise... a portal to the nearest universe." He looked toward Lumina and Slayer. "That would be yours."