I could still remember that night clear as day. The abandoned library was like a second home for me—a place where the past felt more real than the digital world outside.
Sola walked through the quiet rows of the library, her fingers trailing over the spines of various books. They were covered in a thick layer of dust, left behind by a society that had switched over to digital screens long ago. To her, they weren't just objects; they were treasures.
"Hmm, should I read this?" Sola murmured, pulling a volume from the shelf. "But I've been wanting to reread this for a while. There's just way too many... it's a shame they're demolishing this gem."
As she pulled a book out, a sharp cracking sound echoed from deep within the library. Sola jumped, looking around the dark corners. She let out a nervous breath.
This is probably a prank by someone from school, she thought.
"Hey? Whoever that is, it's not funny!" she called out, her voice small against the high ceilings. She stepped softly around a mahogany table, her eyes scanning for a movement.
She looked toward a large stained-glass window, but saw nothing but the moon. Sola quickly placed a book in her backpack, deciding she had stayed long enough.
It's probably a sign to go home. I need to get back before mom notices I'm gone.
But as Sola swung her backpack over her shoulders, the sound returned. It was louder this time.
There it is again... what is that?
She looked left, then right, and then finally... she looked up.
Her eyes widened in absolute horror. A Remnant was hanging from the crystal chandelier, its eyes fixed on her.
No way... A Remnant!? Here!? She tried to back away slowly, her heart drumming against her ribs, but it was no use. The Remnant let go of the ceiling and dropped like a stone, its weight crushing the heavy bookshelves below. Sola jumped out of the way just in time, stumbling and falling hard onto the floor.
Panic took over. Sola began to crawl quickly toward the exit as the Remnant began to rummage through the debris, its jagged limbs clicking as it searched for her.
Sola scrambled to her feet and reached the door, pulling at the handle with all her might. It wouldn't budge. She was trapped. In a desperate act of defiance, she grabbed a thick book from a nearby display and threw it.
THWACK.
It hit the Remnant square on its head, but the creature barely flinched.
The Remnant leapt from the debris and landed on a reading table, crushing the wood into splinters.
I was cornered. I didn't know what to think or do. I thought it was over for me. I thought I was going to die right there, surrounded by the books I loved.
However.
A massive burst of energy tore through the library wall, knocking the Remnant off balance. Sola couldn't believe her eyes. She ducked, covering her head as dust and brick rained down.
She peeked through her fingers to see a man standing in the rubble. He was wearing a white lab coat with a surprisingly bright-colored shirt underneath.
I remember how he tried to save me. At the time, he was Commander Faris.
Faris didn't hesitate. He drove a fist into the Remnant's head, the impact sending the monster tumbling toward the back of the library.
"Kid!" Faris shouted, his eyes sharp behind his glasses. "You need to get out of here! Don't worry, I'll make sure the books stay until tomorrow! Leave!"
Sola nodded frantically and tried to run for the hole in the wall.
As she sprinted for the exit, the Remnant hissed and shot a beam of concentrated energy at the wall. The frame buckled, and the ceiling above it crumbled instantly. Sola cried out as the debris fell, pinning her to the ground.
Faris looked over, his face darkening. "Ahh, darn it, girl!"
He turned back to the Remnant, hitting it with an energy-infused kick that sent it crashing into the floorboards. He rushed to Sola's side. She had a few deep scratches and was covered in soot, but Sola choked out that she was okay.
"Watch out!" Sola screamed.
The Remnant leapt at Faris from the shadows, but he was faster. He caught its serrated arms in mid-air. He gripped its arms so hard that the glass-like structure began to crack and shatter under his strength.
With a final, low hook punch, Faris blasted the creature backward, seemingly eliminating the threat.
Sola's eyes lit up. She was saved. She was going to go home.
However, not all stories have a happy ending.
The dying Remnant, its body fading into static, looked directly at Sola. It gathered every last bit of its remaining energy and condensed it into a single, sharp dart. Faris saw the movement—he saw what the monster was trying to do. In a desperate, lunging attempt, he ran to block the projectile.
But it was too late.
The Remnant's dart hissed through the air and drove itself deep into Sola's chest.
That's right. That was the moment I lost everything. From that night on, nobody ever looked at me the same again. Even my own parents abandoned me when they saw what I was becoming.
***
The edge of the crescent blade hovered millimeters from Kenzo's throat. The energy was so intense it made the fine hairs on his neck stand up. He looked into Sola's eyes, his own wide with a mixture of fright and exhaustion.
That face, Sola thought, her grip on the axe handle tightening. That's how they all stared at me back then. The fear... the judgment. Have I even changed since that night in the library? Or have I just become the monster that hunts the things it doesn't understand?
"Sola! Lower your weapon!" Faris's voice drifted up from the street, cracking through her. "That's an order! Unless you don't want any of that premium salted caramel ice cream I promised you!"
The sheer absurdity of the comment broke the tension. Sola's eyes flickered, the sapphire glow dimming.
Kenzo, however, had reached his limit. His fingers, still slick with blood and sweat, slipped from the steel beam. He let out a sharp gasp as gravity took hold, and he began to plummet toward the debris-strewn floor of the building.
But the impact never came.
A hand, encased in a tactical glove, clamped around his wrist. Sola was leaning over the edge of the hole, her expression unreadable as she hauled him back up onto the solid part of the roof.
Kenzo collapsed onto the gravel, staring at her in shock. The same woman who had been trying to erase him from existence seconds ago was now standing over him, having saved his life.
"I... I thought I was dead for sure," Kenzo managed to say, giving a shaky, nervous laugh. "Thanks for not killing me."
Sola didn't smile. She noticed something. "Kenzo... your arm." She pointed to his right limb.
"Huh?" Kenzo looked down. The skin was beginning to ripple again.
"She was about to end our lives and now you're smiling with her?" The Echo's voice roared in his head. "This fight isn't finished. I won't let a hunter stand over us."
Kenzo's eyes widened. He felt the familiar, cold static crawling up his spine. "No! Stop!" he yelled, but his body didn't listen.
Sola immediately sensed the shift. She grabbed the handle of her axe, her posture shifting back to a combat stance. "Kenzo, what's going on?"
Down on the street, Faris adjusted his glasses, his face falling into a look of grim realization. "Oh dear..."
Kenzo's arm didn't just change; it stretched. The bone and muscle elongated, turning into a jagged, glass-like whip of pure distortion. Without Kenzo's permission, his body launched forward, swinging the monstrous arm at Sola with full, bone-shattering force.
CLANG.
Sola blocked the strike, holding her axe horizontally. The force of the blow was so great she was pushed back several inches, her boots carving grooves into the roof's gravel.
"Kenzo! You need to suppress that Remnant inside of you!" Sola screamed over the sound of the clashing energies.
She knows? Kenzo thought frantically, his mind trapped behind his own eyes. But how can I do that? I can't even move my fingers!
The Echo retracted the arm and dashed to Sola's side, moving with a stuttering, glitchy speed. It wasn't a punch this time—it was a swipe. A jagged edge of the glass limb whistled through the air.
For a moment, there was silence.
A deep scratch appeared on Sola's upper arm, her white sleeve tearing open. A thin line of blood began to drip onto the roof. Sola didn't flinch, but her eyes turned cold—colder than before.
"Kenzo," she said, her voice a low warning. "Until you suppress that Remnant within you... I will not hold back."
Faris looked up in worry, his mind racing through variables. Then, his eyes lit up as an idea took root. "Sola! Handle this for now! I need to grab something—I'll be back in a few minutes!"
Sola didn't look back. She drew her blade, pointing it directly at the boy-turned-monster. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into... Remnant."
The word "Remnant" acted like a trigger. The Echo roared, and Kenzo's body exploded into a dead sprint, charging directly at her.
***
Blocks away, the chaos of the fight felt like a dull hum. Dr. Faris walked back to the bench where Sarina was sitting. She looked significantly better; her breathing was steady, and the color had returned to her cheeks.
Faris reached out and patted her on the head, a rare moment of softness. "Did that glowing orange work? I told you the high-density Soul-Fruit was a miracle of modern botany."
Sarina looked up, her lavender eyes bright despite the lingering pain. "Worked like a charm, Dad!" But her expression quickly died down as she looked toward the rising plumes of purple smoke in the distance.
Faris sat next to her, his hyper-active energy replaced by a quiet gravity. "It's about the boy, isn't it?" He gave a small, forced chuckle. "He's currently in a... very heated battle against Commander Sola."
Sarina's face went blank. The color drained from her skin instantly.
"What?"