The walk home was quieter than usual.
Kael stayed close—too close—his eyes scanning every rooftop, every alley, every shift in the wind. He moved like someone expecting an ambush, though he kept his shoulders relaxed to avoid alarming the kids.
Ari noticed everything.
He always did.
And this time, he couldn't pretend things were normal.
Mika held onto Kael's hand the entire walk, fingers wrapped tightly around his coat sleeve. She wasn't crying, but her breaths came unevenly—like each inhale still tasted like fear.
Ari finally broke the silence.
"Kael… when you appeared in the field… did you… teleport?"
Kael didn't answer immediately.
He looked at the sky instead, eyes narrowing slightly as if measuring something only he could see.
"It's more complicated than that," he said finally. "And not something you should worry about yet."
Ari frowned. "But I am worried."
Kael paused mid-step.
He looked at them both—really looked—and the exhaustion behind his eyes softened.
"I know," he said quietly. "And that's why I'm here. To make sure you don't have to be."
But Ari felt the pressure again—faint, like the air briefly tightened around his ribs. Mika flinched and grabbed Ari's arm.
"There it is again!" she whispered.
Kael immediately knelt between them, placing a hand gently on each of their shoulders.
"Listen to me carefully," he said.
"When you feel that pressure… stay close. Don't run. Don't wander. You come to me immediately. Understood?"
Ari nodded.
Mika did too, though she looked frightened again.
Kael straightened, and for a few seconds, the three walked in silence.
Then Mika spoke in a small voice, "Kael… why can't other people feel it? The kids at school didn't notice anything."
Kael hesitated—then exhaled through his nose.
"Because Echoes don't react to everyone," he said. "Only to people who are sensitive… or connected to their origin."
Ari stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.
"Connected?"
His heart skipped.
"To you?"
Kael froze.
His back tensed for a moment—enough for Ari to see the crack in his composure—but when he turned, his expression was calm.
"Yes," Kael admitted. "Echoes are drawn to strong sources of aura. Hunters, sealed rifts, and… people who have lived close to them."
Ari blinked.
"So… because we live with you…?"
Kael nodded slowly.
Mika stepped forward, voice breaking.
"But that's not fair. We didn't do anything."
Kael knelt and hugged her—gentle, protective, warm.
"No, sweetheart," he whispered. "You didn't. And that's why I'm going to keep you safe."
Ari watched them, torn between fear and something else—something twisted deeper.
Not anger, but a quiet dread.
Because Kael wasn't telling them everything.
He kept glancing at the sky.
At the shadows.
At the school behind them.
Ari had seen grown-ups hide worry before, but Kael wasn't hiding fear.
He was hiding knowledge.
As if he recognized something about the Echoes… something worse than just their existence.
They reached the house just as the wind softened.
Kael ushered them through the door and locked it, checking every window before closing the blinds.
Their mom looked up from the kitchen.
"You're home early," she said, smiling.
Her smile faded when she saw Kael's expression.
"Did something happen?"
Kael hesitated, then forced a reassuring smile.
"Just a small disturbance at the school. Nothing dangerous. The kids were close by, so I brought them home."
Mom frowned.
"A disturbance? Do we need to call someone? The school? The police—?"
"No," Kael said gently. "Already handled."
Mom searched his face for a moment.
Then sighed and nodded, trusting him.
Mika went straight to the couch, curling up with her backpack hugged to her chest. Ari stood near the door, watching Kael remove his coat and hang it on the rack.
After a moment, Kael glanced at him.
"Walk with me outside," he murmured.
Ari tensed.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Kael shook his head.
"No. But we need to talk."
Ari followed him to the porch. The evening air was cool, much more normal now.
Kael closed the front door behind them and crossed his arms.
Not angry.
Not cold.
Just… thinking.
"Ari," he began softly, "what happened in the field—you protected your sister. You stayed calm. I'm proud of you."
Ari felt warmth rise in his chest… but it didn't erase the tension twisting in his stomach.
"Kael… what are Echoes really?"
Kael looked away.
His jaw clenched.
"Ari… I didn't want to involve you in this. Not yet. You and Mika deserve a normal life. A safe one. I promised your mother I'd give you that."
"But Echoes came to our school," Ari said quietly. "They were after us, weren't they?"
Kael finally looked him in the eye.
His voice lowered.
"They weren't after you…"
Ari blinked.
"Then… who?"
Kael inhaled sharply.
"Me."
The word dropped like a stone.
Kael rested one hand against the porch railing, shoulders tight.
"Echoes don't roam randomly. They are fragments of higher entities—creatures tied to the rifts I've spent years… closing. Years running from."
His voice softened.
"And now they've followed me here."
Ari's stomach sank.
"Does Mom know?"
"No," Kael said firmly. "And she doesn't need to. Not yet."
Ari swallowed.
"Are more coming?"
Kael didn't answer.
He didn't have to.
Ari looked at him differently then—not as the quiet stepdad who made breakfast and repaired things around the house…
but as someone carrying a weight too heavy for one person.
Someone who had run from something dangerous.
Someone who hadn't escaped it.
Ari finally whispered,
"Kael… why are they really here?"
Kael's eyes darkened.
His voice dropped to something cold and distant.
"Because something is opening."
Ari shivered.
"A rift?"
Kael nodded once.
"And if it's opening near this town… then Echoes are just the beginning."
Ari took a step forward.
"What do we do?"
Kael placed a hand on his head gently—fatherly, warm.
"You stay with your sister. You listen to your mom. And when I tell you to run—you run."
Ari didn't nod.
He didn't look away.
He simply asked the question burning at the center of his chest:
"Kael… are you scared?"
Kael hesitated.
Then he nodded.
"Yes, Ari. I am."
The honesty hit harder than fear.
Kael stood straight, pushing the porch door open.
"Come inside. I'll explain what I can. Tomorrow, I will check the edges of town. Tonight… we stay close."
As Ari stepped inside, he heard Kael whisper something under his breath—barely audible.
Something that wasn't meant for human ears.
Something ancient.
Something worried.
And the world—quiet, gentle, familiar—felt just a little less safe.