The valley of shifting breath faded behind them as Kaelun carried Nolan toward the horizon where daylight dimmed faster than it should have. The sky ahead grew darker with every mile even though the sun still hovered high above the plains. Nolan felt the change first in the air then in his chest. The wind no longer moved with natural rhythm. Instead it felt heavy like distant thunder pressing against his ribs.
Kaelun slowed as the light thinned into a strange twilight that clung to the ground like a veil.
We approach the border of nightfall Kaelun said This place is neither day nor night It remembers every shadow and every dawn
Nolan tightened his hands around Kaelun’s mane. The world ahead looked like it had been painted in muted tones. Trees stretched upward like silhouettes carved from charcoal. Grass lost its green color and shifted into soft gray hues.
He whispered.
It is like walking into a dream
Yes Kaelun replied A dream created by the world trying to protect its last memory
They crossed a stream where the water did not reflect the sky. Instead it showed stars even though the real sky above them held none. Nolan crouched and touched the surface. The stars rippled like lights beneath a sheet of glass.
Kaelun watched him.
Do not linger The border senses your presence
Nolan nodded and stood again.
They pushed deeper until the twilight thickened into something like fog. Nolan rubbed his arms as cold crept under his skin.
Kaelun stopped abruptly.
It is here
Nolan looked around.
Where
The final echo hides within the nightfall tree
Nolan scanned the area and saw it a massive tree rising from the ground like a dark spire. Its trunk was wide enough to hold a small house inside. The bark glowed faintly with silver cracks that pulsed like slow breathing.
Nolan approached carefully. The air near the tree felt dense.
He placed his hand on the bark.
Instantly the world shifted
The twilight deepened into complete darkness.
Nolan felt something warm behind him like a presence trying to form from memory.
Then a voice spoke.
But not Kaelun’s
Not the echoes
Not the forest
This voice sounded like his own
But older
And tired
You cannot carry this world
Nolan turned and saw the older version of himself again this time clearer broader shoulders heavier eyes the version shaped by years of choosing to stay and choosing to fight.
Nolan stepped back.
Why do you keep showing up
Because you fear becoming me
Nolan shook his head. That is not fear
Then what is it
Nolan swallowed.
I do not want to lose myself in all this
The older Nolan stepped forward his shadow stretching unnaturally behind him.
You already started losing yourself when you followed Kaelun You let this world rewrite your purpose
That is not true
Is it not You were a volunteer not a guardian You never asked for this
Nolan’s fists tightened.
I never asked for sick animals either I never asked for injured creatures I never asked for any pain that came with that job But I never walked away
The older Nolan paused
Nolan continued
I help because someone or something needs help Not because I am chosen Not because I am special But because it is who I am
The older version’s eyes softened.
Then why do you fear the last echo
Because Nolan whispered Because I am scared of not being enough
The older version reached out slowly and touched Nolan’s shoulder
Then the darkness cracked like glass and the figure dissolved into silver dust
The world brightened
Nolan stood again in front of the nightfall tree.
Kaelun waited beside him its golden eyes full of quiet strength.
You accepted your fear without letting it command you
Nolan exhaled shaking.
So this is the last echo
Yes And you answered it
A soft pulse of light moved across the tree’s bark the silver cracks glowing brighter forming spirals that wrapped around the trunk.
Kaelun stepped back.
The echo opens
The tree split slowly like two doors pulling apart revealing a hollow glowing with faint silver mist.
Nolan stepped inside
The final echo floated in the center a sphere larger than the others made of swirling shadows and light tightly intertwined like two forces refusing to separate.
Nolan reached for it
Before his hand touched the surface the entire sphere vibrated letting out a silent wave of pressure that pushed him backward
Kaelun growled low
It reacts to the shadow
Nolan stood again bracing himself
Kaelun leaned close
Take it Nolan Graves The echo belongs to you You have faced all that stands within The world recognizes you now
Nolan lifted his hand again
The sphere responded
It brightened
Light and darkness twisted around his fingers like threads of heat and cold
He stepped forward
The moment he touched the echo it burst
Not outward
But inward
The light surged into his chest and the darkness wrapped around his arms swirling like smoke that carried memory
Nolan gasped as visions flooded him
Forests
Cliffs
Rivers
Storms
Kaelun
And something else
A rift opening
A shadow rising
A world waiting
He stumbled forward falling against the inside of the tree
When he opened his eyes the echo had vanished
The tree sealed behind him
Kaelun lowered its head
You carry the memory of nightfall now
Nolan wiped sweat from his forehead
I do not feel stronger
Strength is not always felt It is revealed
Before Nolan could ask what that meant the ground trembled
A shockwave rippled through the valley darkness shifting like water stirred by a giant hand
Kaelun stepped in front of him
The shadow comes The final rift awakens
Nolan turned toward the horizon
Darkness rose like a storm wall reaching toward the sky moving toward them slowly and steadily
It felt like a living night trying to swallow the world
Nolan’s heart pounded
Kaelun tensed muscles coiling
Keeper from another world The last echo has chosen you Now we face the shadow together

Nolan nodded
Let’s finish this