The morning arrived gray and tense. Daniel walked through the city streets with Elara and the demon envoy beside him. The demon child remained hidden under mage protection but her absence made Daniel uneasy. She knew too much. And the Echo wanted her silent.

Citizens gathered in the marketplace whispering about the previous day’s council. Some approached Daniel cautiously. Others avoided looking at him. The tension felt thicker than fog. Daniel read the emotions in the crowd easily. Confusion. Anxiety. Suspicion. Hope trying to rise but being pulled back by fear.

A merchant stepped forward wringing his hands. Is it true he asked that shadows attacked the council.

Daniel nodded gently. They tried to divide us. They failed.

The merchant’s voice trembled. If these creatures feed on fear then what happens if we cannot stop being afraid.

Daniel rested a calm hand on the man’s forearm. Then we learn to understand fear. Not hide from it. Not deny it. We face it together.

The man took a shaky breath and nodded. A few people nearby listened their expressions softening. But others remained stiff with distrust.

Elara whispered This tension will snap. Everyone feels it.

The demon envoy studied the crowd. The Echo is waiting for that snap. If panic spreads they will strike where people cannot see them.

Daniel breathed slowly. Then we must keep the truth louder than fear.

But before they could walk further a group of soldiers approached pushing through the crowd with alarm in their faces. The captain bowed quickly. Counselor there has been a disturbance near the mage quarters. You must come.

Elara’s expression hardened. The child.

They ran through the streets moving swiftly around carts and startled civilians. The mage tower came into view with smoke drifting from its upper windows. Daniel felt a pull in his chest a twisting sensation like something tearing.

The guards opened the gates. Inside the courtyard a group of royal mages stood shaken their robes scorched. Daniel rushed to them. What happened.

One mage with trembling hands answered A presence entered the tower. Not through walls. Through minds. It used illusions to scatter us. When we regained focus the child was gone.

Elara’s face paled. They took her.

Daniel closed his eyes letting the fear wash through him then forcing it to settle. He looked at the scorch marks the cracked floor tiles the trembling mages.

He spoke calmly She did not wander. She did not run. She was taken. Not by demons. Not by humans. By the Echo. They want to silence her before she tells the world what she knows.

The demon envoy growled low in his throat. They are bold now. They no longer hide.

Daniel touched the floor where faint dark markings lingered like shadows burned into stone. The Echo’s presence was stronger than before. Aggressive. Restless. Hungry.

Elara knelt beside him. Daniel what do we do.

He whispered We find her. Before the Echo breaks her mind. Before they use her voice against us.

They stood together. Daniel addressed the shaken mages. I need to know what direction the presence moved after leaving the tower. Anything you sensed.

An older mage stepped forward. It moved southeast. Toward the abandoned quarter. No one lives there anymore. Too many old memories. Too much sorrow.

Daniel felt a chill slide down his spine. Of course. The Echo would hide in a place soaked with forgotten grief. A perfect feeding ground.

Elara tightened her grip on her blade. Then we go there. Now.

The demon envoy nodded. My warriors will join us.

But Daniel lifted a hand. No. Not warriors. Not soldiers. If we rush with force the Echo will twist our fear into their weapon. We need clarity not strength.

Elara frowned. Daniel that place is dangerous.

He met her eyes with calm determination. Everything about this is dangerous. But the Echo took a child. And I will not let fear bury her.

Elara drew a sharp breath then nodded. Then we go together.

The demon envoy stepped beside them. I walk with you. Whatever waits there does not fear strength. But it fears unity.

Daniel looked over the city. People watching from windows. Streets shaking with uncertainty. Shadows gathering in places where hope felt thin.

He whispered This is the first real crack in the city. If we fail here the Echo will tear everything open.

Elara placed her hand on his arm. Then we cannot fail. Not today.

Daniel inhaled slowly letting the weight settle into something he could carry.

They turned toward the abandoned quarter.
Toward the place where echoes of fear lived unchallenged.
Toward the child who needed them.
And toward the trap the Echo had prepared.

The world was cracking.
And Daniel walked straight into the fracture.