There were four predetermined paths for Echoes once they were selected by The Maestro. Three of them sucked and all of them involved playing hide and seek with death.

The procedure stated if you were selected as an Echo, you report to the ECB and be promptly shipped off to The Arena, you know the floating city swarming with monsters and other Echoes.

‘Really, who could resist such an appealing offer?’

Sin couldn’t blame Tamara for doing so. The ECB patrolled their city every day on the hunt of Echoes, the place Tamara had to resort to in order to hide were…

“This is where you live?” Sin asked, incredulous. The pain was making him more blunt than usual. All his mental efforts were in keeping the injury a secret from Koa which led to such stupid thoughts to come out. Though it was hurting less.

It was more room than a house. The outside hadn’t given him much confidence but the confined, cramped, and battered space was less than his already low expectations.

Koa elbowed him on the side, and Sin winced.

Tamara laughed, she tucked her hair behind her ears. “It was an… adjustment, for sure, but there are worse places.”

She received them both with a smile on her face, telling them to make themselves home.

Koa had liked Tamara since he was twelve years old and three years later, he was still caught in her spell.

Of course, she was beautiful, with her raven hair and striking honey eyes, smooth olive skin, and a smile worthy of an angel (a direct quote from Koa). But she was also kind. She was the first person who made Sin laugh after his dad died. Koa had been too busy grieving alongside him.

Tamara, according to Koa awakened as a D Rank. You gave it a little over a year in The Arena and she’d be able to come back and then her and Koa could live their happy ending. Even if it was the most ideal ending for Koa, he probably wouldn’t wish it until Tamara wanted it more.

“We brought cake.” Koa handed her the boxed dessert.

Tamara placed it on the wooden board stacked on blocks serving as a table. Her eyes widened. “Oh! I forgot to buy some juice.”

Immediately, Koa perked up, “I’ll go!”

‘Is he really about to leave me alone with someone else?’

Tamara as stated was a nice girl but he didn’t know her enough to tranvess a solo conversation and Sin never did well with others. There were only four people alive in the world who even minimally liked him. His father called him an acquired taste.

All his silent eye pleading was dismissed as Koa set off to buy juice from a nearby convenience store.

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The traitor.

“So… Do you want something to drink?”

When Sin looked at her weirdly, she laughed.

“I have water, you know.”

Oh.

His cheeks warmed up, “Yeah, sure. Thanks.”

She lingered for a moment then spinned on her heels and headed into another room. Sin sighed, it wasn’t too obvious he was anxious, was it? At least the music Tamara put on was helping, he tapped on his leg to the beat, humming under his breath. The pain in his leg had subsided to a point his anxiety was his major issue.

Not a minute later, she returned with a cup. He took his time with the water, if his mouth was busy then he didn’t have to talk. Genius, really. She sat on her bed which was also her couch so it must be okay to sit there. Sin dragged his feet but eventually settled next to her.

“Do I make you uncomfortable?” Tamara suddenly asked, her head tilted to the side.

“No,” he lied.

She smiled.

His water was all gone.

Compelled to prove he was fine, Sin said. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“What about your parents?”

Tamara stayed silent for a while, long enough for Sin to think she wasn’t going to answer.

“What about yours?” she retorted.

‘Okay. Ouch.’

“Sorry, I meant. Would you have asked them to harbor a fugitive? I am not officially a criminal but I might as well be. The scrutiny they’d face would be some form of a prison sentence.”

“You could become part of the ECB.” It was one of the paths. Sure, you’d still have to go to The Arena but only for three months, then you got to come back home.

“I don’t want to become what I’m running away from,” she said in a low voice, had Sin not been sat next to her. He would’ve missed it.

He didn’t really understand it but he shrugged it off.

She adjusted herself on the bed facing him. “Can I tell you something?”

Sin nodded without giving it much thought.

“Close your eyes first.”

He did. He heard her get up and walk someplace else. After a minute or so, she returned and sat down a bit closer than she had been before.

She suddenly laughed, “What are you humming?”

“Hm? Your music, of course,” he answered, his eyes still closed.

“I am not playing any music.”

‘What?’

Sin slowly opened his eyes, and the music shifted into an upbeat tune. A purple rectangular box appeared in front of him.

[You’ve been selected as an Echo]

‘Shit.’