The shapes didn't disappear.
That alone made Edrin uneasy.
"…They're still there," he said, squinting toward the horizon.
"Yes," Lyra replied.
"I was hoping they'd vanish if we ignored them."
Ronan smirked. "That's not how problems work."
"I was trying to be optimistic!"
Kael continued walking forward, steady as ever.
"…We approach."
Edrin groaned.
"…Of course we do."
The plain stretched beneath them, pale grass bending under a quiet wind that had returned—but softer now, almost cautious.
Edrin didn't like that either.
"…Even the wind feels like it's thinking," he muttered.
Lyra glanced at him. "You're noticing more."
"I don't want to notice more."
The shapes ahead slowly became clearer.
Not towering.
Not armored.
Not monstrous.
Just… people.
Edrin slowed.
"…No."
Ronan frowned. "What?"
Edrin pointed.
"…That's not right."
They stopped a short distance away.
The figures stood scattered across the plain.
Some still.
Some slightly hunched.
Some facing different directions.
None moving.
Edrin's chest tightened.
"…They're not reacting."
"No," Kael said.
Lyra stepped closer, cautious.
"…They're alive."
Edrin blinked.
"…That's worse."
One of the figures twitched.
Just slightly.
Then turned.
Slow.
Unnatural.
Its eyes met Edrin's.
Empty.
Not hollow.
Not dark.
Just… empty.
Edrin flinched.
"…I really don't like this."
The figure took a step forward.
Then stopped.
As if waiting.
Ronan stepped up beside Edrin.
"…What are they?"
Edrin swallowed.
"…I don't think they're enemies."
Lyra's voice was quiet.
"…I don't think they're allies either."
The figure spoke.
Softly.
Broken.
"…late…"
Edrin froze.
"…Did it just talk?"
"Yes," Lyra said.
"I don't like talking things."
Ronan laughed. "You say that every time."
"And I'm always right!"
More of the figures began to move.
Not attacking.
Not charging.
Just turning.
Facing them.
Watching.
Edrin felt a chill run through him.
"…They're not reacting like fighters."
"No," Kael said.
"They're reacting like…"
He paused.
Lyra finished it.
"…Echoes."
Silence.
Edrin frowned.
"…That's not better."
One of the figures stumbled forward.
Another followed.
Then another.
Slow.
Uneven.
Not coordinated.
Not aggressive.
Just… moving.
Toward them.
Edrin stepped back.
"…Okay, I'm officially uncomfortable."
"They're not attacking," Ronan said.
"Yet!"
Lyra raised her hand, magic ready—but not released.
"…Something's wrong with them."
Edrin blinked.
"…Something's wrong with everything!"
"No," Lyra said. "…this is different."
Another voice came.
From a different figure.
Faint.
Broken.
"…don't… remember…"
Edrin swallowed.
"…I don't like this kind of problem."
Kael stepped forward slowly.
"…We observe."
Edrin grabbed his arm.
"…We do not observe up close."
Too late.
The nearest figure stepped within reach.
It didn't attack.
Didn't strike.
It just looked at Kael.
Then at Edrin.
Then spoke again.
"…you…"
Edrin froze.
"…Me again?"
Ronan smirked. "You're still popular."
"I still don't want to be!"
The figure tilted its head.
A familiar motion.
Too familiar.
Edrin's breath caught.
"…That's not right."
Lyra noticed it too.
"…It's mimicking."
"But badly," Edrin said.
The figure stepped closer to him.
Slow.
Unsteady.
Its hand lifted—
Shaking slightly—
Reaching toward him.
Edrin didn't move.
Didn't know if he should.
"…What happens if it touches me?" he asked.
"Don't find out," Lyra said quickly.
"Good advice."
But the figure didn't lunge.
Didn't force contact.
It stopped.
Just short.
Its hand trembling.
Then—
It spoke again.
Clearer this time.
Still broken.
But trying.
"…lost…"
Edrin's chest tightened.
"…You're lost?"
The figure didn't respond.
Not directly.
But its expression—
Shifted.
Slightly.
As if that word mattered.
Lyra stepped forward carefully.
"…They're not enemies."
Ronan frowned. "Then what are they?"
Edrin answered quietly.
"…What's left."
Silence.
The other figures continued to gather.
Slowly.
Not surrounding.
Not attacking.
Just… coming closer.
Drawn to them.
Or to him.
Edrin swallowed.
"…This is worse than fighting."
"Yes," Lyra said softly.
Edrin nodded.
"…I don't know what to do here."
Kael looked at the figures.
Then at Edrin.
"…Then we don't act yet."
Edrin blinked.
"…We wait?"
"Yes."
Edrin looked at the reaching hand again.
At the empty eyes.
At the broken voice.
"…I don't like waiting either."
Ronan crossed his arms.
"Then what do you want to do?"
Edrin hesitated.
Then slowly reached out his own hand.
"…I think…"
A pause.
"…I think they're waiting for something."
Lyra's eyes widened slightly.
"…Edrin."
He didn't look at her.
"…I don't think it's an attack."
The figure's hand trembled closer.
Just inches away now.
Edrin's heart pounded.
"…I think it's a question."
Silence.
And for the first time since entering this broken world—
Edrin didn't know if answering was the right choice.