The Essence Flow-Chapter 39: Echo Of A Favor
Elliot stepped up beside his brother.
Towan, still catching his breath, gave him a sideways glance. “Since when do you throw Essentia blasts?”
Elliot blinked. “Huh. I don’t know… I just—”
His hand went to his head. “—
remembered how.
”
Towan frowned.
But before he could ask—
“Great job, kids,” Karn interrupted, slinging his cracked sword over his shoulder. “Didn’t expect this place to be
that
dangerous…”
He gave a small chuckle. “Almost makes me think someone
really
didn’t want us to walk out of here.”
That line? That tone?
It sticks.
Because suddenly, it’s not clear who Karn’s joking about anymore.
They searched the chamber in silence, the walls still humming faintly with dying corruption.
Towan approached the smaller figure—the one he’d been fighting.
Now that the corrupted shell had melted away, what remained was…
A girl.
His age, maybe a little older.
Long silver hair, streaked with sweat and grime, clung to her cheeks. Her skin was pale, her expression slack.
Towan knelt beside her, careful not to touch just yet.
“Can’t believe someone this cute hit like a runaway boulder…” he muttered.
Then, frowning slightly:
“(Why does she look… familiar?)”
Across the chamber, Karn stood beside a collapsed body in merchant’s robes.
“The other one’s just some trader,” he called out to Elliot. “Went missing last week, if I remember right.”
Elliot was inspecting the far wall—a vault, partially cracked open during the battle. Inside: gold, weapons, strange Essentia-bound artifacts humming faintly.
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He glanced back at Karn. “What do we do with all this?”
“Its flow’s weakened now,” Elliot added. “I think we can grab it.”
But his voice was uncertain.
Because that treasure?
That treasure felt
too easy.
Too quiet.
Like it was
waiting.
The vault shimmered with the dying glow of Essentia—its walls lined with stolen artifacts, glinting weapons, and more gold than most towns saw in a year.
Towan stood by the unconscious girl, still trying to figure out why she felt familiar.
Elliot examined the vault contents with caution. “This flow’s still off. Most of it’s safe, but some—”
Thwack.
Pain burst through his head.
He collapsed.
Behind him,
Karn
stood with the hilt of his sword raised, a faint trace of corrupted energy crackling around his knuckles.
Towan turned. “Elliot—?!”
He didn’t get to finish.
A blast of concussive force—black and red—slammed into his chest, launching him into the far wall.
Not lethal.
Just enough.
When Towan groaned and opened his eyes, Karn was already stacking the last of the artifacts into a reinforced satchel. His sword rested lazily on his shoulder. The room flickered under the strain of one of the relics he’d snatched—probably the most dangerous one.
“I really do like you two,” Karn said, almost conversational.
“If I didn’t, you’d be dead already.”
Towan tried to push himself up. “You… bastard…”
Karn shrugged. “Guilty. But I warned you. This world doesn’t hand out kindness for free.”
Elliot stirred, still dizzy. “Why… why help us at all then?”
Karn looked at them—
actually looked
—and for a moment, the veteran in him showed through.
“Because I saw potential. And because I thought maybe… just maybe… you’d survive anyway.”
He tightened the strap on the artifact bag.
“Call this a favor. You’re alive. You’ll get stronger. But I’m not splitting this haul three ways.”
He stepped back toward the corridor.
“Next time we meet? You’ll probably want to kill me.”
He paused.
“...Try not to miss.”
And with that,
he vanished
down the hallway—leaving only flickering light, fading heat…
…and silence.
Towan groaned, slumped against the cracked wall. His vision swam.
Elliot tried to push himself upright, clutching his ribs. Every movement was slow. Drained.
Across the room, the silver-haired girl lay unconscious—peaceful now, the corruption finally purged. The aftermath of the fight still pulsed in the air.
A silence stretched between them.
“…That bastard was holding back the whole fight,” Towan muttered, eyes dark.
Elliot nodded weakly. “He let us do the hard part. Waited for the payout.”
Neither had the strength to chase him. Not anymore.
Then—
The chamber trembled.
A low rumble echoed through the vault. Stones cracked above.
“Ah, great,” Towan breathed. “Of course it’s collapsing.”
The ground tilted.
Dust rained down from the ceiling.
Essentia sparks flickered across the walls, twitching and dying like fireflies.
And then—
Black.
Chapter 39: Echo Of A Favor
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