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Echoes of a Friend

  Ezra returned to Nonna’s house for the winter. For once, everything felt normal. Adam was quiet, but the kid showed promise. He was walking now, hardly talking, but Ezra loved him all the same. Julie had been raising him well. She had done so much without him.

  Ezra wasn’t sure if that made him grateful or guilty. Maybe a bit of both.

  Julie could tell something was off. She had seen it before—the way Ezra’s shoulders carried invisible weight. So, when he was alone in the kitchen, she joined him. "Ezra."

  He looked up from where he was leaning against the counter.

  Julie crossed her arms, brows furrowed in quiet concern. "Talk to me."

  Ezra exhaled, running a hand down his face. He told her everything. About Haru. About how he mysteriously disappeared. About how nothing made sense. They were still looking into it, but—"Julie, it just doesn’t add up."

  His voice was quieter now. Softer. "This job—" He hesitated. "—it’s not just brutal. It’s insane." Julie listened. Let him speak without interruption. Then, she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him. Ezra let himself lean into the warmth.

  "You’re doing good," she murmured, voice soft.

  Ezra scoffed. "I don’t feel like it."

  Julie pulled back just enough to meet his gaze. "Ciarra’s been worried about you," she admitted.

  Ezra sighed. Speaking of Ciarra…He needed to have a word with the house cat.

  Ezra searched around the house for Ciarra. He found her outside in the backyard, standing in the cold winter air. She was wrapped in a thick coat, smoking a peace pipe, staring at the snow-covered trees. Ezra stepped out onto the porch. Ciarra didn’t look at him, but she felt his presence.

  "How’s Dad?" he asked first.

  Ciarra took a slow inhale. "He’s hanging in there."

  Ezra leaned against the railing. "That’s what you said st year."

  Ciarra exhaled a thin stream of smoke. "That’s what I’ll keep saying until it’s not true anymore." She gnced at him now, eyes sharp. "But that’s not why you’re here."

  Ezra hesitated. Ciarra tilted her head. "Alright, boyo," she muttered, taking another slow hit. "Out with it. What’s on your mind?"

  Ezra took a breath. And then—"How the hell did you know Haru?"

  Ciarra blinked. She exhaled the smoke, shaking her head. "Isn’t that the kid you work with?" she asked. "The one you’ve told us about the past few holiday get-togethers?"

  Ezra crossed his arms. "That’s not what I meant."

  Ciarra’s brows furrowed slightly. "Then what do you mean?"

  Ezra’s jaw tightened. "Why did he call you Ki Ki?"

  Ciarra tensed. There. Right there. The hesitation. Ezra caught it immediately. She tried to find an excuse. Tried to stall. But Ezra was gring at her now. Waiting.

  Ciarra opened her mouth to respond— Then—"Ezra?"

  Julie stepped out onto the porch, searching.

  Ezra turned, brows raising slightly. "You’ve got a call," she said.

  Ezra blinked. "Who—?"

  Julie put a hand on her hip. "Who else? My dad."

  Ezra groaned, rubbing his face.

  "Jesus Christ, Julie—again with the no phone?" Julie gave him a look. Ezra sighed deeply. "Fine, fine. I’m coming."

  He gnced back at Ciarra. But she was already looking away. Already retreating back into herself. Ezra’s stomach twisted. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

  Mr. Key’s voice came through the phone, crisp and direct. "Pack up. Be in Tokyo by tomorrow."

  Ezra blinked. "What? I just—"

  "Yeah," Mr. Key cut him off. "And they just scheduled Haru’s funeral. Next weekend."

  Ezra froze. His breath caught.

  "You’re expected to show up," Mr. Key continued. His voice wasn’t harsh, but there was no room for argument. Ezra didn’t say anything. Didn’t know what to say.

  So Mr. Key sighed. "Dear god, boyo, say something nice." He let that hang in the air. "You only get to bury a friend once."

  Ezra’s stomach dropped. His chest felt hollow. As much as he wanted to protest… Mr. Key was right. Ezra exhaled sharply. "I’ll be there."

  Ezra arrived in Japan the same day. He had time to prepare, pick out a suit, and brace himself for what was coming. The service was to be held near Mt. Fuji, in a quiet, secluded forest. Many people came. Too many.

  More than Ezra expected. More than he realized Haru had touched. He spotted Haru’s parents, standing in silence. They looked exhausted. Hollow.

  Like they had cried until there was nothing left. Ezra could barely breathe. Then— It was time. One by one, people spoke.

  Haru’s father stepped up first. His voice was steady, but his hands shook. "Haru was…" he started, taking a breath. "He was our world."

  His mother pressed a hand over her mouth, shoulders trembling. "He was brilliant. Too brilliant. He saw the world in ways we couldn’t." He swallowed thickly. "But no matter how smart he was…" His voice cracked. "He was still just a boy."

  His mother let out a small sob. "A child." A painful silence lingered in the air. "We were supposed to protect him." Another deep breath. "And we failed."

  Other people spoke. A few scientists from Key Industries. Some of Haru’s extended family. The words blended together. Each one was a dagger twisting in Ezra’s chest.

  Then—It was his turn.

  Ezra stepped forward. And for the first time in his life— He didn’t know what to say. He took a deep breath. Looked over the people watching. And in the far distance, standing in the background— Were the Silent Legion. Watching.

  Ezra clenched his jaw. Fine. He’d rub it right in their goddamn faces. He stepped closer to the podium, adjusting his suit. "Haru was a pain in my ass." A small chuckle rippled through the crowd. "But he was my friend."

  Ezra exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "He loved games," he said. "But one game, in particur." He gnced toward the Silent Legion. "Hide and seek."

  The air in the crowd shifted. "He always told me he was the best at it." Ezra smirked softly. "But by god, I am not going to let him keep that title."

  A few light chuckles. Then, Ezra sighed. His smirk faded. "But jokes aside…" His throat felt tight. "He was a good kid." His voice was quieter now. "He didn’t deserve this."

  A heavy silence fell over the crowd. Ezra swallowed the lump in his throat. "Wherever he is…" His voice nearly cracked. "I hope he’s out there. In the woods. Living the dream he always wanted." Ezra’s hands clenched into fists. "Godspeed, Haru."

  He stepped away. Let the next speaker take the podium. But as he walked back to his seat… He could still feel the Silent Legion’s eyes on him. Watching. Waiting. He wasn’t done here. Not by a long shot.

  The service was over. Ezra thought that meant he could breathe. He was wrong. Haru’s parents approached him. Ezra braced himself, his stomach twisting into knots. But they didn’t accuse him. They didn’t bme him. They just… thanked him.

  "Thank you for being here, Ezra."

  Ezra swallowed hard. Haru’s mother’s voice was soft, but tired. Worn thin with grief. She offered him a small, shaky smile. "Haru always spoke so highly of you," she continued, voice thick with emotion.

  Haru’s father nodded, clearing his throat. "He looked up to you," he admitted. Ezra’s chest tightened. "He talked endlessly about the projects you two worked on."

  "He adored the b," his mother added, her eyes distant, lost in memory. "He called you his best friend."

  Ezra’s lungs wouldn’t expand properly. His breath felt shallow. Like he was sinking into quicksand. The more they spoke, the deeper he sank. He should’ve protected him. Should’ve done something. But he didn’t.

  And now? Now Haru was gone.

  Haru’s father reached into his coat pocket. "We have something for you," he said, pulling out a small box. Ezra blinked, caught off guard.

  "A gift," his mother said gently. His fingers hesitated before taking it. "He begged us to get it for you," she murmured. "After your father’s phone was stolen."

  Ezra’s throat felt tight. He could barely nod. He carefully opened the box. And then—He froze.

  Inside, nestled in a sleek, high-end protective case—Was a phone.

  But not just any phone. Not just the test tech. This was not avaible on the civilian market. This was something else entirely. Ezra’s breath caught.

  50 petabytes of storage. Built-in AI assistant. Induction wireless charging—No port-holes. No external weaknesses. This thing was built to st. To survive.

  Ezra felt his heart shatter. This was too much. Too goddamn much. His hands shook. His vision blurred. And before he could stop himself—He started crying.

  The Kims didn’t say anything. Didn’t try to console him. They just let him break. Ezra clenched his jaw, trying to hold back the sob that was threatening to rip out of him. He had always stuck to cheap burner phones. He wasn’t used to the high life.

  Didn’t want to be.

  But this? This wasn’t just a phone. This was a final gift. A st thread of Haru’s existence, now in his hands. A piece of a friend who should still be here. Ezra wiped at his face furiously, trying to pull himself together.

  He wanted to thank them. Wanted to say something. But then—His stomach dropped. Because this wasn’t just any phone. This… This was familiar.

  Ezra stared at it. His mind was racing. Had he seen this model before? The sleekness. The ck of ports. The induction charging.

  Wait.

  Wait, wait, wait—

  OH, FUCK.

  Ezra snapped back through memories. Back to Ciarra. Back to her phone. She said it was old. But now that he really thought about it… Now that he was repying patterns in his mind…

  Hers had no port-holes either.

  And this case. Haru’s phone case. The same color as Ciarra’s. The same shape. The same—Ezra’s head spun. What the hell was going on?

  He looked back at Haru’s parents, who were still watching him. They didn’t know. They just saw a grieving friend. They had no idea they had just handed Ezra another piece of the puzzle. A puzzle that was starting to look way bigger than he ever imagined. He clenched his jaw.

  Held the phone tighter. Something wasn’t right. And he was going to find out why.

  Ezra sat in his first-css seat, staring at the high-tech phone in his hands. He had already personalized the UI, setting the background to something simple, dark, minimalistic. Then, he opened up the AI assistant.

  The screen flickered to life. A smooth, feminine voice greeted him. "Hello, Ezra. My name is Ki Ki."

  Ezra exhaled sharply. "Nice, Haru," he muttered."Reeeal smooth."

  Ezra skimmed through the instructions. Apparently, Ki Ki wasn’t just some basic virtual assistant. She worked off data stored on the phone itself—not just an online connection. That meant even offline, the AI was still functional.

  It could predict, calcute, assist without needing to pull real-time data. Which meant… Even if the Silent Legion tried to scrub her from existence—She was already baked into the system.

  Ezra smirked slightly. Smart kid.

  He allowed the phone to update. For an hour, he watched as it downloaded over 10 petabytes worth of history, science, mathematics, physics, engineering—Basically, the entire foundation of human knowledge. 10 petabytes.

  That was about what you’d need for an AI of this scale. When he got home… Fuck it.

  He needed a distraction. Something to take his mind off things. So, he started downloading more. Memes. Videos. Useful fun-fact junk.

  Anything to binge-learn when he was stressed. By the time he was done? 500 terabytes of nonsense. And for once? For once, Ezra was actually looking forward to turning off his brain.

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