Hi! It's Ben here, otherwise known as My-Mental-Mind, and I'm here to introduce you to the fabulous Verse collaboration by myself and Remus98, The Echo Verse! This story is a prelude to my current story Borrowed Time and will give you a first look at the Echo Verse.

If you're new to my stories, or this Verse, this is the perfect place to start! This will be the first story in the Echo Verse, it will set up the world of Green Panem and of course, go a little into concepts such as alternate dimensions, the multiverse and Timekeepers. That being said, a short disclaimer – The Echo Verse's Timekeepers are completely different to that of the Timekeepers in Loki. This similarity is a mere coincidence.

Finally THANK YOU! I want to say a big thank you to my wonderful friends over at Discord who sent in some inspired characters to me – they will be popping up all over this story and Borrowed Time. Thank you as well to Remus98 for taking a look at this first chapter with me for fine-tuning.

Without further ado, welcome to An Echo's Call (featuring some original poetry). I know it's been long-awaited for some of you, so I hope you enjoy~


In the dark, I painted true,
a universe of black and blue,
and in that verse, I know I knew,
an echo of the sound of you.


Blake Burlei, Twenty-Five, Timekeeper (Rank III)


"Rufus!"

Irritated, worn-out and beyond over Monday morning, Blake Burlei rubbed his eyes for the umpteenth time.

Last night, his best friend had decided that having company over to make a racket at two in the morning was a good idea. Blake hadn't gotten a wink of sleep after that and had dragged himself out of bed, eyes burning, to face the day with a sense of irritation. He'd composed himself in the mirror that morning, ignoring the obvious black bags beneath his blue eyes, when he decided he'd just about had enough of Rufus' need to escape reality in the noisiest way possible. So, after dabbing on some concealer and brushing his hair, he figured he'd decided on punishment rather than forgiveness.

"Rufus!" Blake hissed, his knuckles rapping on the door as loudly as he could.

In another world, Blake would have hoped that Rufus wasn't such a partygoer. Only four years ago, when his friend was eighteen, he'd been reserved and innocent. Rufus' wish to step out of his comfort zone had transformed him into someone far more confident, and while he'd never admit it, Blake was a little jealous of that. He'd never been the type of guy to be the interesting or the cool one. Blake had always lived his life in his own lane mostly because proving them wrong made the victories taste just that little bit sweeter.

Still, it must be nice to not second-guess oneself all the time, and Rufus was certainly one to stick to his guns when the going got tough. Loyal friends are forever, even if they do wake you up in the early hours of the morning.

Knocking on the door brought Blake no response, so he caved in and kicked it open loudly.

Rufus had become somewhat of a temporary roommate over the last month or two. Blake had taken him in knowing Rufus' strained relations with his Father and had given him a place to stay. For the most part, Blake was a very patient person, but messing with either food or sleep brought out a particularly disgruntled side of him.

Today, sleepless Blake was going to have his revenge.

As the door swung open, a foul odour met his nostrils. Perhaps it was the faint smell of alcohol or the fact that a sleeping Rufus was wearing nothing but a pair of assless chaps, his backside on show for all to see.

Again, Rufus? You went out line dancing again? he thought.

Clearly, drinking had been involved, and while his friend didn't get drunk all the time, he'd had his fair share of morning sights. The mess of blond hair and the glitter on his back was a sure sign that Rufus had spoken to his Father and had instead chosen to drown his sorrows in a world of liberosis.

Rufus wasn't a mess. He was a hoe, sure, but he wasn't a mess. Blake knew that something was on his friend's mind, but he couldn't talk to him if he was dead to the world and splayed across his perfectly prim bedspread.

The glass of water he'd left last night – which, Blake acknowledged, hadn't been touched – was on a bedside table, just as still as Rufus was. Blake drew closer to the glass, his steady fingers wrapping around it.

Ah, I'm sorry Rufus. Duty calls.

The glass felt cold against his fingers as he lifted it over Rufus' head. Perhaps he shouldn't be doing this to someone who likely had a hangover, but Blake knew that Rufus had a class today with Aubrey no less, and if he was late, there was no way he'd escape her wrath.

He winced as he tipped the glass over and was met with a rewarding shout as Rufus leapt from his pillows, cursing the world and whoever had brought him in contact with water.

"Blake, for fucks sake!" Rufus cried, but relaxed quickly, glaring up at his friend in annoyance. "Why did you wake me up?"

"Class with Aubrey," Blake huffed shortly. "It's either less sleep for you or Aubrey's death glare. After last night, I hope you get both."

"It was dance night," Rufus complained. "You know my followers love it, they go crazy for that kind of thing."

"They go crazy for your ass," Blake corrected him with disdain. "Just please don't wake me up at that time again?"

"I'm sorry," Rufus spoke, rubbing the back of his neck, his green eyes downcast.

Blake stared hard at his friend for a moment longer, before his shoulders relaxed and he rolled his eyes.

"Okay, fine, you're forgiven," he sighed. "I hate it here."

"You know you can't stay mad at me for long," Rufus chuckled with a smirk.

A ringing from the hallway reached Blake's ears, cutting off their conversation. Blake shook his head and smiled at his friend's words before heading out to take the call. Picking up his receiver from the wooden hallway table, he clipped it onto his ear.

"Accept," he muttered, taking the call.

A light beep sounded in his ear.

"Oh my Snow, Blake, I've reached a breakthrough!"

Halle Montezuma's voice was strong and clear through his receiver, mixed with a note of excitement and happiness. She'd been a great friend to both Blake and Rufus over the last few years, but she often spent her time perfecting her methods of making chocolate and away from people. He didn't blame her. Being a Timekeeper was tiring and keeping up the charade of being a normal person was even more so. Balancing powers over time and space as well as a full-time job was often more overwhelming than Blake cared to admit.

Time. Space.

It was odd to think that he was a Capitolite living one life, and a defender of the world living another. At eighteen, he'd manifested powers over time and space and had since been tracked down and enrolled in Keeper's Way, an academy of sorts for those who had Timekeeping powers. Seven years later, he'd honed and perfected control over his abilities and now went on the occasional small-scale mission for Seiko Ridgeway, the academy's leader.

"Blake? Are you there?"

Halle's voice gained his attention as he cleared his throat hurriedly and spoke.

"Yes! Hi! I'm sorry," he chuckled. "I didn't get much sleep. What's this about a breakthrough?"

"I think I've finally mastered orange chocolate," Halle declared her tone as light as a feathered wing. "The truffles came out perfectly this morning!"

"Nice one! That's amazing!" Blake grinned, thankful that his friend had made progress. "Can you save me some?"

"Of course," Halle answered. "I always keep a few of my best for friends, you know that."

Halle rented a small chocolate shop on Patrell's Parade, the Capitol's commercial district filled with bargains and boutiques as far as the eye could see. Blake had long tried his friend's chocolate and had noted that she was talented in creating such delicacies, hence the need to keep an ear to the ground; free food was free food after all.

"How's the party boy?" Halle joked. "He put on Panegram that he was going out."

"He's fine," Blake answered, but paused when he heard the faint grumble of Rufus from his room. "Probably hungover. I poured water on him today just to get him up."

"Was he that bad?" Halle asked, the smile creeping into her voice.

"He did keep me up past two," Blake pointed out. "I have to be up at seven just to get everything ready for the shop so I can open at nine."

"Well, it's eight-thirty at the moment," Halle explained. "Aren't you running late?"

"Shit!" Blake cursed. "I've got to go. I'll ring you back."

"It's okay, talk later!"

"Bye!"

He ended the call and rushed into the kitchen to collect his various bags for the day. Blake's two-bedroom flat wasn't particularly glamourous by Capitol means, but he was happy with what he had and it had always been enough for him. The white marble countertops had always contrasted nicely with the darker lino, and the rustic chandelier and broad-leaved plants had always made for a great spot for reading with an armful of plump cushions and soft blankets.

"Rufus!" Blake called. "I need to go, I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah, see you later."

Rufus' voice sounded somewhat despondent and uninterested. The guy was clearly hungover, but there was nothing Blake could do for him right now – he had a shop to open after all. Scooping up his backpack and various order slips, he slipped out of the door and down the stone steps.

His day had just begun.


The Chrystalis was his shop on the outskirts of Patrell's Parade.

The Capitol was a myriad of avenues and boulevards, but it had long become a vibrant city filled with various inventions. Most of the power in the Capitol came from dams, solar power or biomass and Blake enjoyed wandering through the streets on his way to work, overflowing with shapely trees and budding flowers.

His crystal shop was perched sweetly on one corner, mere streets from Solaris Close. It was painted a glossy midnight purple, adorned with silver stars and solar-powered fairy lights that had been strung up outside of the shop. Blake could cast his mind back to when he and his sister, Ria had decided to paint the outside, replacing the peeling flakes of white that hung off the building like a worn rag. The cobblestones that led up to the shop were a gentle beige, meeting the lip of the pavement that led to the purple door with a silver handle. Ria had always wondered why he'd chosen to open a crystal shop of all things, but Blake never really had much of an answer for her.

While Blake's business wasn't booming, he'd always gotten enough customers to get by comfortably. He'd always treated every person with care and remembered the faces of most of his regulars.

This man, however, was new.

Typically, Blake would be the first to admit that he enjoyed an attractive man – although his tastes had always been geared more towards a natural look. On this particular day, Blake had found someone who seemed a little different from the typical bubbly Capitolite, absent of the bright hair and outlandish fashion…someone a lot more like him. Stood behind the glowing register, he'd eyed the man with interest as he began to peruse the various jewels that stood proudly in glass cases, casting his eyes over the small tapestries of silver and gold, woven into luxury.

The man was tall in height, with somewhat broad shoulders and a slim figure, high cheekbones and a strong jawline decorated with neatly styled stubble. A pair of bright brown eyes sat beneath well-styled short hair, a long navy peacoat hanging over dark denim and ornate oak brogues.

If Rufus was here, he'd have flirted with him, but Blake was a man of business, despite his intrigue.

As he stepped forward to help the new customer, a small smile blossomed on his face.

Vaguely, he wondered if Rufus' morning had turned out as nice as his had.


Say hi to Blake! He's the first of our two protagonists in this tale, ready to tell us the story of time, space and the collapse of the interdimensional wall. I know what you're thinking…this is all very unassuming, but don't worry, the mystery will begin to unfold soon enough.

While this tale is certainly flamboyant and wild (like the Capitol), it will also have moments of reflection and a touch of world-building and lore that helps to expand our Verse. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask.

I'll see you next time with Rufus, our second protagonist.

Over and out!

~Mental