The city was never quiet. Even at night, the neon towers hummed with energy, and the streets below pulsed like veins carrying restless blood. But to Echo, it all sounded… muted. Ever since the Resonance awakened inside him, the world no longer felt the same.
He stood on the edge of a rooftop, staring at the horizon. His hand trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the vibration that never stopped coursing through his veins. It was as if the universe itself was whispering—yet the words were too fragmented to understand.
"Control it," he muttered to himself, tightening his fist.
He focused. The hum in his chest deepened, and the air around him rippled faintly, like heat rising from asphalt. He felt the power pulse outward, bending faint sounds into sharper clarity. A conversation from blocks away drifted into his ears as if the speakers were standing right beside him.
"The Resonant is alive. The Order wants him contained."
Echo's heart skipped. They were already hunting him.
A sudden shift in the air warned him before he saw it. A shadow detached itself from the sky, gliding silently—too fast, too precise. The figure landed in front of him, armored in black plates that absorbed light, a mask covering its face.
"Target confirmed," the figure's voice buzzed through a modulator. "Surrender now, or be silenced."
Echo smirked faintly. "Silenced? You don't even understand what you're dealing with."
He spread his fingers. The rooftop shivered as invisible waves pulsed out, rattling loose stones, making the masked figure flinch. For the first time, Echo felt the power answer him—not wild, not chaotic, but sharp, alive.
And it wanted to be used.
The figure lunged.
Echo shifted sideways, but the agent was faster. A blade of compressed energy unfolded from the figure's gauntlet, slashing across the air with a crackling hiss. Echo ducked low, and the blade carved a glowing scar into the rooftop where his head had been.
Too fast.
The hum in Echo's chest spiked, his instincts sharpening. He let the Resonance flow, and the world seemed to slow. The sound of footsteps became thunder, the wind was a sharp whistle, the soldier's heartbeat echoed like a drum.
Echo thrust his palm outward. The air exploded in a shockwave, slamming into the attacker and hurling him back several meters. The soldier skidded across the rooftop, sparks flashing from his armor.
"Impressive," the modulated voice rasped. "But raw force isn't enough."
The figure slammed a fist into the rooftop, sending out a pulse of violet energy that destabilized Echo's balance. Before he could recover, the soldier surged forward, blade flashing. Echo barely raised his arm in time, the blade grazing his shoulder and tearing fabric and skin alike.
The pain grounded him, but the Resonance surged violently in response. His body vibrated with raw energy, his vision shaking as the whispers became a roar.
Fight… strike back… unleash.
Echo gritted his teeth and let it flow. His entire body pulsed with waves of sound. The rooftop cracked beneath him, and the windows of nearby buildings rattled violently. He slammed both palms forward, unleashing a concentrated blast of Resonance.
The masked soldier was caught mid-dash. The wave struck with crushing force, shattering the rooftop tiles beneath him and launching him across the building. The figure crashed into a ventilation unit, sparks flying as metal twisted under the impact.
Smoke rose. The soldier didn't move.
Echo staggered, clutching his shoulder, his chest heaving. His hands still vibrated with leftover energy, the power demanding more, hungering for release.
He clenched his fists, forcing it down. Not yet. Not until I understand it.
The city's hum returned, louder than before. Somewhere below, alarms began to echo. Sirens. They had noticed the fight.
Echo glanced at the fallen figure—still alive, but unmoving. Then he turned to the edge of the rooftop.
If the Order wanted him silenced… they were going to learn just how loud he could be.