The Citadel's stone walls thrummed with the hum, a restless pulse in Soren's ears as he gripped his knife, heart pounding from the scream that had shattered the barracks' silence. Shadows slithered outside, their gleaming red eyes pulsing with malice unlike any he'd felt. Veyra stood at the door, her sword drawn, runic armor glinting under torchlight. "Breach! Stay sharp!" she barked, her Wolf Echo snarling beside her, its spectral form glowing with courage-forged light. The faint chill of Corruption—now 25%—clawed at Soren's chest, whispering shadows deeper than grief. What's wrong inside these walls?
Kai and Mira burst in, breathless. Kai's glasses glinted, his journal clutched tight, that strange rune still nagging at Soren's senses. Mira's Lightveil Echo shimmered, her gentle eyes sharp with focus. "Echoes in the training grounds," she said, voice steady but tense. "They're not normal."
Veyra led them through torchlit corridors, the hum spiking as screams echoed. The training grounds were chaos—recruits scattered, Echoes clashing. A Wraithvine, an Echo of despair, writhed across the stone, its thorny tendrils pulsing with violet veins, eyes like fractured amethysts. It lashed at a recruit, who collapsed, sobbing, feeding its growth.
"Spread out!" Veyra ordered. Her Wolf leaped, tearing a tendril, but the Wraithvine regrew, its malice flooding Soren's senses. His Shadow Echo stirred, crimson eyes flaring, but the hum wavered, his mother's shadow flickering in his mind—her trembling hand, urging him to fight. He lunged, his Shadow's claws slashing, but the vine snared his arm, thorns biting deep. Pain surged, Corruption spiking: 30%. Not now.
Mira's Lightveil swept over him, a golden wave easing the pain. "You're not alone," she whispered, her glow steadying his focus. Kai's owl dove, its piercing blue eyes targeting the vine's core, but a tendril knocked him back, his journal skidding across the stone. Soren glimpsed the rune again—sharp, unnatural, wrong. What are you hiding, Kai?
Veyra's Wolf tore through another tendril, her sword flashing. "Soren, hit the core!" she shouted. He nodded, his Shadow surging with grief-fueled rage. He drove it into the Wraithvine's pulsing heart, absorbing a fragment of its essence. Vertigo hit, the hum roaring, but strength surged, his Bone Armor hardening. The vine wailed, collapsing into ash, its eyes dimming.
The recruits cheered, but Veyra's gaze was grim. "This shouldn't have breached the Citadel. Something's off." She eyed Kai, who retrieved his journal, his expression unreadable. Soren's hum prickled—doubt, secrecy, betrayal.
Morning brought no answers. The Citadel's commanders summoned Soren, Veyra, Kai, and Mira to the Hall of Runes, a cavernous chamber where teal runes pulsed on towering pillars. Commander Torren, a grizzled man with a scarred face, studied Soren. "Unbound," he said, voice like gravel. "Your power's raw. Dangerous. You'll face the Trial of Resonance today."
The trial was a stone labyrinth beneath the Citadel, its walls etched with runes that hummed with ancient power. "Survive," Torren said. "Prove you're Sentinel material." Veyra's eyes narrowed, her courage steady but laced with doubt. Mira squeezed Soren's arm, her Lightveil glowing faintly. "You can do this," she said. Kai adjusted his glasses, silent, his hidden edge sharper now.
The labyrinth was cold, the hum a deafening pulse. Soren moved alone, his Shadow Echo flickering, crimson eyes scanning the dark. A Dreadwisp appeared—an Echo of fear, its form a swirling mist with glowing white eyes, its wail shaking his bones. Mother's shadow flickered, her voice a faint "Fight, Soren." He slashed with Shadow Slash, the move now instinctual, dispersing the wisp's edges. But it reformed, its fear seeping into him—failure, loss, Eldridge burning. Corruption surged: 35%. I'm not weak.
He focused, the hum guiding his Echo to strike the wisp's core. It dissolved, leaving a faint rune fragment on the ground. Soren touched it, his status updating:
Name: Soren Vey
Echo Affinity: Grief (Tier 1 - Volatile)
Resonance Points: 50/100
Skills: Emotional Echo (Passive), Shadow Slash (Active)
Traits: Bone Armor (+15% Defense), Resonance Sense (Basic)
Corruption Risk: 35%
Resonance Sense? The hum sharpened, letting him feel the labyrinth's runes, guiding him deeper. But the chill grew, whispering of a darkness he couldn't name. What's this power doing to me?
He emerged to find Veyra, Kai, and Mira waiting, their trials complete. Veyra's armor was scratched, her Wolf limping. Kai's owl was gone, his journal tucked away, but Soren caught a flicker of guilt. Mira's Lightveil glowed softly, her smile easing his tension. "You made it," she said, but her eyes darted to Kai.
Torren nodded. "You're in, Unbound. Training starts tomorrow." But his gaze lingered on the group, heavy with suspicion. "Someone let that Wraithvine in. Trust no one."
That night, Soren couldn't sleep, the hum a restless tide. Kai's rune haunted him—was it tied to the breach? Mira's kindness clashed with Lila's fierce loyalty back home, tugging at his heart. The chill of Corruption pulsed, stronger now, like a shadow clawing at his soul.
A rumble shook the Citadel. Dust fell from the ceiling, and a distant roar echoed, not an Echo but something mechanical, unnatural. Veyra burst in, eyes wide. "Get up! The lower vaults—something's awake down there."
Soren gripped his knife, his Shadow stirring. The hum screamed, something ancient, something wrong. This isn't just Echoes. The Citadel was hiding secrets, and he was caught in their web.