The rumble shook the Citadel's barracks, a deep, mechanical pulse that set Soren's teeth on edge. Dust sifted from the ceiling, and the hum screamed in his ears, laced with something ancient, something wrong. He gripped his knife, his Shadow Echo stirring, its crimson eyes flickering in the torchlit dark. Veyra stood before him, her sword drawn, eyes wide with urgency. "Get up! The lower vaults—something's awake down there." Kai and Mira flanked her, Kai's journal clutched tight, Mira's Lightveil glowing faintly, her face taut with quiet fear. The chill of Corruption—now 35%—clawed at Soren's chest, like a shadow clawing at his soul. What's down there?
Veyra led them through winding corridors, the hum pulsing with the Citadel's runes, their teal glow flickering erratically. "The vaults hold relics from the Great Resonance," she said, voice low. "Sealed for a reason." Kai's glasses glinted, his hidden edge sharper in Soren's senses, that strange rune in his journal a nagging thorn. Mira's Lightveil brushed Soren, easing the chill. "Stay close," she whispered, her eyes steady but searching.
The lower vaults were a maze of stone and iron, air thick with dust and dread. The rumble grew louder, a grinding roar from beyond a massive runic door, its carvings pulsing with crimson light—not teal, wrong. Veyra pressed her hand to it, her Wolf Echo snarling. "This shouldn't be active," she muttered. Kai scribbled in his journal, his owl absent, his guilt prickling Soren's hum. Is he part of this?
The door groaned open, revealing a cavernous chamber. A Corrupted Construct loomed—an ancient machine of twisted metal and glowing veins, its form half-Echo, half-relic, with pulsing red eyes. It whirred, tendrils of shadow lashing out, their malice a suffocating wave. Soren's Shadow Echo surged, crimson eyes blazing, but the hum wavered, his mother's shadow flickering—her trembling hand, urging him to fight.
"Spread out!" Veyra shouted, her Wolf lunging, claws sparking against the Construct's metal. A tendril grazed her, drawing blood, her courage faltering. Soren dodged a lash, his Shadow slashing, but the Construct's hide was iron, his claws barely denting it. Pain flared, Corruption spiking: 40%. Too much, too fast. Mira's Lightveil swept in, a golden wave dulling the pain. "You're not alone," she said, her voice a lifeline.
Kai's owl materialized, its piercing blue eyes targeting the Construct's core, but a tendril swatted it down, sending Kai sprawling. His journal fell open, the rune glowing faintly—crimson, like the vault's door. Soren's hum screamed: Betrayal? "Kai, what is that?" he demanded, dodging another tendril.
"Not now!" Kai snapped, retrieving his journal, his owl diving again. But his guilt was louder, a discordant note in the hum. Veyra's Wolf tore at the Construct's leg, giving Soren an opening. He drove his Shadow into its core, Shadow Slash carving deep, absorbing a fragment of its essence. Vertigo hit, the hum roaring, his mother's shadow stronger—her voice, a faint "Soren, hold on."Strength surged, his Bone Armor hardening, but Corruption burned: 45%.
The Construct screeched, its eyes dimming, tendrils slowing. Veyra's sword struck true, and Mira's Lightveil burned its shadows away. It collapsed, metal groaning, leaving a runic shard glowing on the floor. Soren touched it, his status flickering:
Name: Soren Vey
Echo Affinity: Grief (Tier 1 - Volatile)
Resonance Points: 65/100
Skills: Emotional Echo (Passive), Shadow Slash (Active), Resonance Sense (Basic)
Traits: Bone Armor (+20% Defense), Echo Pulse (Basic)
Corruption Risk: 45%
Echo Pulse? The hum sharpened, letting him sense faint vibrations in the vault—something else stirring. This isn't over. Veyra panted, blood dripping from her arm. "That was no ordinary Echo. Someone activated it."
Kai avoided her gaze, tucking his journal away. Mira's eyes darted between them, her Lightveil dimming. "The runes were tampered with," she said softly. "Someone inside."
Commander Torren arrived, his scarred face grim. "You four stopped it. Good. But this was sabotage." His gaze lingered on Kai, heavy with suspicion. "Training doubles tomorrow. Unbound, you're on watch."
Soren's chest ached, the chill of Corruption deeper, like claws sinking into his heart. He lay in the barracks that night, the hum a restless tide. Kai's rune gnawed at him—was he the traitor? Mira's words echoed: You're not alone. But Lila's fierce loyalty tugged at him, her pendant heavy in his satchel. I'll come back stronger, he'd promised. Can I?
A whisper cut through the dark—not the hum, but a voice, low and ancient. "Unbound…" it hissed, from the vault's direction. Soren bolted upright, knife in hand. The hum roared, something vast, something hungry stirring below. Shadows moved in the corridor, not Echoes but human, their steps deliberate. Footsteps stopped outside his door, and a faint runic glow seeped through the cracks.
Soren's Shadow stirred, crimson eyes flaring. Someone's watching me. The Citadel's secrets were closing in, and he was their target.