The runic glow seeped through the barracks door's cracks, casting jagged shadows across Soren's cot. The hum roared in his ears, a chaotic pulse of something vast, something hungry. He gripped his knife, heart hammering, his Shadow Echo stirring with crimson eyes flaring in the dark. Someone's watching me. The whisper from the vaults lingered—"Unbound…"—its ancient tone chilling his bones. The chill of Corruption, now 45%, clawed deeper, like a beast stirring in his soul. Footsteps paused outside, deliberate, then faded. Soren exhaled, but the hum warned: Danger's close.
Dawn broke, gray and heavy, the Citadel's spires looming under a stormy sky. Veyra summoned Soren, Kai, and Mira to the training grounds, her runic armor scratched from the vault fight. "No time to rest," she said, her Wolf Echo prowling, its courage-forged light dimmed by doubt. "The breach wasn't random. Someone's playing us." Her eyes flicked to Kai, who adjusted his glasses, journal tucked under his arm, its strange rune a faint glow in Soren's mind. Mira's Lightveil shimmered, her gentle gaze steady but wary. "We need answers," she said, voice soft yet firm.
Commander Torren arrived, his scarred face etched with suspicion. "You four are on vault patrol. Find the source of that roar. Don't trust anyone." His words hung heavy, the hum prickling with betrayal. Soren glanced at Kai, whose guilt was a sharp note in the hum. Is it you?
The lower vaults were colder, the air thick with dust and malice. The runic door from last night pulsed crimson, its carvings twisted, wrong. Veyra traced a rune, her Wolf snarling. "This is Resonance tech—corrupted." Kai scribbled in his journal, too quick, his owl absent. Soren's hum spiked, the rune in Kai's journal matching the door's glow. He's hiding something.
A grind echoed, metal on stone. The door shuddered, revealing a deeper chamber where shadows writhed. A Ruinshade emerged—an Echo of betrayal, its form a cloaked figure with fractured emerald eyes, its body a swirl of jagged runes and shadow. Its malice hit Soren like a wave, his mother's shadow flickering—her trembling hand, urging him to fight. "Move!" Veyra shouted, her Wolf lunging, claws sparking against the Ruinshade's runes.
Soren's Shadow Echo surged, crimson eyes blazing, slashing at the Ruinshade. Its runes deflected, sending him sprawling. Pain flared, Corruption spiking: 50%. Too high. Mira's Lightveil washed over him, easing the chill. "You're not alone," she whispered, her touch lingering, stirring memories of Lila's fierce loyalty. Kai's owl dove, its piercing blue eyes targeting the Ruinshade's core, but it faltered, a rune on its wing glowing crimson. The same rune.
"Kai!" Soren yelled, dodging a shadow lash. "What's in your journal?" Kai's face tightened, his owl retreating. "Focus on the fight!" he snapped, but his guilt screamed in the hum. Veyra's Wolf tore at the Ruinshade, her sword slashing, but it reformed, its emerald eyes pulsing. "Soren, hit the core!" she roared.
Soren focused, the hum guiding his Echo Pulse, sensing the Ruinshade's weak point. His Shadow struck, Shadow Slash carving deep, absorbing a shard of its essence. Vertigo hit, his mother's shadow stronger—"Soren, hold on."Strength surged, his Bone Armor hardening, but Corruption burned: 55%. The Ruinshade wailed, dissolving into wisps, leaving a corrupted runic shard glowing on the floor.
Soren touched it, his status flickering:
Name: Soren Vey
Echo Affinity: Grief (Tier 2 - Volatile)
Resonance Points: 80/100
Skills: Emotional Echo (Passive), Shadow Slash (Active), Echo Pulse (Basic)
Traits: Bone Armor (+20% Defense), Resonance Sense (Basic), Shadow Bind (Basic)
Corruption Risk: 55%
Shadow Bind? The hum sharpened, letting him briefly restrain a shadow with his mind. But the chill deepened, like a beast clawing free. What am I becoming?
Veyra panted, blood dripping from a new gash. "That was no ordinary Echo. Someone's waking these relics." She glared at Kai, who clutched his journal, eyes averted. Mira's Lightveil dimmed, her voice low. "The runes match… Kai, what do you know?"
Kai stiffened. "I study relics. That's all." But his guilt was deafening. Soren stepped forward, knife raised. "Show us the journal." Kai hesitated, then opened it. The rune glowed crimson, pulsing with the vault's energy. "I found it in the archives," he said, voice shaky. "It's Resonance tech, not betrayal."
Torren's voice cut through. "Enough." He stood at the chamber's entrance, guards behind him. "Kai, you're confined until we verify that." His eyes locked on Soren. "Unbound, your Corruption's climbing. Control it, or we will." The hum carried suspicion—Torren's, Kai's, someone else's.
That night, Soren lay in the barracks, the hum a restless storm. The corrupted rune haunted him—was Kai a traitor, or a pawn? Mira's touch lingered, her You're not alone clashing with Lila's pendant in his satchel, its weight a promise. I'll come back stronger. But Corruption pulsed, like a beast gnawing his heart.
A pulse shook the vault below, not a rumble but a heartbeat, ancient and wrong. Shadows flickered in the corridor, human again, but now a voice whispered—"Unbound, you're the key." Soren's Shadow flared, crimson eyes glowing. The door creaked, a runic blade glinting in the dark, aimed at him.
Soren rolled off his cot, knife ready. Someone wants me dead. The Citadel's secrets were unraveling, and he was their heart.