The runic blade glinted in the dark, its crimson glow slicing through the barracks door's cracks. Soren rolled off his cot, knife clutched tight, the hum screaming in his ears—a chaotic pulse of something vast, something hungry. His Shadow Echo stirred, crimson eyes flaring, ready to strike. The whisper from the vaults echoed—"Unbound, you're the key"—its ancient tone chilling his bones. The chill of Corruption, now 55%, gnawed at his heart, like a beast twisting his mother's shadow within it. Someone wants me dead. Footsteps retreated, but the hum warned: They'll be back.
Morning light barely pierced the Citadel's stormy sky. Veyra summoned Soren and Mira to the Hall of Runes, her runic armor scarred, her Wolf Echo pacing with courage dimmed by doubt. Kai was absent, confined for his crimson rune, his guilt still a sharp note in Soren's hum. Mira's Lightveil glowed softly, her gentle eyes clouded with worry. "Kai's not the traitor," she whispered, touching Soren's arm. "He's scared, like us." Her warmth stirred memories of Lila's fierce loyalty, her pendant heavy in his satchel. I'll come back stronger.
Commander Torren's scarred face was grim. "A blade was drawn last night. Someone's targeting the Unbound." His gaze bored into Soren, heavy with suspicion. "You're on relic duty. Investigate the vault's core. Find the traitor." The hum prickled—betrayal lurking in the Citadel's shadows.
The vault's core was deeper, a labyrinth of iron and stone, air thick with dust and malice. The crimson runes pulsed erratically, their wrongness clawing at Soren's senses. Veyra led, her Wolf scouting ahead, while Mira's Lightveil lit the path, her calm steadying him. "You're not alone," she said, her voice a quiet anchor. Soren's Shadow stirred, its crimson eyes scanning the dark, his Echo Pulse sensing vibrations—something alive, something ancient.
A scrape echoed, metal on stone. A cloaked figure emerged, wielding a runic blade etched with crimson veins—the same from the barracks. The figure's face was hidden, but their malice hit like a wave, a new Echo forming: a Shadeblade, its form a spectral warrior with glowing amber eyes, its blade pulsing with betrayal-forged power. Mother's shadow flickered, her voice faint—"Soren, fight."
"Move!" Veyra shouted, her Wolf lunging, claws sparking against the Shadeblade's armor. The cloaked figure slashed, grazing Veyra's side, her courage faltering. Soren's Shadow surged, Shadow Slash clashing with the Shadeblade's edge, but its runes deflected, sending him reeling. Pain seared, Corruption spiking: 60%. It's consuming me. Mira's Lightveil swept in, dulling the chill. "Stay with me," she urged, her eyes pleading, echoing Lila's Stay alive.
The cloaked figure spoke, voice low, ancient. "Unbound, your power wakes the Forgotten." They struck again, the Shadeblade's amber eyes flaring. Soren dodged, his Shadow Bind briefly restraining the Echo, but it broke free, its blade grazing his arm. Blood dripped, the hum roaring, mother's shadow twisting—"Hold on, Soren." He focused, Echo Pulse guiding his Shadow to the Shadeblade's core. Strength surged, his Bone Armor hardening, but Corruption burned: 65%.
Veyra's Wolf tore at the Shadeblade, giving Mira an opening. Her Lightveil burned its runes, weakening it. Soren struck, Shadow Slash carving deep, absorbing a fragment of its essence. Vertigo hit, the hum deafening, but the Shadeblade wailed, dissolving into wisps. The cloaked figure fled, dropping a runic shard glowing crimson, its pattern matching Kai's journal.
Soren touched the shard, his status flickering:
Name: Soren Vey
Echo Affinity: Grief (Tier 2 - Volatile)
Resonance Points: 95/100
Skills: Emotional Echo (Passive), Shadow Slash (Active), Echo Pulse (Basic), Shadow Bind (Basic)
Traits: Bone Armor (+20% Defense), Resonance Sense (Basic), Echo Ward (Basic)
Corruption Risk: 65%
Echo Ward? The hum sharpened, letting him sense a faint barrier around his Shadow, deflecting minor attacks. But the chill deepened, like a beast clawing free, twisting his mother's shadow. What's this power turning me into?
Veyra clutched her side, blood seeping. "That was a Sentinel's blade. Someone's turned." Mira's Lightveil dimmed, her voice trembling. "The Forgotten… what are they?" Soren gripped the runic shard, its wrongness echoing Kai's rune. Is he part of this, or a victim?
Torren arrived, his suspicion a blade in the hum. "You stopped it, but the traitor's still free." He took the shard, eyes narrowing. "Kai's confinement ends. He's cleared—for now." Soren's hum disagreed, guilt lingering in Kai's absence.
That night, Soren lay awake, the hum a storm. The runic shard haunted him—was Kai a pawn, or the cloaked figure? Mira's Stay with me clashed with Lila's pendant, its weight a vow. I'll come back stronger. But Corruption pulsed, like a beast swallowing his soul.
A pulse shook the vault, not a heartbeat but a scream—ancient, wrathful. Shadows writhed below, not Echoes but something vaster, their glowing eyes—not red, but white—piercing the dark. A voice whispered, "Unbound, you'll break or become." Soren's Shadow flared, crimson eyes glowing, but the hum screamed: The Citadel's falling.