Timestamp: Cycle 4, Month 7 — Rain Season
Location: Abyssal Rift Zone Delta-03, Secondary Platform
The storm above the trench intensified, wind and rain lashing against the jagged remains of the abandoned facility. Water pooled in fractured panels and along the edges of broken walkways, reflecting the neon glows of active Frames. Each ripple in the puddles shimmered with residual M.A.N.A., the energy signature lingering from past Rift blooms. It was the kind of environment that tested every pilot's synchronization — every hesitation, every misstep amplified under the weight of observation.
Allen's Helion Vanguard stood firm, thrusters braced against the slick platform. The amber glow of its reinforced plating pulsed in sync with the Frame's internal kinetic core — a fusion of Mana and Abyss energy designed to endure and dish out heavy assault power. Helion Vanguard, a Terran-Class Frame, had been upgraded for frontline dominance: thick armor, kinetic convergence stabilizers, and energy cannon arms capable of flattening structural debris or Rift anomalies alike. Allen could feel the hum of the Frame's systems vibrating through his neural interface — a continuous feedback of energy, pressure, and resonance.
Mateo Reyes hovered in Aegis Halo above, wings catching the refracted light of M.A.N.A. particles in the air. Each feathered energy appendage radiated soft blue and white light, resonating in harmony with his neural link. Aegis Halo, a Divine-Class Frame, excelled in precise aerial combat and resonance control, able to sense the energy signatures of other Frames and even anticipate Rift activity. Mateo's calm gaze scanned the platform below, analyzing patterns faster than human reflexes could follow.
"Readings spiking across the northern quadrant," Mateo said, voice clipped through comms, though there was a tension he rarely let show. "This isn't just residual Bloom. Something is… mimicking our signatures."
Allen's brow furrowed beneath his visor. "Mimicking… how exactly?" Helion Vanguard's armored shoulders tensed as he prepared for immediate engagement.
Jade's voice came next, calm but precise, over the comm link. "It's a semi-sentient resonance feedback loop," he explained. "Think of it as a ghost in the system. The Rift's Abyss energy observes the energy frequencies — the M.A.N.A. signatures emitted by each Frame when synchronized with a pilot — and mirrors them in real time. It doesn't think like a human, but it reacts to your neural patterns. Every movement you make, it attempts to replicate."
"So it's a reflection," Allen muttered, eyes narrowing. "A deadly copy."
Dean Knicko Pineda flared Astra Nova's wings, silver feathers catching the storm's light. "Exactly," he said. "And if it mirrors perfectly, it can turn your own attacks against you. You have to outthink it — not outfight it."
Allen exhaled, feeling Helion Vanguard's kinetic thrusters adjusting to micro-variations in balance. His Frame's armor vibrated faintly, responding to the rhythm of his heartbeat and neural signals. Neural synchronization was what allowed pilots like Allen to operate their Frames as extensions of themselves, blending instinct, reflex, and thought into machine action. A misstep, even by a fraction of a second, could mean catastrophic resonance feedback — or worse.
Across the platform, a dark figure began to coalesce. The Echo Beast — as the team had begun calling it — shimmered at the edge of the energy field. Its translucent body was vaguely humanoid, limbs elongated and flickering with violet tendrils of Abyss energy. Each movement mirrored Helion Vanguard's stance exactly, down to the tiniest pivot of armor plates and thruster flare. The spectral creature's eyes glowed like fractured amethyst, scanning, calculating, imitating.
"Remember," Jasmine shouted, spiraling Tempest Wing overhead, "resonance variance is the key. If you keep the same frequency, it adapts instantly."
Allen flexed his fingers across the Frame controls, feeling the subtle feedback of energy channels running through Helion Vanguard. He adjusted the core modulation slightly, sending pulses of amber light in irregular intervals. Sparks danced across the platform as the Echo Beast lunged, matching each pivot and shift. For a heartbeat, it faltered — a fraction of a second where the synchronization broke.
"Now!" Jasmine yelled, firing a rapid volley of arcane projectiles from Tempest Wing. The Echo Beast tried to parry, but the tiny disruption was enough. It staggered backward, colliding with a fractured wall. Fragments of spectral energy shimmered, scattering across puddles of rainwater.
Liwayway Cruz's voice cut in, calm as ever, grounded in science and engineering. "That's the effect of residual Bloom energy. Abyss energy is chaotic by nature — mutating, unpredictable. The Rift coalesced it into structure, forming the Echo Beast. But notice how even a slight frequency variance destabilizes it. That's our window."
Allen nodded, feeling the rhythm of combat settle into a tense, analytical pace. Every move was a calculation — every dodge, thrust, or swing meant to mislead the Echo Beast into mismatching its mimicry. Abyss energy, unlike Mana or Astral resonance, had no natural equilibrium. It fed on chaos, and the creature's semi-sentient form was a temporary harmony of that energy, stabilized just enough to imitate.
Kiyo Tan's RX-00 Shadow darted along the edges of the platform, moving like a silver blur. Short-range teleportation, or Shadow-Step, allowed the cadet to reposition instantly, providing reconnaissance and flanking support. "It's… like it's alive," Kiyo whispered over comms. "But only in the sense that it reacts."
"Intelligent, not conscious," Jade corrected. "It has no self-preservation beyond mimicry. Treat it like a weaponized reflection — deadly only if we let it anticipate our moves."
Allen's mind raced. The Echo Beast struck again, faster this time. Helion Vanguard pivoted, swinging an arm in a calculated arc, but the creature anticipated, swinging its spectral form to meet the attack. Sparks erupted, concrete fractured, and rainwater hissed as Abyss energy touched steel. Allen adjusted the energy core again — a subtle pulse, altering frequency by only a few percent. The Echo Beast's movement faltered, just enough.
Dean coordinated Astra Nova's aerial maneuvers, flanking the beast to create a corridor. "Keep the pressure on it!" he commanded. "Force it into instability!"
Allen nodded and charged. The massive fists of Helion Vanguard slammed down in a combination of kinetic impact and resonance pulse. The Echo Beast collided with the platform wall, spectral tendrils scattering. Allen felt the subtle hum of residual energy, the way the Rift's mimicry tried to reassemble the creature. It was adaptive, but not omnipotent.
Jasmine dove in from above, Tempest Wing spiraling in a high-speed maneuver, striking with energy projectiles timed to Allen's attacks. Sparks and violet light collided, illuminating the storm in flashes. The Echo Beast staggered, fragments of its Abyss energy dispersing into the rain-soaked air.
"Remember," Mateo's voice guided through comms, calm as ever, "this proves it — Rifts adapt, yes, but they are learning from information, not intuition. Your resonance, your movement, even your micro-adjustments, all of it is data to them. What we understand, we can manipulate."
Allen felt Helion Vanguard's amber core pulse stronger as he synchronized more fully, integrating the slight adjustments in frequency into his neural link. Every swing, pivot, and thrust was an experiment — every micro-correction sending contradictory signals to the Echo Beast. He saw it falter again, its semi-solid form flickering like corrupted data.
Finally, with a coordinated strike between Helion Vanguard and Tempest Wing, the Echo Beast shattered. Fragments of violet energy scattered across the platform, slowly dissipating. Rainwater shimmered where the echoes of Abyss energy lingered. It wasn't gone — the residual signature persisted in the trench — but for now, the immediate threat was neutralized.
Allen exhaled through the comm sensors. "Status?"
Dean's voice carried both relief and respect. "Impressive, Allen. That was textbook coordination under impossible pressure."
Mateo hovered above, wings gently folding, a calm presence in the storm. "The Echo Beast shows us the truth. Frames, pilots, and resonance are more than combat tools — they are information. Today, you learned that our moves, our energy, our decisions, all feed the Rift. Adaptation isn't optional; it's mandatory."
Allen allowed himself a brief, exhausted smile. "Let it learn," he muttered. "We'll be ready next time."
Above the platform, subtle Abyss energy pulses continued, a reminder that the Echo Beast's memory persisted, a lingering lesson waiting for its next encounter. And in the heart of Delta-03, the trench whispered with the quiet knowledge of what was to come.