A deep, guttural growl echoed. Another wolf emerged, larger than the last, eyes shining in the darkness. It moved with deadly grace, already navigating the hazards with ease.
Echoframe's message flashed behind his eyes:
[Objective: Survive 5 Minutes. Use the environment!]
Noctis scrambled, sword ready. He stumbled over loose gravel, nearly twisted his ankle on a hidden drop.
"Of course. Because running for my life wasn't enough!" he snarled, frustration mixing with adrenaline.
The wolf lunged. Noctis danced back, barely avoiding rows of fangs—only to slide on gravel and smack his elbow on a stone spike.
"Dammit!" He scrambled onto a boulder as the wolf closed in, jaws snapping at his feet. With a burst of speed, he leaped to a higher outcrop—a narrow ledge with sharp stone below.
The wolf circled, then backed up. Noctis didn't like the look in its eyes.
The beast charged, barreling into the rocks. The ledge cracked. Noctis threw himself to the side, landing painfully on broken stone, scraping blood from his palm.
He pressed on, breath ragged, tumbling between obstacles as the wolf hunted him relentlessly. One false step and he barely rolled away from a gaping pit, the wolf's claws swiping so close they sliced his shirt.
[03:12 Remaining]
Noctis hopped boulders, ducked under jagged archways. A falling stone clipped his shoulder—a new bruise and a curse.
"You know, Echoframe," he muttered, "I'm starting to take this personally!"
The wolf never hesitated. It sprang up, twisted through the maze, forced Noctis into tighter and tighter corners.
He ducked behind a pillar as the wolf roared past, smashing a rock to rubble. Stone shards pelted Noctis as he darted for safer ground.
[01:16 Remaining]
In one desperate move, Noctis hurled a loose stone at the wolf, then sprinted for a narrow gap. The wolf gave chase, but its massive body wedged in the rocky walls.
Noctis didn't miss the chance—he scrambled over a crevice, barely avoiding another collapse.
The seconds crawled. The wolf broke free; Noctis tripped, skidded down a slick slope, nearly overshooting a pit. The beast followed, relentless—but the Echoframe's warnings flared—chilled wind told him where to pivot, kept him one step ahead.
[0:03 Remaining]
The wolf pounced for him as time ran out. Noctis threw himself off a ledge, landing hard.
[Test Complete.]
The beast vanished as the battered terrain stilled.
Noctis lay sprawled, gasping, shaken, body aching. He laughed weakly, spitting grit from his mouth.
"This place... is insane."
He dragged himself upright, knowing it would only get harder from here.
Noctis barely had seconds to recover. The Echoframe's healing threads barely stitched the worst wounds, his legs still shaky from the last chase. Before his pulse even steadied, shadows began to ripple across the ground.
[Warning: New Threat - Ability Detected]
The next wolf emerged—its fur dusk-black, trailing wisps of darkness with every step. Its eyes glowed red, and whenever Noctis tried to focus, the beast seemed to flicker, fade, or split into two blurred shapes.
He tensed, sword raised. "Great. Now you're cheating."
The time limit pulsed—five minutes again, jagged rocks everywhere, gaps yawning underfoot. Noctis moved, weaving between spikes, using every scrap of terrain for cover. The wolf prowled, then suddenly vanished—a black mist. It reappeared behind him, claws already swiping for his throat.
Noctis ducked, barely avoiding death. His arm burned where claws raked flesh. "Fast, too. This just keeps getting better," he spat, voice shaking.
He sprinted across shifting stone, breath coming short. The wolf blinked from place to place—one instant snarling up close, the next snapping just out of reach. Every time Noctis stumbled, the wolf nearly ended him.
[Echoframe Alert: Critical Status Approaching.]
A chilling message thrummed in his senses—
[Skill Unlock - Burst: Unleash Reflex]
[One use. After activation, all senses accelerate for 10 seconds. Caution: severe fatigue after use.]
Noctis could feel it—a heavy sensation in his chest, almost electric.
He ducked, rolled, scrambled, the wolf's shadow flickering over him like death.
Seconds ticked down. Noctis dodged left—another claw missed by a hair.
"Fine!" he shouted, desperation breaking. "Now or never!"
He triggered the Burst. The world slowed—the wolf's every movement painted in blinding clarity. Noctis moved like a storm, jumping over rocks, ducking under claws, sword slashing pure instinct. The wolf blurred, faded, tried to vanish, but Noctis was everywhere at once.
For 10 heartbeats, he was unstoppable—dodging, feinting, striking back, daring the beast to catch him. He cut a shallow gash on its flank, dove beneath snapping jaws, flipped past a pit and slammed a loose stone into its face.
As Burst faded, the world crashed back in. The wolf howled, dazed but deadly, claws inches from Noctis's head.
Noctis stumbled, collapsing behind a boulder as fatigue slammed into him—body screaming, nerves on fire. The beast lunged for a final strike, but the time ticked down:
[Challenge Complete.]
The wolf dissolved, shadows scattering with its scream.
Noctis fell to his knees, sobbing for breath, arms shaking.
He managed a laugh, half-crazed, half-proud.
"Used my ace too early, huh? Echoframe—you better give me something worth it."
All around, the void began to tremble, hinting at the fourth test.
Noctis grinned through exhaustion, eyes blazing. He was battered, but he'd survived even the shadows.
Noctis woke to the biting chill of the void and a raw, metallic taste in his mouth. The wounds from past battles still throbbed—a dull reminder he was slower, and every wrong move could be the last. He flexed his fingers, feeling the half-healed gash on his palm and a stiffness in his ribs that made each breath a struggle.
The Echoframe whispered:
[New Test: Survive 30 Minutes—Three Enhanced Wolves. Burst Skill Duration: 30 seconds. Caution: Hostile Terrain. Objective: Survive or Kill.]
He scanned the warzone. Blade-like rocks, narrow ridges, bottomless pits blocked almost every escape. Some ledges were slick with an oily sheen—perfect for tripping, impossible for resting. But the wolves, prowling the shadows with hunger and uncanny coordination, seemed almost designed for this ground.
Noctis was outnumbered and outmatched, but not without hope. He forced slow, controlled breaths, mind racing.
Think. Don't just run. Use the land. Time the Burst. Pick them off.
The timer flashed: [30:00]. As if on cue, the first wolf darted in—a blur of teeth and fury. Noctis dodged left, skidding on gravel, nearly sliding into a pit. The second wolf leapt from a ridge overhead, claws raking down his shoulder. He staggered, rolling under a toothy snap, kicking a stone to force the beast back.
The third circled, eyes bright, always hunting for an opening.
Noctis retreated up a slope, bleeding, thinking furiously. Too risky to use Burst now. Need to thin the pack first.
He choked down panic and shouted—voice shaky but determined:
"Come on! You want me? Earn it!"
He found a narrow corridor flanked by stone blades. If he could bait one wolf in, catch it between him and the rocks…
He turned and ran, slashing wildly to draw attention. One wolf lunged in pursuit. Noctis backpedaled, sword ready. The rocks pinched closer; the wolf dove for his legs.
"Now!" He swung, blade sparking on stone—the wolf trapped, stumbling as Noctis rammed a loose chunk into its face, then stabbed through its exposed neck.
It thrashed, dying, black blood spilling between stone.
But Noctis's victory came at a cost—another wolf slammed into his side, claws digging deep. He collapsed, gasping, shattered ribs grinding.
Now? Too soon. Wait—make it count.
He tumbled, rolling with pain, vision flashing with memories—his mother's voice, abandoned for coins, Magi's betrayal in the alley.
You don't get to leave me here. I choose what happens now!
The second wolf approached warily, but Noctis wasn't ready. He feinted left, slashed at its snout, barely keeping ground. The third attacked from behind, jaws snapping, driving him toward a ledge.
He slipped—feet dangling over an abyss. The wolf tried to claw him off, but Noctis grabbed a rock, swung into its temple, and scrambled back up, every muscle screaming.
[17:48]
His blood dripped from gaping wounds, breath raspy. He'd lost his chance for clean survival.