The air above Halvyr City shimmered with tension. Once a thriving metropolis, it was now abandoned—its steel towers cracked and half-submerged in shadows. Locals called it the Crater of Silence, and no one who entered ever came back.
That's where Echo lived.
A rogue Devourer.
A reflection of what Kairo could become… if he ever gave in.
---
Kairo stood on the outskirts, the wind tugging at his coat. Beside him, Riven quietly adjusted the black gauntlet on his arm, while Vexa scanned the horizon with narrowed eyes.
"There's no Essence signature," she muttered. "He's cloaking himself."
Kairo unsheathed his blade. "Good. That means he knows we're coming."
They stepped into the city.
Immediately, the temperature dropped. Buildings loomed like frozen giants. A static hum filled the air, and occasionally—faint whispers echoed through the fog.
"You feel that?" Riven said.
Kairo nodded. "Essence distortion. He's bending the air around us."
Suddenly, a figure stepped from the mist.
Pale-skinned, draped in a cloak of writhing shadows, eyes glowing a faint purple. His voice was soft, but it cracked with layered tones—like multiple people speaking at once.
"So the child of the throne comes to die."
---
Kairo stepped forward. "You're Echo?"
The figure chuckled. "I was once. Now I am… what remains."
Vexa whispered, "Don't engage until I disable the barrier."
Too late.
Echo's hand rose—and the world exploded with dark tendrils.
Riven leapt back, deflecting a blast of twisted energy. "It's not shadow—it's Essence made sentient!"
Kairo was already moving, sword drawn, slashing through the chaos. But every time he landed a hit, Echo simply reformed—as if nothing hurt him.
> [System Notification: High-tier Devourer recognized. Sync Level: 82%. Weakness: Unknown.]
Echo's grin widened. "You can't kill what has no center."
Kairo activated Mirror Break again.
Shards of himself emerged, flanking Echo from every side. Their blades struck as one.
But Echo snapped his fingers—and the mirrors shattered.
> [Warning: Mirror Break disrupted. Echo has Devourer Immunity Tier 2.]
The shock knocked Kairo back. Blood dripped from his nose.
"You're not ready," Echo said, walking toward him. "But you're close."
He reached out—and touched Kairo's chest.
Instantly, Kairo was flooded with visions.
A world ruled by Devourers. Oceans boiling. The sky black with ash. And atop it all, himself, crowned in shadows, laughing as galaxies burned.
Kairo screamed and collapsed.
---
When he opened his eyes, the world was silent again. Echo was gone.
Riven and Vexa knelt beside him, both bruised but alive.
"What did he show you?" Vexa asked.
Kairo's voice shook. "A future... where I become him."
Riven looked grim. "Then we stop it now. Train harder. Strike faster. No more holding back."
Kairo nodded.
But something had changed in him.
> [Essence Evolution: Triggered by Echo's Touch]
[New Trait Unlocked: Abyssal Echo - Absorb memories through battle]
He had absorbed a piece of Echo's power.
Not by choice—but by consequence.
---
That night, Kairo sat alone on the roof of the guild hall, staring at the stars. The wind carried the faint sound of a flute—Echo's melody, haunting and beautiful.
Somewhere out there, the rogue Devourer was watching.
Waiting.
And Kairo knew: next time, only one of them would survive.