The city was bleeding light.
Rain hissed on rusted rooftops, washing away the last neon glow from shattered signs. Somewhere far off, sirens screamed—a lullaby for the broken. Kieran Vale hunched in the alley, coat soaked through, fists clenched around a half-eaten protein bar he'd stolen hours ago.
He hadn't eaten in two days.
Another night, another storm, another game of "don't die." He glanced upward at the towers stretching into the black sky, where drones blinked like dying stars. The rich still lived above, behind glass and steel, but down here in the slums… you were forgotten.
Just the way the world liked it.
Kieran leaned back against the cold wall, trying to ignore the ache in his gut, when the air changed.
It wasn't the kind of change you could see or smell. It was deeper—like gravity forgot how to pull. The sounds of the city dimmed. Even the rain stopped making noise. And then…
A crack.
Not in the alley. Not in the air.
In reality.
It started as a silver thread, hanging in midair like a spiderweb spun from lightning. It pulsed once. Twice. Then shattered with a soundless scream.
Kieran had a second—maybe less—to take a breath before the world beneath him exploded into light.
---
[You have been Claimed.]
[Echo Core: Activated.]
[Initializing Host Integration…]
[WARNING: Host soul is unstable.]
---
He landed hard.
The rain was gone. The city was gone.
Kieran rolled onto his side, coughing, sand in his mouth. Not just sand. Ash. The world was painted in shades of grey and crimson. Towering ruins jutted from the landscape like bones. A sky with no sun loomed above, cracked and swirling with dark clouds.
And in the distance… something screamed.
Not human.
Not even close.
---
[Echo Core Sync: 87%]
[Welcome to VEYRUIN.]
[Survive.]
Kieran sat up slowly, muscles aching. His coat was torn, fingers raw from the impact. The ground felt wrong—too soft and too dry, like walking on dead leaves that had never lived.
The air was cold, but not the kind he was used to. It wasn't just temperature. It was… empty. Hollow.
Then the voice returned.
---
[Echo Core: Integration Complete.]
[Designation: Kieran Vale]
[Title: Drifter]
[Core Level: 1]
[Traits: None]
[Sigil Slot: Locked]
[Vitality: 100/100] | [Stamina: 100/100] | [Soul Integrity: 98%]
---
"What the hell…"
Words floated before his eyes, shimmering in the air like transparent fire. He reached out instinctively—and it passed through them. A system? Like the old AR tech? But this was deeper. It wasn't overlaid on his vision. It was in him.
A loud crunch echoed nearby.
Kieran froze.
Fog began to roll through the dead cityscape. It slithered like it was alive, wrapping around twisted metal and shattered stone. Something moved within it—lumbering, dragging itself forward.
A shape emerged.
Eight feet tall. Gaunt. Bone-white skin stretched tight over its frame. Its head was tilted, neck bent at an unnatural angle, and where its eyes should have been… there were holes. Just hollow, leaking pits of black smoke.
The thing sniffed the air.
And turned toward him.
---
[Warning: Host detected by WRAITHBORN entity — "Husk Marauder"]
[Threat Level: Tier 1 - Fatal]
[Recommended Action: Flee.]
---
Kieran didn't need to be told twice.
He bolted, feet slamming into cracked stone as the monster shrieked behind him, the sound like metal being scraped raw. He ducked under broken arches, sprinted through narrow alleys of ash and bone, heart slamming in his chest.
But the Marauder was fast.
Too fast.
A sudden blow sent him flying through a decaying wall. Pain exploded in his ribs. He coughed blood, vision blurring. The thing stepped through the dust, its faceless head twitching with excitement.
And then—
---
[Emergency Sigil Unlocked: "Graveheart"]
[Trait Gained: Deathbound — Survive one fatal blow with 1 HP. Cooldown: 24 hours.]
---
The creature lunged.
Its claws pierced his chest—but something flared inside Kieran. A burning heat. A shadow.
He didn't die.
Instead, a pulse of dark energy exploded outward from his chest, throwing the Marauder backward in a howling storm of force.
Kieran staggered to his feet, bleeding, barely conscious. But something in his eyes had changed.
---
[Graveheart: Awakened.]
[Passive: Absorb Fragment — Gain strength from slain Wraithborn.]
[Active: Soul Lash — Unleash stored rage in a shadow strike. Cooldown: 60s.]
---
He looked down at his shaking hands. Shadows curled around his fingertips, coiling like smoke.
The monster charged again.
This time, Kieran ran toward it.