The bustling city of Lysoria was a place where emotions dictated everything. In this world, human emotions manifested as "Echoes," ethereal beings visible only to their owners. These Echoes symbolized the inner essence of a person and influenced their fate, power, and even social standing. To be without an Echo was to be an anomaly—a curse. And Kael Arata was one such anomaly.
Kael sat on the edge of a crumbling rooftop, overlooking the sprawling city below. The evening lights of Lysoria glowed like scattered fireflies, but the world felt cold and distant to him. His silver-white hair caught the faint glow of a nearby lantern, while his mismatched eyes—one pale gray, the other dark red—stared blankly at the horizon.
"Hey, cursed kid!"
Kael turned his head slightly as a gang of street youths gathered in the alley below. Their Echoes shimmered faintly beside them, taking the form of animals, weapons, or abstract shapes.
"You gonna sit there all day, or you finally gonna run off into the Abyss where you belong?" one of them taunted.
Kael smirked, leaning forward. "I might. But then who would you all pick on for entertainment?"
The group jeered, but they didn't dare climb up to confront him. Kael's reputation as the "Cursed Child" of Lysoria was enough to keep most people at arm's length. While he had no Echo to protect him, he'd earned a reputation for being unnervingly resilient—and dangerous when provoked.
---
The Weight of Isolation
Later that night, Kael wandered the narrow streets of the city. The lively chatter of merchants and the laughter of children echoed around him, but he felt like a ghost among the living. Without an Echo, he was an outcast, unable to connect with others in a world where Echoes represented one's soul.
He stopped at a market stall to buy bread, ignoring the vendor's wary glance. As he handed over his coins, he overheard a conversation between two women nearby.
"Another disappearance in Ravenshade. They say Shades are spreading from the forest."
"Shades? Here? The Echo Council will take care of it, won't they?"
Kael frowned. Shades—monstrous forms of corrupted Echoes—were becoming more frequent. The Council claimed to protect the people, but Kael had always doubted their intentions.
"Not my problem," he muttered, turning away.
---
A Chance Encounter
As the night deepened, Kael wandered into the quieter part of the city, where dim lanterns flickered and shadows danced. He didn't intend to stop, but a faint sound caught his attention—a soft whimper, like a wounded animal.
Following the sound, he turned into an alley and froze. A girl lay slumped against the wall, her auburn hair matted with dirt and her breathing shallow. She looked barely older than him, and next to her was something horrifying: a Shade.
The creature was humanoid yet grotesque, its body warped and shrouded in black, crackling energy. Its glowing red eyes locked onto Kael as it hissed, positioning itself protectively in front of the unconscious girl.
Kael's instincts screamed at him to run, but something held him in place. The girl's fragile state stirred something within him—an unfamiliar sense of responsibility.
The Shade lunged.
Kael dodged narrowly, adrenaline surging through him. "Of all the things to find tonight..."
The creature's claws swiped at him again, but Kael grabbed a broken pipe from the ground, using it to block the attack. The force sent him sprawling, the pipe snapping in half.
Desperate, Kael's hand brushed against the girl's shoulder. A jolt of energy surged through him, and his vision blurred.
Then it happened.
Black tendrils erupted from his hand, coiling around the Shade. The creature screeched, thrashing violently, but the tendrils tightened, pulling it closer to Kael. With a sickening crunch, the Shade dissolved into wisps of dark energy, which the tendrils absorbed into Kael's body.
Kael staggered back, clutching his chest. His heart raced, his veins felt like they were on fire, but he was alive. The Shade was gone.
"What... was that?" he whispered, staring at his hands. The dark tendrils faded, leaving only faint black scars along his fingers.
The girl stirred, her emerald-green eyes fluttering open. She looked at Kael, her expression a mix of fear and confusion.
"You... saved me?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
Kael nodded slowly. "I guess so."
---
Unwelcome Revelations
Kael helped the girl to her feet, noting the faint shimmer of an Echo—a phoenix—hovering weakly beside her. It was the first time he had ever been this close to someone with an Echo.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Seren," she said, wincing as she tried to stand. "I—thank you. That Shade... it was my Echo."
Kael's eyes widened. "Your Echo turned into that thing?"
Seren nodded, shame coloring her face. "I couldn't control my emotions. It twisted my Echo... it almost consumed me."
Kael processed her words, his mind racing. He had always been an outcast for not having an Echo, but now he'd absorbed a corrupted one. What did that make him?
"We need to leave," Seren said suddenly, her eyes darting around. "The Echo Council—they'll come for me. They'll kill me if they find out what happened."
Kael frowned. "Why? Isn't the Council supposed to protect people?"
Seren shook her head. "Not if they think you're dangerous. They'll do whatever it takes to cover up what happened."
Kael clenched his fists. The world he had always known—where Echoes defined everything—was unraveling before him.
"Fine," he said, his voice firm. "I'll help you. But you're going to tell me everything."
Seren hesitated, then nodded. "Deal."
The two disappeared into the night, leaving behind a faint trace of dark energy in the alley. Unbeknownst to them, a shadowy figure watched from the rooftops, their Echo coiling around them like a serpent.
"So," the figure murmured, "the Void has awakened."