Kael and Seren approached the outskirts of Ravenshade, a town notorious for recent disappearances linked to corrupted Echoes. The fog that blanketed the area felt alive, pulsing faintly with energy that made Seren shiver.
"This place reeks of corruption," Kael muttered, his mismatched eyes scanning their surroundings.
As they entered the town, they found it eerily empty. Doors hung ajar, and the remnants of daily life were left abandoned. Seren's phoenix stirred uneasily, reflecting her own growing apprehension.
The duo investigated the central plaza, where scorch marks and clawed grooves marred the stone ground. Seren knelt, examining traces of Echo energy—twisted, blackened trails leading into the surrounding woods.
Before they could follow the trail, a scream pierced the silence. A young man burst into view, chased by a massive Shade resembling a deformed hound with multiple heads.
Kael reacted instantly, summoning his Void tendrils to intercept the creature. The tendrils lashed out, coiling around the Shade's limbs, but it thrashed violently, forcing Kael to hold it back with gritted teeth.
Seren summoned her phoenix, which soared into the fray, blasting the Shade with emerald flames. The creature howled, staggering but not defeated.
"Kael, there's something off about this one!" Seren shouted.
Kael noticed it too—this Shade felt more controlled, its movements almost deliberate. He pushed harder, his tendrils tightening until the creature dissolved into black ash.
The young man they saved introduced himself as Harlan, a surviving villager. He revealed that the Echo Council had been abducting townsfolk under the guise of "protecting" them from corrupted Echoes.
"They're experimenting on us," Harlan whispered, his eyes hollow. "Twisting our Echoes into weapons."
Seren's fists clenched as memories of her family's betrayal resurfaced. Kael placed a hand on her shoulder.
"We'll put an end to this," he said, his voice steady.
The chapter ends with Kael and Seren following the corrupted Echo trail deeper into the forest, unaware they're being watched by an Echo Council operative lurking in the shadows.