The lingering echo of the mysterious voice haunted Kairos as he lay awake in the darkness. The one who set the cycle in motion… What cycle? And why was he at the center of it?
The system, usually a constant whisper in his mind, was silent.
He clenched his fist. "No more riddles. If you want me to break something, show me what it is."
The moment the words left his lips, a cold pulse shot through his body. His vision blurred—and suddenly—
---
The Nexus Rift
He was somewhere else.
A realm of shifting constellations and endless fractures, like a shattered mirror reflecting a thousand realities. Floating fragments of forgotten places surrounded him—ruins, forests, and cities lost to time.
And then—
The voice returned, but this time, it wasn't distant.
It was everywhere.
> "You demand answers. Very well. Witness the truth."
The space around him tore open, and scenes flashed before his eyes:
Countless individuals before him, each wielding a system—each reaching their peak, only to fall.
World after world consumed by the same force, a cycle of rise and collapse.
And in the heart of it—a looming, crystalline entity, its endless eyes reflecting every version of reality.
The voice spoke again, low and grim.
> "The system you wield is not a gift. It is a forge. A means to create the perfect vessel—one who can either shatter the cycle… or become its final cornerstone."
Kairos felt his heart race. "Why me?"
> "Because you are the first anomaly. The first to deviate from the Architect's design. The first… to evolve beyond its limits."
The space around him trembled.
> "But you are not alone. Others will come. Rivals, enemies, forces beyond your understanding. And when the cycle reaches its end…"
The voice darkened.
> "…You will face the Architect itself."
The vision collapsed—
---
Return to Reality
Kairos gasped and shot upright in his bed. His entire body burned with new power, his veins humming with raw energy. The system, finally breaking its silence, chimed in his mind:
[New Evolution Unlocked: Path of the Echobreaker]
[Skill Acquired: Riftstep – Traverse between the echoes of reality]
[Ability Enhanced: Adaptive Resonance → Echoflow – Instinctively counter and evolve in real-time against any opponent]
His breath was ragged, but his eyes…
His eyes burned with clarity.
---
The Academy Courtyard – Dawn
Kairos stood under the rising sun, his fists tightening. He felt different. Not just stronger—complete. As if every battle, every struggle, had been leading him to this exact moment.
Then—
A slow clap.
Kieran Vale stepped from the shadows, his cold blue eyes locked on Kairos with a glint of interest.
"I don't know what you just went through," he said, his voice low. "But your power—" He grinned, a rare, sharp expression. "—I felt it. And I want to test it."
Kairos's lips curled into a smirk. "You're not the first to challenge me. But if you want a fight—" He cracked his knuckles, the air around him distorting with unstable energy. "—I'll give you one."
The wind howled.
The next cycle had begun.
But this time—
Kairos Valtieri would break it.