The night air felt heavy as Kairos and Selene stood side by side, the echoes of his encounter with the Archivist still thrumming in his chest. The visions, the warning of the Nullborne, and the system's new directive—it all felt like a storm brewing on the horizon.
Selene broke the silence. "You're different. What did you see?"
Kairos's fists clenched, and for a moment, he hesitated. But then he met her eyes—the warmth, the concern, and the fierce determination behind them. He couldn't keep her in the dark.
"There's something coming," he said, his voice low but certain. "A threat beyond anything I've faced before. The system—it's been preparing me for them."
Selene's brow furrowed, but her voice was steady. "Then we face it together."
A soft chime rang through Kairos's mind.
[New Comparison Bond Established: Selene Veylheart]
Bonds forged through trust will resonate with the System.
---
The First Echo Quest – Veil's Tremor
Before Kairos could reply, the system's interface shimmered with an urgent notification:
[New Quest: Veil's Tremor]
Investigate the anomaly detected at the Academy's Obsidian Spire.
Warning: Unknown entities detected.
Rewards: ???
---
Obsidian Spire – Academy Grounds
The tower loomed against the night sky, a structure few dared to enter. Tonight, however, it hummed with power—veins of unnatural energy pulsing across its surface.
The air felt wrong, like the world was folding inward.
"Stay close," Kairos said.
Selene smirked. "Wasn't planning on running off."
The doors opened without a touch, and as they stepped inside, the temperature dropped. The chamber beyond was filled with shattered mirrors—fragments of realities that flickered and shifted.
Then... they heard it. A soft, echoing click-click-click.
Kairos's body tensed, his Echoflow flaring. "We're not alone."
A figure emerged from the fractured mirrors—a creature wrapped in shadows, its form flickering like static. Its face was featureless, save for a jagged, splitting grin.
> "Echo-Bearer... You are ahead of the Cycle."
The creature lunged, its body twisting through space itself.
---
The Battle for the Veil
Kairos's instincts surged, and he activated Veilstride, his form flickering as he slipped between the layers of reality. The creature's clawed hand passed through where he had been, shattering a mirror behind him.
"Selene!" he called.
"I've got your back!"
With a sharp incantation, Selene unleashed a wave of azure flames—spiritual fire that seared through the creature's form, forcing it back with a screech.
But it split—its shadowy form fracturing into three identical echoes.
Kairos felt his system shift:
[Skill Unlocked: Echoform -- Split into temporal reflections.]
Without thinking, he activated it. His body blurred—and two duplicates of himself materialized, each mimicking his stance perfectly.
The creature's echoes attacked—one for each Kairos.
One clone met the strike head-on, their clash shattering the floor. The second baited another echo into Selene's firestorm, obliterating it.
Kairos, the original, faced the last one. His hand crackled with resonant energy—the power of the Echoflow surging to its peak.
"I don't care who you are," he said coldly. "But you don't belong here."
He struck. His fist connected—shattering the echo into nothingness.
The chamber stilled, the mirrors falling silent.
---
The Veil's Warning
But the system wasn't finished. A final shard of reality hovered before them. It showed... the future.
A city consumed in shadows. The Nullborne descending. And in the center—Kairos—fighting... alone.
Selene stepped beside him. "Not a chance," she said firmly, her voice cutting through the vision. "You won't face that alone. We'll rewrite that future together."
Kairos's heart steadied. "Yeah... we will."
The system's voice chimed softly, almost... approvingly.
[Quest Complete: Veil's Tremor]
Reward: Echoheart Relic (Bound to Kairos)
New Path Unlocked: Echo Sovereign Ascension – Stage 1