The air still buzzed with residual energy, fragments of Jayden's Echo Resonance fading into the storm-lit sky. Nyxorath stood across the ruined plaza, chest heaving, shadow flames ebbing from his hands. His eyes, once filled with venom, now flickered with something else—uncertainty.
Jayden didn't press the attack. He was breathing hard too, heart hammering, but a clarity had settled in. The Echo Resonance hadn't just boosted his abilities—it had opened something inside him. A connection. A truth.
And a vision.
---
System Notification:
> Echo Resonance Level 1 active.
System Insight: World-State Tier I now available.
New path unlocked: System Chronicle.
Do you wish to view the Chronicle?
---
Jayden blinked. Chronicle?
"System, display System Chronicle."
---
SYSTEM CHRONICLE – FILE 1 UNLOCKED
Subject: Echobound Core
Origin: Forbidden Research Division | Echo Project
Note: The Echobound System was designed not only as a weapon interface but as an evolutionary conduit. Its true purpose lies in synchronizing with the wielder's internal frequency—emotions, beliefs, purpose. The stronger the alignment, the higher the tier it can unlock.
First Wielder Identified: Nyxorath (Subject X: Time-Displaced Reversal)
Current Wielder: Jayden Cale (Subject Y: Variance Echo)
---
Jayden felt the blood drain from his face. "You were the first…" he whispered, turning to Nyxorath. "You were the prototype."
Nyxorath laughed bitterly. "Now you understand. I didn't just come from the future. I am the reason the System exists in your present."
"But why attack me? Why turn this into a war?"
Nyxorath's voice turned sharp. "Because I know where it ends. The System feeds on belief, Jayden. And the world… has none left. You'll see."
---
Jayden clenched his fists. "Then I'll change the world."
---
Suddenly, a flicker of movement in the sky caught both their eyes. A sleek aircraft descended from the clouds, matte black and shaped like a blade. It hovered above the plaza, and from its underbelly, ropes dropped — armed operatives in high-tech armor repelled down.
The lead figure stepped forward, visor sliding open to reveal a middle-aged woman with silver hair and calculating eyes.
---
"Jayden Cale," she said. "I'm Commander Lys of the Sovereign Arc."
Jayden's guard went up instinctively. "You're…?"
"We monitor all System Wielders." She glanced at Nyxorath. "And anomalies. You've caused quite the spike."
Nyxorath tensed. "Sovereign dogs."
She raised a hand, and a suppression field flared to life — lines of glowing blue that froze Nyxorath in place, pinning him to the cracked ground.
Jayden turned toward her. "What do you want?"
"Answers," she said simply. "And an alliance. You're not the only one with a system, Jayden. There are others. But not all use them to protect."
---
Jayden's mind reeled.
Other wielders?
All this time, he thought he was alone in bearing the weight of the System — now, it seemed he was only one of many.
---
System Prompt:
> New Quest Unlocked: Echo Vanguard
Objective: Seek out the other System Wielders. Choose: ally, confront, or assimilate.
Note: Alignment will shape world events.
---
Jayden looked up at the Commander. "Why now?"
"Because the balance is tipping," she said. "A faction calling itself The Nullborn has begun targeting System Wielders. They want to reset the world. To kill the very idea of evolution."
Jayden's thoughts drifted to Echo Resonance. To the way it amplified not just strength, but identity. Emotion. Growth.
And if that could be destroyed...
---
He glanced at Nyxorath, still trapped in the field, expression unreadable.
"Let him go."
Commander Lys blinked. "Excuse me?"
Jayden stepped forward. "If he's me… I need to know where I could've gone wrong. He's not just an enemy — he's a warning."
Nyxorath barked a laugh. "You're still soft."
"Maybe," Jayden muttered. "But I'm still standing."
---
Commander Lys looked at him, then at her team. "Release him. We'll monitor both."
The suppression field dropped. Nyxorath stood, brushing himself off with a sneer.
"This changes nothing."
Jayden smirked. "It already has."
---
Later that Night – Sovereign Arc HQ, Sector Nine
Jayden sat alone in his assigned quarters, staring at the floating interface of the Echobound System. The System Chronicle flickered as new lines appeared.
---
System Chronicle – FILE 2 Unlocked
> Variant Signal Detected
Two unique System Wielders approaching…
Designation: "Whispersong" and "Breaker of Sight"
Power Signatures: Unstable. Recommended: Engage with caution.
---
Jayden leaned back, the weight of the world finally sinking in.
He had power.
He had purpose.
But he also had a choice — to lead, to change, to echo beyond what he once thought was possible.
---
In the shadows outside the HQ, Nyxorath watched the lights.
He smirked.
"The boy still thinks he can fix it."