Kael stepped out of the rift, looking surprisingly fine, though his clothes were stained with blood. A couple of rift officials saw him emerge, and one of them immediately approached.
"Hey, Ghost, where are the others?" he asked, his voice laced with suspicion.
Kael dramatically covered his eyes, pulling off an exaggerated, sarcastic cry. "They're dead."
The other official narrowed his eyes, stepping closer. "The hell do you mean, they're dead? How the fuck are you here then?"
"The B-rank sacrificed his life for me," Kael said with a feigned sniffle. "He killed the big beast so I could escape, you know… so I'd be okay."
The official rubbed his temples, clearly trying to process the absurdity of the situation. He pulled out his phone and dialed quickly. "I gotta call his guild… let them know he's dead," he muttered, walking away, still shaking his head.
The second official, still looking confused, looked back at Kael. "So, what happened to the rest?"
Kael shrugged, adopting a mock-somber tone. "They all tried to help me. Lost their lives in the process. Big sacrifice, huh?"
The official paused, then, as if it was routine, pulled a heavy bag of coins from his pocket. "Alright, here's a bag with 9 platinum coins." He handed it over to Kael, who took it with a polite nod.
"Thanks," Kael replied, then turned to leave, a grin creeping across his face as he walked away.
This is enough for five months of rent… Kael thought, and more medicine for Niko. Hell, I can even pay my phone bill. He chuckled quietly to himself.
Kael pushed open the door to their shack, arms full of groceries, medicine, and bags clinking with supplies. The scent of fresh bread and warm stew filled the air as he set everything down.
Niko ran up, eyes wide with disbelief. "Kael! You're back! And—how did you get all this?"
Kael grinned, ruffling his brother's hair. "Payment. Cleared a dungeon, got rewarded. Simple as that."
But his smile faded when he noticed the dark bruise on Niko's cheek.
"What happened to your face?" Kael asked, his tone sharpening.
Niko immediately tried to cover it. "Oh… I fell. It's nothing."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Niko. Don't lie to me."
Niko sighed, shoulders sinking. "I just wanted to help. I know how hard things have been since you… you know, failed the scan. I figured I could do something. So… I pickpocketed."
Kael clenched his jaw. "We talked about this. You leave all that to me. Who did this to you?"
Niko hesitated, then muttered, "Some C-rank Ascendants. Seven blocks south, near the old train line."
Kael's voice went cold. "The same bastards that broke my finger last time?"
Niko nodded silently.
Kael shook his head, a storm already building behind his eyes. "Out of all people… you steal from them?"
He dropped the groceries with a thud and turned toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Niko asked, his voice small.
Kael didn't even look back. "I'm going to handle business."
And with that, he slammed the door behind him.
Kael arrived in under ten minutes, footsteps crunching on broken glass and dirt. The abandoned warehouse loomed ahead—crumbling, rusted, forgotten by the world. Except by the six C-rank punks who made it their territory.
Two of them lounged outside, sitting on overturned crates, playing cards.
"I win," one grinned, slapping his hand down.
"Bullshit," the other snapped. "You're cheating again."
Kael didn't wait. He marched up to them, fists clenched, eyes burning.
"Which one of you hit my brother?" he asked coldly.
They looked up, eyebrows raised—and then smirked.
"Well, well," said the first. "Look who it is. The little System Ghost."
"You get lost on your way to the graveyard?" the second one laughed.
Kael's voice dropped. "Answer. My. Question."
The first guy stood, cracking his knuckles. "Who the fuck do you think you're bossing around, huh?"
"Wanna get stomped again, Ghost Boy?" the second added, rising to his feet.
Just then, a faint voice echoed from inside the warehouse."Help me!"
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Who the hell is that?"
"None of your business," the first thug said, shifting in front of the door.
"Yeah," the second sneered. "Get lost before we break every bone in your body."
Kael tilted his head, cracking his neck. "No."
That one word dropped like a hammer.
The two exchanged wild grins.
"Then I guess we'll fucking kill you," the first one growled, stepping forward.
Kael stood firm as the two C-ranks glared him down.
"System," the first one said, smirking, "summon weapon: Iron Fangs."
The air shimmered as jagged dual daggers blinked into his hands.
"System," the second barked, "equip Crusher Blade."
A massive cleaver materialized in a flash of crimson light.
Kael didn't flinch. His voice was calm—too calm."You don't want to do this."
The first one laughed. "You really think you're scaring anyone, Ghost?"
"Let's carve that smug look off his face," the second growled—and both charged.
Kael exhaled slowly.His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Echo Protocol… activate."
The air grew heavy.
A shockwave of black energy burst from his body, cracking the pavement. Shadows coiled around him like living smoke. A pitch-black mask snapped into place—horned, sleek, emotionless. His ragged hoodie dissolved into an obsidian combat outfit threaded with phantom sigils. A long, black cape erupted behind him, whipping through the air like a shadow caught in a storm.
"W-What the hell is that?" one of them stuttered, too late.
Kael blurred forward.
SLASH.The first thug's torso twisted violently as a cut split through armor and bone. He dropped, gurgling.
The second one lifted his cleaver—Kael stepped past him in a single blink.CRACK.Kael's hand snapped his neck, and the body collapsed like a marionette with cut strings.
System Notification:
[ECHO PROTOCOL] – Phantom Kill Count: 5
Echo Experience +500
Skill Sync progressing…
LEVEL UP!
[Echo Protocol – Lv. 2 Unlocked]
— New Skill: Phantom Step (Dash through enemies, ignoring physical barriers for 2.5s)
— System Efficiency +10%
— Echo Storage Capacity Increased
Kael didn't pause to read it.
He stepped into the warehouse.
The smell of blood and sweat hit first.
Inside, three more C-ranks loomed over a bound girl. Her face was bruised, collar torn, eyes wide and shaking. The three men laughed—until they saw the figure in the doorway.
"…The hell is that?" one whispered.
"Dumbass in a Halloween costume?" another spat.
Kael said nothing.
"You picked the wrong warehouse, freak."
They moved. So did Kael.
He didn't blink.
Phantom Step.
Kael vanished and reappeared behind them, slicing clean through the first one's spine in a single motion.
The second turned—a flash of black—his jaw shattered before he hit the floor.
The last tried to run.Spectral Chain.The shadowy cloak extended like a living tether, wrapped his legs, and slammed him against the wall.
Kael stalked forward and drove his blade through the man's heart.
Silence.
Then a soft whimper.
Kael turned to the girl, still tied up. Tears rolled silently down her cheeks.
He knelt, slicing the rope with care.
"You're safe now," he said, voice distant behind the mask.
She didn't speak—just looked at him, trembling.
Kael stood, cape flicking behind him.
System Notification:
[Echo Storage: +3 Corrupted Echoes Acquired]
Host Emotional Sync: 40%… Echo Instability low.
You walk a dark path, Kael Riven.
But you're not alone anymore.
He turned and walked into the night—silent, cloaked in shadow, and stronger than ever. He looked back "Don't tell nobody about this" he said. She nodded "Okay."
From a far a guy with green hair and glass wearing a suit was watching "Interesting."