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Chapter 3: Wraith Storm
The sound came first — a low, trembling hum that spread through the air like a heartbeat. The sky above Hollow Light dimmed, and the enormous rings that circled the heavens began to rotate in jagged, erratic motions. Red light bled through the fog, washing over the city's glass towers.
Lira's voice cut through the chaos. "Stay close to me, rookie. This isn't a drill."
Kai barely managed a nod. The air had changed; it tasted metallic, sharp. The ground beneath his boots vibrated, pulsing with unnatural rhythm. It wasn't the tremor of machinery — it was something alive, ancient, and hungry.
Every Spirit Warrior in sight moved with practiced precision. Streets that had seemed calm moments ago now blazed with light as soldiers lined the platforms and bridges, channeling Spirit energy into glowing weapons. The air filled with the sound of clicking rifles, charging blades, and quiet prayers.
From the mist beyond the walls came a chorus of whispers. They weren't human.
> Feed… devour… remember…
A column of darkness surged up like a tidal wave, shattering through the lower levels of the city. The Wraithborn poured out in uncountable numbers — silhouettes twisting, merging, breaking apart again. Faces formed and vanished within their shadows, each one screaming without sound.
Kai's body froze. His instincts screamed at him to run. His mind told him it was pointless.
> [Emotional Index rising.]
[Fear → Conversion rate: unstable.]
"Not now!" he hissed. The translucent screen flickered before his eyes. "I don't even know how to control this thing yet!"
Lira's hand clamped on his shoulder. "Then learn fast."
She leapt from the platform, halberd gleaming silver. When it struck the ground, the weapon burst into radiant light, slicing through a dozen Wraithborn at once. Their forms dissolved into shimmering particles that scattered like ash in the wind.
Her movements were fluid, deadly — every strike powered by focused emotion, her aura flaring brighter each time she struck.
Kai stood rooted, watching her. "That's not fighting… that's art."
A shriek behind him snapped him out of it. A smaller Wraithborn lunged, its claws aimed for his spine. He ducked instinctively and rolled aside. The creature hit the floor with a hiss, its body bending like tar.
> [Adrenaline spike detected.]
[Instinct Surge activated.]
The world slowed. Every drop of mist, every flicker of light sharpened until he could see the patterns in the Wraithborn's movement — the way it lunged with predictable rhythm, the delay between its swipes. His hands moved before thought could form.
He grabbed a fallen soldier's blade — a short, curved sword that pulsed faintly blue — and swung. The impact was clumsy, desperate, but real. The creature shattered.
A notification blinked across his vision.
> [Entity defeated.]
[Spirit Energy +0.04]
[New Trait: Reflex Compression learned.]
He blinked, panting. "I can… learn their patterns? Their data?"
Lira landed beside him, covered in faint scratches and light residue. "Data? Is that what you call it?"
"It's what it looks like."
She frowned, studying him. "The way your aura shifts—it's not normal. You're adapting mid-fight."
Kai barely heard her. Another wave of Wraithborn was closing in. The city's alarm systems wailed as lights across the towers flickered red. From above, energy cannons began firing beams of pure Spirit light, tearing holes through the swarm. The shockwaves sent chunks of debris raining down.
Lira raised her halberd. "We can't stay here. Come on!"
They ran through the smoke-filled streets, ducking under crumbling bridges and over glowing canals that pulsed with condensed emotional energy. Every few seconds, another explosion rocked the air, shaking dust from the towers.
Kai's lungs burned, but the thrill surging through him was intoxicating. Fear turned to focus. Exhaustion became clarity.
The System responded.
> [Emotional Conversion: Fear → Will achieved.]
[Spirit Level increased.]
[New Skill: Resonant Pulse unlocked.]
The skill activated instinctively. A wave of blue light burst from his body, rippling across the ground. The Wraithborn around him shrieked as the light burned through their forms, dissolving them like mist under the sun.
Lira stumbled mid-stride, her eyes widening. "You—how did you—?"
Kai exhaled, trembling. "I… I just felt it."
The city quaked again. High above them, one of the enormous sky rings cracked. Shards of light fell like meteors, punching through the rooftops. The storm wasn't letting up; it was growing.
Lira grabbed Kai's arm and pointed toward a structure in the distance — a massive tower with spiraling runes etched into its sides. Its peak was surrounded by a shield of gold light.
"That's the Nexus Spire! The central core protects the city's energy network. If it falls, Hollow Light collapses."
Kai nodded, tightening his grip on his sword. "Then let's keep it standing."
She smirked faintly despite the chaos. "You learn fast, rookie."
They charged together through the burning streets, their auras flaring in sync — silver and blue, cutting through the storm.
Above them, the red glow deepened. From the heart of the storm, something vast stirred.
A shape emerged — neither shadow nor light, but both. It had no form, yet it dwarfed the towers, its presence alone warping the air. Eyes — countless eyes — opened across its surface, each one whispering a different emotion: rage, sorrow, envy, despair.
Lira's voice was barely a whisper. "A Wraith Lord."
The System's warning flared across Kai's vision in violent red:
> [Catastrophic Entity Detected: Wraith Lord — Class Omega.]
[Survival probability: 0.03%.]
Kai's throat went dry. "Please tell me that's a glitch."
Lira gripped her weapon tighter. "No, that's the world reminding us we're still alive."
The Wraith Lord turned its countless eyes toward them. The sky screamed.
And the storm began to fall.