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Chapter 13 - Chapter 12: The First Ripple of War

The storm didn't stop that night.

It roared like a wounded beast, clawing at the edges of the city.

Rain hammered the rooftops, thunder cracked like divine fury — and in that chaos, something ancient began to stir.

Frank sat by the window, drenched in moonlight, eyes heavy from sleeplessness. Every flash of lightning made the shadows twitch in ways that weren't normal.

Jessica's hologram hovered beside him — glitching slightly. Her once-perfect blue hue flickered into shades of crimson and gold.

> "Frank… the world's energy grid is fluctuating again," she muttered, her voice lower, almost human. "Even my system core is being affected."

"Can you fix it?" he asked, tone sharp.

> "It's not something I can fix. It's… something waking up."

Frank turned toward her. "Something? Or someone?"

Jessica didn't answer. She only looked at him, eyes softening with something close to sadness.

> "Fragments," she whispered.

---

Morning came, but it brought no peace.

The school gates were buzzing with noise — whispers about the storm, the animals that went berserk last night, and the weird static electricity that made everyone's skin tingle.

Frank walked in quietly, hoodie over his head, headphones in, pretending to ignore it all. But deep inside, he could feel it.

The pressure.

The pull.

The world's balance was shifting — toward him.

Emily was already seated in class, but today, something about her was… off. Her skin seemed paler, her aura heavier. When their eyes met, Frank's heartbeat faltered — just once — like his soul skipped a frame.

> "Frank," Jessica whispered through his earpiece, her tone urgent. "Her energy signature just spiked. It's like two frequencies trying to synchronize."

He didn't respond. He couldn't.

Emily looked up from her notebook. "You feel it too, don't you?"

He froze. "…What do you mean?"

She smiled faintly, her eyes glowing for just a heartbeat — gold, not blue.

> "That hum in the air. That call. Like something… or someone… is waiting."

Jessica's hologram flashed briefly in his peripheral vision, glitching like static.

> "Frank. That's not random. That's resonance. She's one of them."

His pulse quickened. "A fragment?"

> "Yes. But different. This one's not hostile… yet."

---

The day dragged, but every second felt like a countdown.

At lunch, the sky darkened unnaturally. Wind swirled through the halls. Students began to panic as phones, lights, and even the school's PA system flickered out.

Frank's phone buzzed with a single message from Jessica's system interface:

⚠ SYSTEM ALERT: Dimensional fluctuation detected. Fragment proximity — 00.03 KM. Prepare for contact.

Then came the sound.

A deep, low hum that shook the walls, the desks, the bones in his chest.

He turned, and through the rain-streaked window, he saw it — the air itself warping, like glass bending. Shadows poured from the cracks in reality, taking humanoid shapes — eyeless, featureless, but alive.

> "Jessica, what the hell are those?" he shouted, backing away.

> "Residual souls," she said sharply. "Leftovers of your past reincarnations. They're being pulled here — trying to merge with the fragment!"

Frank's heart hammered. "Meaning Emily's in danger?"

> "Meaning she's the target."

He didn't think. He ran.

---

By the time he burst into the courtyard, Emily was standing there, eyes glowing faintly gold as the air around her twisted. The shadow-creatures circled, shrieking like broken memories.

Jessica materialized beside Frank, her hologram flickering violently. "You can't fight them without awakening your soul thread."

"I don't care!" Frank yelled, grabbing a broken metal pole from the ground. "I'm not letting her die!"

He charged. The rain blurred everything, each step heavy with adrenaline. One of the shadow-beasts lunged — he swung the pole, connecting hard. The creature screeched, dissolving into mist.

But more came. Dozens.

Jessica floated beside him, issuing rapid alerts.

> "Energy drain 30%! Core temperature rising! Frank, you'll die if you—"

"Shut up and help me!" he roared.

Jessica's eyes widened — then softened. "...As you wish."

Her hologram split, wrapping around him like a digital cloak. A surge of light exploded from his chest — white, pure, divine.

> "System Activation: Soul Fragment Resonance Mode — Partial Unlock."

---

Power burned through his veins like liquid fire. His vision blurred, the world slowed. The shadows lunged again, but this time — he moved faster. He didn't think — he felt. Every strike was instinct, memory, rage.

One by one, the shadows fell apart, dissolving into the rain-soaked ground.

When the last one faded, Frank dropped to one knee, breathing hard. His whole body ached — not from pain, but from familiarity. Like he'd done this a thousand times before.

Emily stood a few feet away, trembling. The golden glow in her eyes dimmed, replaced by confusion and fear.

"Frank… what are you?"

He couldn't answer. He didn't even know anymore.

Jessica materialized beside him, placing a soft hand on his shoulder.

> "You've just reconnected a thread," she murmured. "But that also means…"

She paused. Her tone darkened.

> "They'll sense you now."

"Who will?"

> "The other fragments."

The wind howled again, carrying a distant echo that didn't belong in this world. A whisper — deep, ancient, and cruel.

> 'Found you.'

Frank's blood ran cold.

Jessica's hologram flickered violently. "Frank! You need to move! NOW!"

---

End of Chapter 12: The First Ripple

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