Chapter 2: The Digital Shrine
The silence that followed the Phantom's explosion was louder than the battle itself.
Ren stood in the center of the crater, his breath coming in ragged hitches. The blue energy that had wrapped around his arms was gone, but his skin still felt like it was buzzing with a thousand volts of electricity. He looked down at his hands—the same hands that had just held blades made of light—and saw nothing but calloused palms and dirt.
"Ren! Don't move!"
Hina sprinted across the cracked pavement, her tablet held out like a shield. As she got closer, a blue ring of light projected from the device, scanning Ren from head to toe.
"Pulse 140. Adrenaline spiking. Sync-residue is... hovering at 4%," she muttered, her eyes darting across the holographic data. She looked up at him, her expression a mix of terror and awe. "Do you have any idea what you just did? You just accessed the Aether-Net. Manually."
"I just wanted it to stop," Ren said, his voice cracking. He looked at the younger student he had saved. The boy was staring at Ren as if he were a god—or a monster. "Hina, what was that thing? It wasn't a ghost. It felt... solid."
"It's a Vex-Phantom," Hina said, her tone turning serious. She grabbed his arm and began pulling him toward the back of the school. "And where there's one, there are hundreds. We have to go. Now. The 'Admins' will be here in minutes."
"Admins? You mean the police?"
"I mean the people who make sure nobody knows the world is breaking," she hissed.
They ducked behind the old gymnasium, weaving through a row of ancient cherry blossom trees that seemed to glow with a faint, unnatural violet light. Hina stopped in front of a small, forgotten stone shrine tucked away in the corner of the campus.
She swiped her hand across the air. To Ren's eyes, the air rippled. A hidden interface appeared, glowing with a soft gold light.
"Biometric confirmed: Acolyte Hina," a mechanical voice whispered.
The stone floor of the shrine hissed and slid open, revealing a staircase made of glass and glowing fiber-optic cables.
"Welcome," Hina said, stepping into the darkness, "to the Echo Chamber."
The Hidden World
As they descended, the school above them faded away. The basement wasn't a basement—it was a high-tech command center built into the foundation of the earth. Servers hummed in the shadows, and large screens displayed a map of the city, dotted with pulsing purple icons.
In the center of the room stood a rack of traditional samurai armor, but it was modified. Wires ran through the silk plating, and the helmets had built-in HUD displays.
"This is the Digital Shrine," Hina explained, typing furiously on a central console. "My family has been guarding the 'Echo-Points' for generations. We used to use scrolls and prayers. Now... we use 128-bit encryption."
"You're an exorcist?" Ren asked, looking at a screen that showed a 3D model of his own body.
"I'm a Programmer," she corrected. "And you, Ren, are the 'User.' You're the first person in fifty years who has successfully synced with the First Shogun's Echo."
She hit a button, and a giant image appeared on the main screen. It was the same massive, glowing samurai Ren had seen in the sky—the one on the cover of his own destiny.
"This is the source of the Vex," Hina said. "A corrupted memory of the past. If we don't find the other two Echo-Warriors and complete the Trinity, the Vex will overwrite our reality. The world will literally turn back into the Sengoku Period, but with monsters."
The Encounter
"Two others?" Ren asked. "Who are—"
"I believe she's talking about me."
A cold, sharp voice echoed from the shadows of the lab. Ren spun around, his hands instinctively reaching for the hilts that weren't there.
A tall figure stepped into the light. He looked a few years older than Ren, with striking silver hair and eyes that seemed to hold no emotion. He wasn't wearing a school uniform; he wore a black tactical vest over a dark kimono, with a heavy katana strapped to his waist. The hilt was wrapped in red, and even sheathed, it felt heavy with bad omens.
"Kage," Hina breathed, her face turning pale. "You're early."
The silver-haired teen ignored her, walking straight up to Ren. He was taller, and the smell of ozone and burnt metal followed him. He stopped inches from Ren's face, staring into his eyes.
"So this is the brat who woke up the Blue Echo," Kage said, his voice a low growl. "You look weak. You look like you'd trip over your own feet in a real war."
"I saved someone," Ren snapped, standing his ground. "Which is more than you did."
Kage's hand blurred. Faster than Ren could see, the silver-haired warrior had his thumb on his blade's guard, clicking it open just an inch. A wave of red, suffocating energy filled the room.
"Saving people is for heroes," Kage said, his eyes glowing a faint, dangerous crimson. "We aren't heroes, kid. We're janitors. We clean up the trash of history."
He slammed his blade back into the scabbard. The pressure in the room vanished.
"Hina," Kage said, turning his back. "Don't get attached to him. If his Sync Rate doesn't hit 20% by tonight's invasion, I'll have to 'delete' him myself to keep the Vex from taking his power."
Ren watched him walk away, his heart pounding. "He's charming," Ren muttered sarcastically.
Hina looked at her screen, her hands shaking. "He's right about one thing, Ren. Look."
She pointed to the map of the city. A massive purple storm was forming over the center of the district—right where the ancient castle stood.
"The first Boss is spawning," she whispered. "And we only have three hours to teach you how to fight."