The tunnel behind them convulsed with distant explosions. Kael and Seris ran, their footsteps splashing through shallow water as the weight of centuries groaned above them. Each pulse of the Echofire shard in Kael's chest echoed louder now, like it wasn't just reacting—but calling out.
Ahead, a steel hatch hung open, leading into a cramped maintenance shaft. Seris dove through first. Kael followed, but the moment he crossed the threshold, something in the shard jolted his senses—like time stuttered.
For a heartbeat, the tunnel flickered.
He wasn't in the shaft anymore—but in a mirrored version of it, the walls coated in frost, colors inverted, sounds muffled. It was like a ghost-layer of the world, overlaying reality.
Kael blinked. The vision vanished.
"What was that?" he gasped, catching up to Seris.
She paused mid-run, glancing over her shoulder. "You felt it?"
"I saw… another version of this place. Cold. Empty. Like—like the world had a twin."
Seris slowed, lips pressed into a tight line. "Then it's happening faster than I thought."
"What is?"
She stopped at the edge of a ladder well, peering down into blackness. "You're phasing. The shard is unlocking dormant quantum fields—dimensions layered on top of our own. The Order called it Echo Drift. A side effect of true convergence. Most bearers don't experience it this early."
Kael grabbed the rung, trying to steady his shaking hand. "Why me?"
Seris looked at him. "Because your mind doesn't reject it."
They descended in silence.
At the base of the shaft, they emerged into a massive sewer junction, dimly lit by algae-covered lights. The stench of rust and rot clung to the air. But Seris led them with purpose, weaving through a labyrinth of dripping corridors.
Suddenly, Kael stopped. The shard flared—not with heat, but cold, sharp pressure behind his eyes.
Something was near.
"Seris," he whispered, "we're not alone."
She turned slowly. "Where?"
Kael pointed to a shadow clinging unnaturally to the far wall. It didn't move like it should. It pulsed… breathed.
From within the shadow, a figure stepped out.
Tall. Pale. Cloaked in smooth, armor-like robes of obsidian and silver. A single glowing eye marked its forehead, above where human eyes should be. In its hand, it held a weapon that shifted between a blade and a rifle, its edges humming with unstable power.
Seris cursed under her breath. "A Cipher Warden."
Kael drew the gun blade Seris had given him, but his hands trembled. "What is it?"
"A synthetic hunter built by the Syndicate to kill convergence users," she hissed. "Part machine, part anti-magic construct. The eye marks them—it detects Echofire resonance."
The Cipher Warden raised its hand. A pulse erupted.
Kael was flung backward, crashing into a concrete pillar. Pain exploded in his ribs.
Seris fired her gauntlet blaster, but the Warden moved faster than anything Kael had ever seen. It vanished into smoke, reappearing behind her, slamming her to the ground with one brutal strike.
"Seris!" Kael shouted.
The shard in his chest pulsed again, hotter now—angry.
As the Warden turned toward him, Kael raised the gun blade.
He didn't know how to activate it. He just willed it.
The shard responded.
The weapon flared to life, its blade glowing with lines of gold and red—like magma etched into steel. The world around him dimmed. His heartbeat slowed. Time bent.
The Cipher Warden lunged.
Kael moved instinctively.
The blade met the Warden's weapon in a clash of sparks and distortion. But instead of being thrown back, Kael held his ground. He slashed low, then twisted into a rising arc. The shard guided him—not like a weapon, but like a memory awakened in his limbs.
The Warden reeled.
Seris pulled herself up, throwing a detonator at the enemy's feet. The explosion lit the tunnel in white fire.
When the smoke cleared, the Warden was gone—its cloaking activated, fleeing.
Kael collapsed to one knee, panting. The blade in his hand dimmed.
Seris limped over, blood trickling from her brow. "You just forced a Cipher Warden to retreat. That shouldn't be possible."
Kael wiped sweat from his face. "The shard helped me. It took over."
Seris crouched beside him. "It's syncing with you. That means the next phase is coming."
"Next phase of what?"
Before she could answer, Kael's vision warped again.
But this time, it wasn't a flicker—it shifted.
He stood in the Echo Drift once more, the world around him bathed in dim blues and greys. No sound. No wind. Only stillness.
But he wasn't alone.
Across the corridor stood a figure dressed like him, but older. Eyes cold. Expression haunted. And in his hand—an Echofire shard, glowing darker than Kael's ever had.
"You don't understand it yet," the figure said. "But you will. And when you do, you'll wish you never touched it."
Kael took a step forward. "Who are you?"
"I'm what you become," the figure replied. "If you survive."
The vision shattered like glass.
Kael fell forward, back into the real world. Seris caught him.
"You drifted again?" she asked.
Kael nodded, dazed. "I saw… myself."
Seris paled. "No one sees reflections of themselves in the Drift this early. You're accelerating."
"What does it mean?"
"It means you might not have years to figure this out," she said. "You might have days."
From above, the sound of more boots echoed.
Seris grabbed his arm. "No more detours. We run. Now."
They sprinted through the tunnels until they emerged through a broken maintenance door into the under levels of an abandoned district—rusted skyscrapers looming overhead, graffiti-covered skybridges creaking in the wind.
This was the Outer Scar. The edge of the city, where forgotten people went to disappear.
Seris led Kael into an old train station where a hidden lift descended into a dark bunker. Inside were people—dozens of them. Rebels. Hackers. Rogue mages. Survivors. All turned to stare as Kael entered.
Seris raised her voice. "Everyone, meet Kael. The Fifth Bearer of Echofire."
A ripple moved through the room.
Kael swallowed hard, his fingers brushing the shard once more.
Somehow, he knew: this was only the beginning.
Far away, deep within the Syndicate's tower, an eye opened in a massive vault—watching Kael through networks, satellites, and forbidden runes.
The hunt had begun.