Terryl took a long swig from the nearly empty bottle and slammed it on the counter. He dropped a few credits beside it.
"One more, please," Terryl said.
"That was your seventh one!" the bartender snapped, arms crossed.
"I could've sworn that was like… my third one," Terryl muttered, rubbing the back of his head.
"Yeah right. Not a chance. Come back another day," the bartender said, sliding the money back toward him. "And take your cash—other people need to drink too."
Terryl stood up with a groan, pocketing the credits. "These shitty bartenders."
"I heard that!" the bartender barked.
Terryl pushed through the door, stepping into the muggy night air. He paused as a figure in a dark hoodie approached him.
"Huh. A ghost," Terryl said, eyes narrowing.
"I need your help," the figure replied.
Terryl cocked his head. "Why do you need my help?"
"These people… they took my brother," the figure said. "I need to know who—and I need to know where they are."
Terryl let out a slow sigh. "Damn. You don't waste time."
Terryl stared at him for a long second. Then he reached into his coat and pulled out a small silver coin, flipping it between his fingers.
"You got a name, Ghost?" he asked.
"Kael."
Terryl raised an eyebrow. "Kael… The one with the busted scan?"
Kael didn't answer.
Terryl smirked. "Thought so. You've been echoing like a broken siren all over the district. Whatever's inside you—it doesn't play by the rules."
Kael stepped closer. "Can you help me or not?"
Terryl slipped the coin back into his coat.
"I can find anyone, anywhere. But my help's not cheap."
"I don't have much," Kael said.
Terryl chuckled. "I'm not talking credits. I want a favor. Something off the books. When I call, you answer. No questions. Deal?"
Kael hesitated. "…If it gets me to my brother, fine. Deal."
Terryl nodded, stepping past him. "Good. Let's start with where he vanished. Then I'll need something personal of his—a shirt, a blade, even a damn bootlace. The stronger the echo, the faster I find him."
He paused, glancing back.
"And Kael? If the people who took him are who I think they are… you'd better be ready to bleed."
Unknown Location- Rift Backsite
Niko's eyes slowly opened to flickering blue lights and the distant hum of machinery. His head throbbed. Cold metal cuffs bound his wrists to a rusted chair.
The room was dark, except for a faint glow coming from a large glass console pulsing with System runes—twisted, corrupted ones that didn't belong to any standard interface.
A figure stood in the corner, face hidden behind a smooth, blank mask. Their voice was filtered and cold.
"You're awake."
Niko tensed. "Who… who are you?"
The masked figure tilted their head. "Your brother has something we want. Something… broken. You were just the bait."
"I'm no one," Niko said, teeth clenched.
"Exactly. That's why you're useful."
Suddenly, a painful pulse surged through his cuffs. He gritted his teeth, trying not to scream.
"We're going to leave a trail, little ghost. Let your brother follow it—right into the mouth of the Rift."
The figure turned and vanished into the shadows, leaving only the sound of Niko's ragged breathing.
Rift District- Karl's home
Terryl ran his hand across Niko's bunk, then picked up a worn hoodie from the floor. His pupils flared with faint blue rings as his Trace Binder class kicked in.
"Yeah… his echo's strong. Faint trail heads southeast. Toward the dead grids."
Kael's jaw tightened. "That's inside Rift Block 7. It's sealed."
Terryl cracked his knuckles. "Not to me."
He turned to Kael, eyes sharp now, all traces of alcohol gone.
"You've got two options: follow me in, or get out now. Because wherever they took your brother? It ain't just illegal. It's off the map."
Inside Rift Block 7- Hidden Facility
Rift Block 7 had long been abandoned, its once-glimmering walls now cracked and covered in faded runes. The area was heavily sealed off from the rest of Arcadia, its access guarded by layers of corrupted system gates and forgotten security protocols. Most avoided it. But there were whispers—whispers of a faction working in the shadows, using the Rift's chaotic energies for their own dark purposes.
Kael and Terryl stood outside the dilapidated entry gate, the blue pulse of Terryl's system flaring as he scanned the locked doors.
Kael and Terryl stood outside the dilapidated entry gate, the blue pulse of Terryl's system flaring as he scanned the locked doors.
"This place fucking reeks of the eclipsed Thorn. They've been experimenting with the rifts unstable energies, and I've got a bad feeling they've got your brother tied into there little pet project." Terryl explained.
"Eclipsed Thorn? I've heard of them. Shadow guild. They deal in forbidden magic, assassination, and—" Kael was interrupted.
"—and soul-ripping experiments, yeah. Their leader's a ghost from the past—Velron Kane. You won't find a trace of them in the public databases. They're off the System's radar." Terryl interrupted.
Kael clenched his fist "What do they want with him and why him?"
"There after what he represents. One of my other skill is I know what system people have." Terryl said.
Kael was shocked.
"You have the echo protocol, Kael. I'm guessing your brothers the key to some type of twisted ritual and of course they want to get a hold of you or-"
Terryls system blinked.
"There it is. The door is active."
Kael and Terryl approached the entrance, and with a flick of Terryl's fingers, the ancient security system clicked open. The air inside was dense with static. A low, pulsing hum vibrated in their bones as they descended into the dark.
Deep below Rift Block 7
The air was suffocatingly thick with dark energy, the walls lined with cracked screens and dormant machinery. At the far end of the room, several tables were set up—one of which had an unconscious Niko strapped down. A dark figure in a lab coat stood over him, typing rapidly into a nearby terminal.
The dark masked figured chuckled "Ahh you brought him I was wondering how long it was going to take before the new echo reaper would show up."
Kael and Terryl was there.
"Back off Lysandra. You and your little experiment are about to get a visit from someone who doesn't play by your rules." Terryl said.
Kael's eyes narrowed as he stepped forward, the edge of his power starting to crackle. He clenched his fists. "What are you doing to him?"
Lysandra chuckled and looked at Kael "Oh your brother? He's a test subject, Kael. There's something inside him that you. It's been planned even before you awakened the echo protocol. It's far more stronger than we expected. It's the perfect vessel to harness the rifts forbidden power."
Niko's eyes fluttered open, his gaze locked on Kael.
"Kael… help." Niko said weakly.
Kael's heart sank. He could feel the strain on his brother's voice and the tremble in his body. He moved to step forward, but Lysandra snapped her fingers, and a surge of dark energy shot through the room.
"Don't get to comfortable, Reaper. Your walking right into our trap."
Terryl stepped forward, his system glowing as he locked onto the dark energy binding Niko.
"You can keep your damn experiments, Lysandra. But I'll be damned if I'll let you tear a part another would for your damn ritual." Terryl said with an angry tone in his voice.
A series of sharp cracks echoed through the air as a wild surge of energy flared from Kael's chest. The echo inside him screamed to be released. He could feel the same power coursing through his brother. It was like a living pulse, desperate for release.
"So he has echo to." Kael thought.
With a single motion, Kael unleashed his Phantom Archive, summoning an ancient scythe of raw echo energy that hummed with destructive force. He slashed through the room's security grid, tearing through layers of shielding with ease.
Lysandra flickered , shifting through shadows like she was made of the rift herself.
Lysandra let out an evil laugh "You think you can defeat me Kael Riven? Your nothing but a glitch in the system."
The entire room erupted with a crackling sound as Kael and Terryl fought through waves of dark magic and malfunctioning security drones.