Kael stood in the dim, crumbling cavern, the weight of something new and foreign pressing down on him. His hand gripped the long, cold scythe, its black blade gleaming in the gloom. His reflection—no, his new self—stared back at him through the polished skull mask that now obscured his face. The black hooded cape flowed around him, almost alive with the darkness of the dungeon.
What the hell was happening?
It all happened so fast—one moment he was just fighting for his life, the next he was… this. He could feel his breath catch in his chest, panic creeping up like a shadow that refused to leave.
This has to be a dream. It's gotta be.
Kael squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that when he opened them again, he'd be back in the slums, struggling to make rent. But when he opened them—nothing changed. He was still there. Still in the mask. Still holding the damned scythe.
A wicked grin curled on his lips, a laugh rising in his chest that was equal parts disbelief and dark thrill.
"This can't be real… I have a fucking SSS system. How the hell is that possible?"
He shook his head, almost in awe of the absurdity of it all. But then, his eyes narrowed, and he spat the words into the air, daring the system to answer. "System thingy… What are you?"
Echo Protocol Activated.]
Kael's heart skipped. He turned, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice, but saw nothing. The dungeon was the same—ruined, dark, and suffocating. But something else was here, something that wasn't supposed to be.
[System Initialization Complete.]
The voice was flat, emotionless, as though it were reading from a script. No malice. No warmth. Just data.
[Class: Reaper of Echoes]
The words appeared before his eyes, a cold, glowing interface embedded in the air, like a hologram. It flickered for a moment before settling into place. Kael blinked, his confusion mounting.
"What… what is this?" he muttered to himself, taking a step back.
[Skill Acquisition: Soul Echo][Absorption Mode: Activated.]
Kael felt a sudden jolt in his chest, like his very soul was being tugged from his body. His vision blurred for a fraction of a second, and then, he saw it—a faint shadow of a fallen enemy, a remnant of someone long gone.
And just like that, it began to enter him, melding with his senses, pulling into his mind like an intrusive memory.
He gasped, stumbling back, his heart hammering in his chest. What the hell was that?
[Skill Absorption Complete.][Skill: Basic Swordsmanship Unlocked.]
"Wait… I can steal skills?" Kael whispered, the words barely escaping his lips as the scythe pulsed in his hands. The interface didn't respond with any flair, only more cold, hard data.
[Skill: Soul Echo – Absorb the abilities of defeated enemies.][Note: Absorbed skills evolve with usage.]
Kael stood frozen, his fingers trembling around the scythe. He glanced at the glowing hologram hovering in front of him. It was like a personal interface, an unseen force dictating his every move. And yet… he wasn't in control.
He didn't feel the system's hand—just the data.
"No way…" His voice was tight with disbelief. "This can't be real…"
He forced himself to focus, trying to ignore the shaking in his hands. "System, explain. What the hell is happening to me?"
[Query: What is Echo Protocol?][Echo Protocol is an advanced system designed for skill absorption and enhancement. The user may absorb skills from fallen entities and integrate them into their own abilities. This system operates outside conventional boundaries and is independent of the Ascendant system.]
Kael's mind whirred. The words didn't make sense, but something in him understood—this was something he shouldn't have. A system that had no rules, no constraints. A power he could manipulate.
He exhaled sharply, his gaze shifting to the scythe, which pulsed with an energy of its own. His heart raced as the implications hit him.
"So, I get to steal their power, huh?"
[Affirmative.]
Kael's lips curled into a smile, but it was cold, full of something darker. This was power. This was control.
He raised the scythe, watching as the interface flickered again, new options flashing on the screen in front of him.
[Skill: Echo Field – Reveals the soul patterns of nearby entities.][Cooldown: 5 minutes.]
Kael closed his eyes, trying to focus on the system. He needed to understand it. The more he knew, the more he could use it to his advantage.
"System, what else can I do?" Kael asked, his voice laced with a new resolve.
The voice responded immediately, as if it had been waiting for him to ask.
[Skill: Phantom Archive – Store absorbed skills for later use.][Skill: Rebirth Clause – Resurrection ability. One use every 7 days. Requires consumed Echo.][Skill: Code Injection – Temporarily hijack another Ascendant's ability. Duration: 30 seconds.]
The screen shimmered, flashing with more information, but Kael wasn't listening anymore. His mind was already racing, mapping out the possibilities. He wasn't just some outcast now. He had a weapon. He had control.
The dungeon's oppressive silence returned, but now, Kael was different. The system—the Echo Protocol—wasn't a curse. It was his tool. A means to survive, and more than that, a means to dominate.
Kael took a deep breath, feeling the surge of power within him.
"Alright," he muttered to himself. "Let's see what else you can do." Kael still needed to get out the dungeon.
The silence of the dungeon was suffocating, the kind of quiet that gnawed at your bones, like the walls were closing in. The air was thick with the stench of rot, an acrid smell that burned Kael's nostrils. The shadows stretched like twisted fingers, reaching from every corner, every crack. The scythe in his hands felt heavier with each step, pulsing as if it were alive, hungry.
"I've got this."
Kael gritted his teeth. He didn't know what the hell had happened—how he'd gone from the slums to this—but right now, there was only one thing he needed to focus on: survival. And with the system whispering in his mind, guiding him, he knew one thing for sure—he was no longer the weak kid from the Rift District.
A low growl broke the silence.
Kael's instincts kicked in. His body tensed, and he spun around just in time to see it—a grotesque creature, all teeth and claws, lunging from the shadows. A fucking Lurker. Its eyes glowed a sickly yellow as it slashed at him with jagged talons.
Kael didn't hesitate.
With a flick of his wrist, he brought the scythe down in a wide arc, the blade slicing through the air with a vicious hiss. The creature's claws met the edge of the scythe with a harsh clang, but the force was too much. The Lurker's arm was severed at the shoulder, black ichor spraying from the wound. It screeched, the sound like nails on glass, before stumbling backward.
"Fucking ugly thing," Kael muttered under his breath, his pulse racing. He could feel the rush of power, the sharp edge of adrenaline cutting through the fog of confusion. He raised the scythe again, eyes locked on the Lurker as it staggered to its feet, blood dripping from its stump.
[Skill: Soul Echo – Absorb defeated enemy's abilities.]
A sharp tug in his chest, like his soul being yanked out of place. He gritted his teeth, but didn't look away as the creature's essence began to swirl around him—dark energy, a fractured echo of its life. The scythe pulsed, humming as if it knew what came next.
[Skill Absorption Complete: Lurker's Speed Boost Unlocked.]
Kael felt it instantly. A rush of power. He smirked, his eyes narrowing. The Lurker had given him its speed, and it wasn't just a little boost—it was fast. He could feel his muscles twitching, his reflexes sharpening like a blade.
Without waiting, Kael dashed forward in a blur, too quick for the Lurker to react. He brought the scythe down in a savage arc, slashing clean through its throat. The creature fell, its head rolling across the floor with a sickening thud.
He stood over the corpse, breathing heavily, his heart pounding. "That was too easy."
[Skill: Soul Echo – Absorb defeated enemy's abilities.][Skill: Swordsmanship Lvl 5.]
Swordsmanship level 5?
Kael didn't have time to process it. More growls. More footsteps.
His eyes shot to the shadows ahead, and a dozen more creatures—smaller, quicker, and even more savage than the first—emerged from the dark. They were all over him in an instant. Kael didn't flinch. He welcomed it.
He felt the scythe's weight shift in his hands, the anticipation building like an animal in a cage. A twisted grin crept onto his face as the echoes of his new speed surged through him. With a snarl, he leaped into the fray.
The first creature came at him from the left—a clawed beast, its mouth dripping with venom. Kael spun, his body moving before his mind could catch up, the scythe swinging out in a deadly arc. He caught the creature in mid-air, cleaving its body in two with a single, brutal stroke.
His hands were a blur as he slashed, dodged, and weaved through the swarm of beasts. The Lurker's speed was a part of him now—he was faster than he had ever been, faster than he thought possible. His strikes were precise, lethal, each one cutting through flesh and bone with brutal efficiency.
One of the creatures lunged at his back, but Kael was already gone, vanishing in a blur of motion. The speed boost made everything feel slow. He turned, his eyes locked onto the creature, and in one smooth motion, he slashed upward. The beast's head flew from its body, its body crumpling to the ground in a heap.
"Shit, this is fun," Kael muttered to himself, a dark laugh escaping his lips. The adrenaline was pumping now. The hunt had begun, and he was the predator.
He could feel the power of the Echo Protocol coursing through him, unlocking new skills with each enemy he took down. He didn't know the full extent of what he was capable of, but it didn't matter. Not right now. He was learning as he went, adapting faster than he could process.
A howl echoed through the dungeon as a massive creature—its body a tangled mess of claws and fangs—charged at him from the shadows. It was bigger than any of the others, its chest heaving with each breath. Kael's grin widened.
"You think you can take me down?" he sneered, his grip tightening around the scythe's handle. The beast leapt at him with a roar, claws extended.
He was ready.
[Skill: Echo Field – Reveal enemy's soul patterns.]
A pulse of dark energy rippled outward from Kael. The world seemed to slow. The beast's movements froze for an instant, the outline of its soul appearing before Kael like a hologram, its weak spots glowing bright and obvious.
Kael's grin turned savage. He stepped forward, moving with a confidence he'd never known, and swung the scythe upward. The blade met the creature's chest with a sickening crunch, cutting through its ribs and heart in one clean strike.
It crumpled to the floor, its body disintegrating into the air like dust.
[Skill: Echo Field – Cooldown: 4 minutes.]
He didn't even breathe hard. The dungeon was silent again, save for the echo of his footsteps and the hum of the scythe in his hands.
This is just the beginning.
[Echo Field: Deactivating][Phantom Equipment: Disengaging]
"Echo System… take off this outfit and my scythe," he muttered.
The jagged armor of shadows melted off him like smoke, and the obsidian scythe dissolved into particles, fading into his palm.
Kael was left standing in just his bloodied hoodie, ragged jeans, and scuffed boots—looking like any other street kid. But the air still thrummed with something different. Something dangerous.
He stepped toward the rift.
"I need to get back to Niko."
And with that, the Echo Reaper vanished—returning to Arcadia not as a Ghost, but as something new.