The air inside the Foundry turned cold—unnaturally cold.
Not the kind of cold that came from rusted steel or broken vents. No, this was deeper. More primal. Like the world itself was holding its breath.
Ezra stood at the threshold of something he couldn't name, staring down a cloaked figure who claimed to know the mother he never met, offering a piece of her legacy in the form of a Soul Gem—a shard that pulsed in time with the strange hunger awakening inside him.
Rei didn't speak. She stood near the doorway, watching with wary eyes and clenched fists. The Bone Rat coiled in the shadows, twitching.
Ezra finally broke the silence.
"What kind of contract?"
The Broker leaned forward, placing the Soul Gem on the table between them. "One older than the system. Older than the Surge. A contract with the source of all endings."
Ezra's eyes narrowed. "You mean Death."
"No," the Broker said, lips curling into a small smile. "I mean you. Or rather… what you're becoming."
A pulse of pressure rippled outward from the Soul Gem, like a heartbeat wrapped in thunder. The room shimmered faintly. Ezra didn't flinch—but he felt it. Deep. In the marrow.
"I'm not interested in riddles," Ezra said.
"Good," the Broker replied. "Then I'll be clear."
He slid a thin slip of paper across the table. It was made of something that looked like flesh, but shimmered like data. On it, blood—not ink—spelled out terms in the system's language:
CONTRACT: PARTIAL SOUL AWAKENING
SIGNATORY: Ezra Vale
BENEFICIARY: N/A
TERMS: The undersigned receives Soul Slot Access Tier II, Unlock Protocol for Death-Class Summons, and One Echo Summon Binding.
COST: Partial Shard of Humanity (Locked – Deferred Payment)
CONDITION: Contract expires upon Rank B or Soul Slot V Completion
PENALTY FOR BREACH: Total Soul Collapse
Ezra stared at it.
Rei stepped closer. "That's suicide."
The Broker shook his head. "That's power. Your mother signed her first contract at Rank F. She was a nobody, like you. The system didn't accept her either. But Death did."
Ezra's fingers twitched.
The Soul Gem pulsed harder now, like it wanted him to sign.
"Why me?" he asked quietly.
"Because you're the first Hollowborn since her," the Broker said. "And possibly the last."
Ezra looked down at the contract again.
Partial Soul Awakening. Death-Class Summons. Echo Binding. It was like speaking the language of a god he hadn't learned to worship yet.
The cost?
A piece of his humanity.
Rei grabbed his arm. "You don't need this. You've made it this far without selling yourself."
Ezra looked at her.
"I was born sold," he said softly. "I'm just trying to figure out who bought me."
He picked up the pen.
The system screamed.
[Warning: This contract bypasses system oversight.]
[Warning: Moral Anchor Detected – Conflict with Current Alignment.]
[Proceed?]
Ezra didn't hesitate.
He signed.
The moment the blood hit the page, the Soul Gem ignited.
Not in flame—in memory.
A wave of black wind rushed through the room. The lanterns dimmed. Rei stumbled back. The Broker didn't flinch. He watched with mild amusement as the Gem shattered in Ezra's hand and sank into his chest like liquid light.
[Soul Slot 2 Activated]
Name: ECHO – "Nyra's Remnant"
Type: Death-Class Summon / Legacy Memory Fragment
Status: Dormant – Requires Catalyst Trigger
Ezra staggered backward, gasping.
Visions slammed into him.
A woman standing atop a mountain of undead, cloak torn, scythe raised. Eyes blazing with violet light. The system screaming above her as she cut it open.
A baby, crying.
A Gate swallowing an entire city.
The sky breaking.
Then silence.
When he blinked, he was on the ground. Rei knelt beside him, hand to his shoulder.
"Ezra…?"
He exhaled slowly. "I saw her."
Rei's brow furrowed. "Your mom?"
He nodded. "She was a monster. Or a goddess. Or both."
The Broker chuckled. "She was a Necrotide—the first Hollowborn to reach Immortal Tier. She rejected the system, broke its rules, made her own. And then she disappeared. Until now."
Ezra stood.
The new power didn't feel like strength. It felt like weight. Like chains he could finally lift.
"So what now?" he asked.
The Broker turned toward one of the monitors. It flickered, showing a live satellite feed—corrupted static surrounded by a red marker over a forest zone outside Rebirth City.
[Gate Classification: ???]
[Location: Deadfall Forest]
[Threat Level: Unclassified]
[Estimated Duration Before Collapse: 27 hours]
"This Gate just appeared," the Broker said. "Same signature as the Hollow Signal. It's calling you."
Ezra stared at the screen.
Rei cursed under her breath. "Of course it is."
The Broker offered a final word. "Go or don't. But if you wait too long, others will find it. And the wrong hands don't stay clean for long."
Ezra turned and left.
The Gem burned in his chest the whole way down the stairs.
Back at the Safehouse – A Few Hours Later
Ezra sat silently as Rei cleaned her wounds beside the fire.
Neither spoke.
The Bone Rat slept in the dryer again, curled like a corpse waiting for orders.
Finally, Rei broke the silence.
"You're changing."
Ezra didn't answer.
"Not just the powers. Not just the rank. You—you're colder. Sharper. You didn't even ask what happens if that Gem drives you crazy."
Ezra looked up. "You think I don't already know?"
Rei hesitated. "Would you tell me if it was?"
"No."
She laughed bitterly.
"That's what I thought."
She stood, threw another blanket over herself, and settled down beside the fire.
Ezra remained awake, staring at the cracked ceiling.
[Soul Slot 2 – Catalyst Trigger Pending]
Hint: The Echo remembers her first kill. So must you.
He frowned.
Then reached for the dagger still stained with blood from the Mourner's Gate.
"I remember," he whispered.
The Gem pulsed once, softly.
In the Woods Outside Rebirth City – The Next Morning
They stood before the edge of Deadfall Forest.
The trees here were ancient, blackened, and twisted. Some had faces hidden in their bark. Others bled mana from long-forgotten battle wounds.
The Gate pulsed faintly at its center—a hovering tear in reality, whispering Ezra's name.
Rei shifted beside him, nervous. "You think this is a trap?"
"Yes," Ezra said. "And I'm walking into it anyway."
"Why?"
Ezra stared at the Gate.
"Because I think she walked into one just like it. And someone needs to finish what she started."
Rei tightened her grip on her blade.
Ezra summoned two undead from the shadows.
The Bone Rat leapt to his shoulder.
And the Gate opened its mouth to swallow him whole.