Morning sunlight filtered weakly through a curtain of clouds as Jace stood outside the old subway terminal where he'd first entered the vault. The air smelled of ozone and ash. Steam still rose from cracks in the stone where the Rift had previously torn open.
He wasn't alone anymore.
A short distance away, standing with arms crossed and eyes narrowed, was Vessa.
She had found him less than an hour ago—drawn by the energy spike when he reemerged. She didn't ask questions at first. Just scanned him up and down, silently taking inventory of his injuries, gear, and expression.
Only then did she speak.
"You went in alone," she said coldly. "Did you want to die?"
"I didn't know it was a vault," Jace replied. "Not really. I thought it was just another hidden dungeon."
Vessa's violet eyes burned. "Dungeons don't come with legacy keys or blood-bound systems."
"Yeah," he muttered. "I figured that out."
She sighed, stepping closer. Her tone softened. "And? What did you find in there?"
Jace looked at his hand, flexing his fingers. "Power. Trials. Something old watching me. I don't think it was meant to be found yet. But it found me."
He opened his system interface and projected a holographic summary for her.
> [System: Bloodbound Archive – Tier 2 Access Granted]
[Vault Keys Collected: 2]
[Trial Status: 2/12 Complete]
[Fusion Skill Acquired: Phantom Surge Lv.1]
[Current Power Rating: E-Rank (with anomaly potential)]
Vessa frowned. "Fusion skill? Already?"
He nodded. "The system lets me merge abilities. That last fight forced me to combine two of my core skills. Result's better, but I had to give up both base forms."
"That's… not normal." Vessa's brow furrowed. "Even veteran ability users can't do that unless they reach S-rank and have a specialized soul imprint."
"Well," Jace said, trying to sound more confident than he felt, "maybe I'm not normal."
Vessa didn't laugh.
Instead, she turned away and stared back toward the ridge where her skimmer bike was hidden.
"There are people looking for you now," she said after a pause. "Military scouts. Private collectors. The Federation. Whatever you triggered—it's on their radar."
Jace felt a chill slide down his spine. "I saw them. Two scouts came just after I killed the shardhorn. They scanned the area. One of them almost spotted me."
Vessa nodded. "Good thing you've got Phantom Surge now. But you won't last long if you keep moving solo."
He eyed her warily. "So you want to join up?"
"No," she said bluntly. "I'm going to protect you. Big difference."
That startled him. "What?"
"You're a walking Archive now," she said. "Whatever this system is… it's not just rare. It's unprecedented. And if the wrong people get their hands on you, it's over—for you and maybe for the rest of us."
Jace didn't respond right away. He looked toward the horizon, where faint smoke still rose from ruined cities. Earth was recovering from a century of war, yet power—true power—was still scarce. The kind that changed fates. The kind he now carried in his veins.
"So what do we do?" he asked finally.
Vessa tapped a holopad on her wrist. A digital map appeared, pinpointing three nearby vault signals.
"There are more like the one you entered," she said. "Small disturbances. Unstable energies. I think they're keys."
"To unlocking the full Archive?" Jace asked.
"Maybe. Or maybe to unlocking you."
He smirked. "Dramatic."
Vessa didn't blink. "I'm serious. You've changed since that tomb. I can feel it. And we need to figure out what that change means—before others do."
She pointed to a ridge north of the city. "One of the signals flared up again last night. Weak. But still active."
Jace nodded slowly. "Alright. Then that's our next stop."
But as they turned to leave, a soft whisper curled through the wind.
Jace froze.
"Did you hear that?"
Vessa shook her head. "Hear what?"
He looked back toward the subway vault. The wind had died. The world was quiet.
But in the pit of his stomach, something had stirred.
Not fear.
Not anticipation.
Recognition.
> [New Message: Archive Thread: Obsidian Echo – Warning – Incomplete Awakening Detected]
The journey northward took them across the skeletal remains of a once-bustling suburban district now reduced to overgrown concrete and twisted metal. Jace and Vessa moved carefully, staying off the main paths and navigating through collapsed housing and under half-sunken bridges. Nature had begun reclaiming the cityscape—trees poked through ceilings, roots wrapped around lamp posts, and birdsong echoed faintly through hollow buildings.
The deeper they ventured, the stronger the ambient pressure became.
"Feel that?" Jace asked, pausing to rest a hand against a rusted wall. "It's like the system is… tightening."
Vessa nodded. "It's not your imagination. The closer we get to a Vault signature, the more strain it puts on your Archive. It's like resonance."
Jace furrowed his brow. "Resonance with what, exactly?"
Vessa hesitated. "Your blood."
He blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Every Vault trial you complete, every ability you integrate—it's not just making you stronger. It's tuning you. Sharpening something ancient that was buried in your bloodline. You're not just unlocking power, Jace… you're becoming something."
Before he could reply, the ground trembled beneath their feet.
> [System Alert: Vault Proximity Threshold Crossed. Anomaly Event Imminent.]
The map flared.
A few hundred meters ahead, tucked beneath the shattered remains of an old transport hub, a red glyph pulsed into existence. It wasn't visible to the naked eye—but through his system interface, Jace could see it clearly.
A vault gateway. Smaller than the first—but still active.
Vessa drew a short-bladed spear from her back and moved ahead. "We approach quiet. Let me check the perimeter first."
But as she took her first step forward, the glyph pulsed again.
And the Vault opened on its own.
A low groan echoed through the ruins. Dust lifted from the ground, rising into the air like ash. The space shimmered, distorting like heatwaves—then tore open, revealing a staircase that led downward, bathed in pale red light.
Jace's system flared.
> [New Vault Unlocked: Obsidian Echo – Minor Node]
[Requirements: Archive Bearer Only]
[Warning: Companion Entry Prohibited – Trial Must Be Faced Alone.]
Vessa's eyes narrowed. "Great. Another solo deathtrap."
Jace stepped forward, heart pounding. "It's calling me again."
"Then make it quick," she muttered. "I'll cover the entrance. If anything comes through that isn't you, I kill it."
Jace gave a faint smirk. "Comforting."
He stepped into the light.
---
The staircase spiraled downward, deeper than any structure had a right to go. The further he descended, the more the world dimmed, until eventually he moved through total darkness. But his system interface remained illuminated, guiding his path.
The bottom opened into a chamber of polished obsidian. Smooth walls reflected faint images—shadows of memories, flickering echoes of his own past.
In one reflection, he saw himself as a child—alone in an orphanage dorm.
In another, a vision of him bleeding in the ruins, before his awakening.
And then—
A third reflection.
Not him.
A figure in robes of red and gold, standing atop a mountain of ash, arms outstretched, voice raised to the heavens.
A king of ruin.
> [System Thread Unlocked: Echo of the Bloodbound King]
[Trial Type: Memory Confrontation]
[Survive the Judgment of Your Past.]
The chamber trembled.
The shadows twisted. Coalesced.
And from the far end of the hall, a version of himself emerged—paler, sharper, more vicious. Its eyes glowed crimson. Its hands were tipped with claws. It smiled with cold malice.
> [Trial Begins.]
The echo lunged.
Jace barely had time to react.
The doppelganger—his bloodbound echo—moved with terrifying speed. It swept forward in a blur, claws slicing through the air where his throat had been a moment before. He dropped low, sliding across the obsidian floor and narrowly avoiding decapitation.
> [Blood Instinct – Active]
The familiar surge of adrenaline and sharpened senses returned. Time slowed, and he felt every breath, every shift in weight, every flicker of movement around him.
He rolled to the side and drew the Crimson Echo Blade from his inventory—a reward from the previous vault. The weapon responded instantly, pulsing with red light as it extended into his grasp.
Steel met claw.
Sparks danced.
The echo snarled, pressing him back with a flurry of strikes. It didn't move like a beast—it moved like a mirror. Every technique Jace had learned, every instinct he'd honed, this thing used against him. It was him—just faster, stronger, darker.
> [Echo Combat Analysis: 97% Match]
[Warning: Echo possesses partial knowledge of future Vault Techniques.]
Jace gritted his teeth. "Then I'll show you something new."
He feinted left and activated Shadow Blink, teleporting behind the echo. Before it could turn, he slashed upward, cutting a glowing arc across its back.
The creature staggered—but didn't fall.
Instead, it laughed.
"Is that all you've gained?" it said in a voice twisted by malice. "A few toys? A little speed?"
Jace didn't answer.
He activated Phantom Surge—his fusion skill—and surged forward again, chaining it into a rising strike. The echo blocked with its forearm, but this time, the energy embedded in Jace's blade pushed through.
> [Critical Hit: Armor Penetration Successful.]
The echo howled, stumbling back. Its form flickered—briefly losing cohesion.
> [1 Minute Survived.]
> [New Objective Unlocked: Defeat the Echo.]
So it wasn't just a survival trial anymore. He had a chance to win.
The chamber pulsed red. Obsidian spikes burst from the ground around them, creating a ring of death.
The echo raised its hands—and shadows poured from its fingertips, forming a scythe made of pure darkness.
Jace's system flashed a new window.
> [New Technique Analyzed: Abyss Carver Lv.1]
[Warning: Incompatible with current core. Damage potential—Extreme.]
"Guess I better not get hit by that," Jace muttered.
The echo charged.
Jace ducked under the first swing, then deflected the second. The force of the blow sent him flying into the wall. Pain exploded through his ribs. He coughed blood and barely rolled aside as another scythe arc cleaved into the stone.
> [Health: 41%]
[Regeneration on cooldown.]
Not good.
But the echo was tiring. Jace could see the cracks forming—glitches in its coordination. This wasn't a perfect clone. It was a simulation driven by aggression.
And aggression had patterns.
Jace baited it.
He stumbled, leaving his right side open.
The echo lunged.
Too fast.
Too direct.
Jace ducked low, slid under the incoming blow, and drove the Crimson Echo Blade straight through the echo's chest.
The creature spasmed, eyes wide.
And then—it smiled.
"Good," it said, even as it dissolved into red mist. "You are learning."
> [Echo Defeated.]
[Vault Completion: 100%]
[New Trait Gained: Bloodline Instinct – Rank F+]
[Effect: Mild increase to survival chance against unknown anomalies. Future trait evolutions possible.]
> [Vault Reward Unlocked.]
A pedestal rose from the center of the chamber. On it rested a small obsidian orb, pulsing with faint red threads.
> [Vault Key Fragment (3/12)]
[Skill Shard Acquired: Shadow Echo Lv.1]
[Effect: Leave behind a delayed-image clone when blinking or dashing. Explodes after 3 seconds or on contact.]
Jace reached out and claimed them both.
The vault began to fade, walls dissolving into mist. The staircase reformed.
He returned to the surface.
---
Outside, Vessa stood tense, her weapon raised. A group of silhouettes moved at the edge of the ruins—armed scouts, searching for Vault signals.
As Jace emerged, Vessa immediately moved to his side. "You're late."
"Had to kill myself," Jace said, half-joking. "You know how it is."
She handed him a stim. "We've got company. And they're not friendly."
Jace activated Shadow Echo.
"Then let's give them something to chase."