---
Kael stood quietly in the middle of the ruined glade, the air thick with the scent of blood, scorched bark, and the last lingering traces of the Scornwolf's vaporized corpse.
In his hand, Wraithfang pulsed faintly with a cold, ghostly blue glow. The blade felt more alive than before—refined, balanced, unnervingly aware.
> [Weapon Upgrade Complete]
➤ Tier: Unstable Relic
➤ Trait Unlocked: Echo Memory (Fragmented)
➤ Sync Capability Activated
Kael tightened his grip, brow furrowing.
Then came the system's next notification.
> [Sync Trait Triggered – Echo Fragment Detected]
➤ Initiating Partial Memory Transfer...
➤ Warning: Psychological Feedback Possible
➤ Proceeding...
A flash of blue light flared from the blade.
---
[ECHO MEMORY – Fragmented Transmission Initiating...]
Ash rained from a crimson sky.
Charred ruins stretched for miles in every direction. Bodies were strewn across the battlefield like broken dolls.
A girl knelt amidst the wreckage—silver-haired, pale-skinned, and crying silently. In her bloodstained hands was the same blade Kael now carried. But Wraithfang looked different... older, cracked, but burning with power.
> "Forgive me… I wasn't strong enough."
Her voice was soft, trembling.
Lightning cracked overhead. The world shook. A rift split open in the sky, and from it, something enormous began to descend—a shadow wrapped in fire and chains.
> "Wielder Seven—RUN!"
A scream.
Then, silence.
---
Kael gasped, collapsing to one knee as the memory faded. His heart pounded in his chest. Wraithfang was warm in his hand—warmer than steel should ever be.
> [Echo Fragment Integrated – Sync Level: 8%]
➤ Passive Skill Unlocked: Battle Instinct (Lv. 1)
➤ Echo Sync: Stable
➤ Additional Reward: Minor Physical Recovery
He exhaled as a soft golden light washed over him, mending cuts and bruises. A subtle system chime followed.
> [System Notification]
➤ Echo Memory Access: Fragmented
➤ Further synchronization required to unlock combat memories and weapon echoes
> [Status Updated – User: Kael]
---
Name: Kael
Title: Last Wielder
Age: 17
Class: Weapon-Bound Initiate
Talent: Armament echo (Unique)
Level: 2
EXP: 90/150
HP: 100%
MP: 60%
Stamina: 100%
Luck: 5
Affinity: Weapon Relics
Echo Sync: 8%
Known Skills:
Analysis (Lv. 1)
Battle Instinct (Lv. 1)
---
Weapon: Wraithfang
Type: Wraithblade
Tier: Unstable Relic
Trait: Echo Memory (Fragmented)
Sync Level: 8%
Passive: Battle Instinct (Lv. 1)
Status: Sentient Bond Active
Active voidlinge slash
---
Kael looked down at the blade. "You remember everything, don't you?"
Wraithfang didn't answer. But the silence felt... less empty.
---
Later That Evening
The sun dipped behind the dark hills as Kael trudged through the woods and into the narrow path that led to the crumbling stone house—the one left to him by the only man he'd ever called father.
Joren Hadrek—former soldier, deserter, guardian.
Gone for almost a year now. But his presence still lingered in the creak of the floorboards, in the sword rack by the hearth, and in the crude mark carved above the door: "Live. Fight. Die Standing."
Kael entered slowly, setting Wraithfang on the old table.
The silence inside was a relief.
He dropped into the chair by the fireplace, letting the system fade into the background for a moment.
But he knew it wouldn't be long before the next step came.
> [New Objective Unlocked – Reach Beacon Outpost]
➤ Status: Unknown distance
➤ Reward: Access to Weapon Forge & Echo Archive
He looked at the ceiling, Wraithfang within arm's reach.
"…Just what kind of hell have I stepped into?"
The sword pulsed faintly.