Rain drummed relentlessly against the cracked concrete of Ashfall Ward. Neon signs flickered overhead, casting fractured reflections on puddles that swallowed the streetlights. Every corner smelled of smoke, rust, and rot. This wasn't a city. It was survival distilled into its purest, cruelest form.
Kael Rhyne hugged his delivery bag to his chest as he stepped over broken glass. Each footfall splashed dirty water across the soles of his worn sneakers. His Echo tier flashed in a small digital wristband: Tier 1. The lowest tier in a city obsessed with strength, where the weak were trampled underfoot — or worse.
He had learned the hard way that being Tier 1 meant being invisible. Ignored. Walked past. Except sometimes, the world made sure you couldn't be ignored.
The alley ahead smelled of wet iron and rot. Three men stepped out of the shadows, their Echo flaring faintly, a soft blue glow that made the cracks in the walls seem to dance.
Tier 2.
Kael froze. His pulse raced. Fight or flight? Fighting meant almost certain defeat. Running could buy him seconds, maybe minutes, but the narrow alleys were a trap.
The tallest of the three stepped forward, cracked knuckles glowing faintly. "Hand over the package," he said, voice low and dangerous, carrying the weight of someone who had never lost.
Kael's heart thumped in his ears. The package contained medicine, life-saving for an entire block of low-tier families. He couldn't give it up. He couldn't run.
A bead of rain rolled down his temple as he weighed his options. Every instinct screamed for survival.
Then instinct became desperation.
His hands tingled. Just faintly, barely enough to notice. A tiny blue spark danced along his fingers. He frowned. Not now. Not enough to make a difference… right?
The leader lunged. Kael stumbled backward, colliding with a pile of garbage. The package spilled, boxes tipping, vials clattering onto the wet concrete.
"Low-tiers don't deserve this stuff," the gang leader sneered.
Something flickered deep inside Kael — raw, unpredictable. His Echo reacted, shimmering faintly in response to the aggression around him. For three seconds, Kael felt power like nothing he had known. His hands glowed blue, crackling with borrowed energy.
It wasn't much, just a spark. But it was enough. Enough to push the leader backward, enough to slip past the other two men for a fraction of a second.
The gang hesitated, confused.
And then the glow vanished.
Kael collapsed to his knees. Rain mixed with blood, dripping from a cut above his eyebrow. Every breath burned, sharp in his lungs. He looked at his hands, trembling.
It copied them… just for a moment.
A quiet thought formed, almost like a whisper he barely allowed himself:
I'm not weak. But this power… is killing me.
Kael scrambled to gather the scattered medicine. He worked quickly, hiding in the shadows as the gang recovered from their momentary shock. The tallest man glared at him, fury flashing in his eyes.
"You're going to pay for that," the leader muttered, disappearing back into the alleyways like smoke.
Kael held the package tightly and started running. Rain slicked streets made every step treacherous. Every muscle screamed in pain from the encounter, his chest still burning from the Echo's brief flare.
He ducked into a narrow side alley, pressed himself against a wall, and finally allowed himself to breathe.
The world hadn't ended, but Kael knew it could at any second. That spark — the first real taste of his Echo — had cost him far more than he had imagined. Fatigue, pain, a dizzying sense that each use of his power was slowly eating at him.
And yet, even with the fear gnawing at him, a strange resolve formed in his chest. Survival wasn't enough. Not anymore. If he wanted to protect himself, his friends, his home… he would have to get stronger.
He pushed himself to his feet, clutching the medicine. Every step through the rain was a reminder: Ashfall didn't forgive weakness.
But Kael Rhyne? He was learning to fight back.
And next time, he wouldn't just survive.
Kael senses someone watching him from above — a shadow in the alley across the street, faintly glowing. Tier 2, maybe Tier 3. Whoever it is… they know he's alive.