BOOOOM.
The gates slammed shut behind them.
The sound echoed across the ruined city like a final warning.
No way back.
Smoke drifted through the air. Ash fell like slow, quiet snow. The scent of burning wood—and something far worse—lingered in every breath.
"This place is alive," Lyra whispered.
Kael didn't answer.
He was listening.
Crackling flames in the distance.
A faint dripping somewhere nearby.
And beneath it—
A whisper.
Kael's head tilted slightly.
"There it is again."
"…help…"
Faint. Broken.
Not coming from outside.
"It's in my head."
He clenched his jaw.
[Status Warning: Mental Strain Increasing]
"…Yeah. I noticed."
The streets were narrow, boxed in by collapsed buildings leaning against each other like they were too tired to stand. Windows were shattered. Doors hung loose from broken hinges.
A wooden sign creaked overhead, barely holding on.
Ronan stepped forward. "Stay alert. This isn't like the forest."
"You mean where plants tried to kill us?" Ben muttered.
"Exactly."
Kael raised a hand.
"Wait."
They stopped.
"Listen."
For a moment, nothing.
Then—
A sharp skitter echoed from a nearby alley.
[Monster Detected: Ash Hound – Lv. 6]
A pair of glowing eyes appeared in the dark.
Then another.
Then more.
"Pack type," Kael said quietly.
Lyra raised her hand, flames flickering into life.
Kael grabbed her wrist.
"Don't."
She frowned. "What?"
"You'll attract all of them."
A low growl rolled out from the alley.
The creatures stepped into view. Their bodies were blackened, their skin cracked with faint light leaking through like embers beneath ash.
"We don't fight this," Kael said.
"We run?" Ben asked.
"No."
Kael slowly stepped back.
"We don't exist."
Step.
Step.
No sudden movement. No aggression. No eye contact.
The Ash Hounds watched. Sniffed.
One stepped closer.
It lowered its head.
Sniffed the air.
Kael didn't move. Didn't breathe.
"Not worth it," he whispered.
The hound paused.
Then turned away.
"It worked," Ben said under his breath.
"Of course it worked," Kael muttered. "I'm professionally irrelevant."
Ben glanced at him. "Is that a skill?"
"No."
"Then what is it?"
Kael didn't even look at him. "Depression."
"That's not funny."
"It is if it keeps you alive."
They moved deeper into the city.
Kael's footsteps echoed faintly against the broken stone.
Then—
"don't leave…"
He stopped.
"Stop."
The group halted.
"You hear that?" Kael asked.
"Hear what?" Ronan replied.
"…Nothing," Lyra said.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"Yeah. Of course you don't."
He focused.
[Partial Sync Activated]
[Skill Copied: Enhanced Hearing]
The world sharpened.
Every small sound stretched into clarity.
Fire crackling in the distance.
Someone breathing—too close, not one of them.
A dragging sound against stone.
"There," Kael said.
He turned toward a narrow alley.
"Something's alive in there."
"Monster?" Ronan asked.
"No."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"Something worse."
The alley was dark.
Too dark.
A slow drip echoed somewhere ahead.
Ben grabbed Kael's sleeve. "I don't like this."
"Good," Kael said. "Means you're thinking."
They stepped forward carefully.
At the end of the alley—
A figure.
Kneeling.
Not moving.
"Hey," Kael called.
No response.
They moved closer.
The figure slowly lifted its head.
A faint crack echoed as it moved.
Its eyes were hollow. Its skin pale. Its expression empty.
[NPC Detected: Unknown Unit]
"That's not a shopkeeper," Ben whispered.
"No," Kael said quietly. "That's something else."
Kael's vision flickered.
A memory surged through him.
Fire.
Screaming.
Falling.
"I didn't make it…"
Kael staggered.
"GET OUT—!"
The figure suddenly spoke.
"You…"
Its voice cracked.
"…you can hear me."
No one moved.
"It talked," Ben whispered.
Kael stepped forward slowly.
"You're not just an NPC."
The figure trembled.
"I was…"
It struggled to form the words.
"…a player."
Lyra's eyes widened. "That's impossible."
"No," Kael said quietly.
"It's not."
The figure looked at him. Desperate.
"Please…"
"don't forget me…"
Kael clenched his fists.
"I won't."
A notification appeared.
[Hidden Condition Discovered]
["Echo of the Fallen" Activated]
[You can now resonate with broken NPCs]
Kael stared at it.
"…Great."
"More voices."
The figure's body began to crack.
Thin fractures spread across its form.
"Too late…" it whispered.
Then it broke apart.
Gone.
Reduced to dust.
Silence returned.
No one spoke.
The city felt heavier now. Darker.
Kael stared at where the figure had been.
"We're not climbing," he said quietly.
"We're being processed."
Far above—
Something watched.
A whisper drifted through the unseen heights.
"Continue."