Noctheron Marsh.
The very name choked the throat like a whispered curse. A place where even sunlight dared not linger—where the fog moved like it had a will, and the silence was never truly empty.
Kael stood at the edge of the warped path, his eyes fixed on the brackish horizon. The fog twisted ahead like grasping hands.
Behind him, Lyra adjusted the feathered relic on her wrist, its soft glow casting halos in the gloom. Drayke, less subtle, cracked his neck, Infernal Gauntlets pulsing with barely-contained heat that sizzled against the marsh's cold air.
"Smells like a rotting god's armpit," Drayke muttered.
Kael didn't respond. His mind was elsewhere—locked on the intel Zera had left them.
"Noctheron's core is shifting. Something stirs beneath the Weeping Hollow. If you hear your name whispered in the fog—don't answer."
But Kael had already heard it.
Last night.
A breath at the edge of his dream.
"Kael…"
His name, soft as broken glass sliding across stone.
He hadn't told the others.
Not yet.
Because he recognized the voice.
It was his brother's.
Hours Earlier – Hidden Encampment Near the Marsh
Zera stood beneath the skeletal remains of a drowned temple, her relic—Wraith Bell—dangling from her finger like a spider on silk.
Around her, cursed spirits writhed, trapped echoes drawn to her aura. Each moaned in languages forgotten by time.
One voice, however, came clearly through the Bell.
"He's walking into the Maw... he'll see the truth soon enough."
Zera's eyes narrowed. "Which one? The brother... or the weapon?"
No response.
Only laughter.
From something ancient.
And not quite dead.
Back to Kael's Squad – Entering the Marsh
As they stepped into the mist, the ground turned slick, sucking at their boots like the marsh wanted to swallow them.
"Visual's down to thirty meters," Lyra said, voice hushed. "This place feels... wrong."
"No Aura Beasts on radar," Drayke muttered. "Either they're hiding, or we're the only things alive."
Kael kept his Soulbrand close. The ash edge vibrated slightly—more out of warning than excitement.
Then they heard it.
A distant bell.
Soft.
Wavering.
"Zera?" Lyra whispered.
"No," Kael said. "It's not hers."
From the fog, a figure began to walk forward.
Human-shaped.
But… wrong.
Its face was made of stitched fog, barely stable.
And it wore the same armor as the Ember Brood.
Kael raised his blade.
But then it spoke.
"Haaah... what a strong aura."
Kael froze.
That line. That was his line.
The creature charged.
Combat – Echo Beast
Kael met the charge, blades clashing mid-air.
Each strike echoed not just through steel, but through memories.
This thing was stealing his moves. Mirroring his Ashen Form.
Lyra tried to cast a shielding light—but it bent away, as if the marsh itself rejected the healing.
Drayke launched a blaze fist—but the fog absorbed it like smoke to lungs.
Kael gritted his teeth and activated his skill: Burnout Dash.
He shot behind the creature and slashed across its back—only for the fog to re-stitch instantly.
"It's not real," Kael growled. "It's built on my echo."
Zera's words returned: "If you hear your name in the fog—don't answer."
But Kael had answered.
And this was his punishment.
Kael's Inner Vision
The marsh fell away for a moment.
And he stood in front of his brother.
Drayke Arclight.
Eyes hollow.
Ash leaking from his skin.
"You left me," Drayke whispered. "You let the Ember Brood burn."
Kael stepped forward. "I couldn't stop it."
"You didn't even try."
Kael raised his blade—but his brother didn't attack.
He just… turned to ash.
The real enemy was behind him.
A robed, maskless Eternal.
Eyes glowing with a hungry void.
"You resist me still. But the marsh knows all your scars, Kael."
Back in Reality
Kael came to just in time to see the Echo Beast reaching for Lyra.
He snapped.
Soul Scorch.
Ash exploded from his body, igniting the fog.
The creature screamed—its voice warping back into a mimic of Kael's younger self.
Drayke grabbed Lyra and pulled her back.
Kael charged through the smoke and stabbed deep into the core of the beast.
"Aura isn't just power," he growled. "It's choice."
He twisted Soulbrand.
The Echo Beast shattered into fog and silence.
Aftermath
Lyra dropped to a knee. "That thing… it knew your skills. Your thoughts."
Kael nodded. "The marsh doesn't just mirror power. It mirrors guilt."
Drayke crossed his arms. "Then what's it gonna show me? My deepest regret is skipping dessert last week."
Kael smirked, but his eyes were hard.
"We're just getting started."
Deeper In
They approached the Weeping Hollow.
A massive crater filled with liquid shadow.
Floating above it—barely visible in the gloom—was a massive chained obelisk, pulsing with aura.
"That's… not natural," Lyra said.
"It's a seal," Kael murmured.
Something inside the Hollow was trying to get out.
And the chains were breaking.
One.
By.
One.