Chapter 1: The Sound of a Thousand Years
The air in Kyoto didn't just feel hot; it felt heavy.
Ren stood on the rooftop of Himeji Academy, his school bag slumped over one shoulder. To anyone else, it was a normal Tuesday. Students were loitering near the vending machines, and the distant hum of the city filled the air. But Ren saw the "Glitches."
Thin, jagged lines of purple static were flickering against the blue sky, like cracks in a windowpane. He rubbed his eyes, but they didn't go away. He had been seeing them for three days now—ever since he turned fifteen.
"Ren! You're daydreaming again!"
He turned to see Hina jogging up the stairs. She was wearing her school uniform, but she was clutching a strange, oversized tablet to her chest. Her pink hair caught the light as she panted for breath. "The sensor in the lab went crazy. Did you see it?"
"The cracks?" Ren asked, pointing at the sky.
Hina froze. "You can actually see them? I thought it was just data interference." She tapped her tablet, and a holographic screen flickered into life between them. "Ren, those aren't clouds. They're 'Echo-Tears.' Something from the old world is trying to push through to ours."
Before Ren could answer, a sound like a thunderclap ripped through the atmosphere—but there was no lightning.
The courtyard below erupted in screams. One of the purple cracks in the sky widened into a gaping maw of black smoke. From the darkness, a massive foot clad in rusted iron armor slammed into the concrete, crushing a stone fountain into dust.
It was a Vex-Phantom. It stood nearly ten feet tall, a hollow suit of samurai armor held together by swirling black mist. Its eyes were two burning red slits that looked directly at the students. It raised a massive, jagged tachi, the metal weeping black tears.
"Hina, get down!" Ren yelled, pushing her toward the stairwell.
"Ren, wait! The tablet—it says the 'Sync' is nearby!" Hina screamed over the sound of the wind. "The Echoes of the First War! They're looking for a host!"
Ren didn't listen. He saw a younger student trapped near the fountain, frozen in fear as the Phantom raised its blade. Without thinking, Ren leaped from the rooftop.
In that moment of freefall, time slowed down.
Do you wish to reclaim the rhythm? a voice asked. It wasn't Hina. It was a voice that sounded like a thousand drums beating in a mountain temple. The song of the world is being erased. Will you be the Echo?
"I don't care about songs!" Ren roared in his mind. "I just want to save them!"
Accepted.
Mid-air, Ren's palms began to burn. Brilliant, teal-colored sparks erupted from his skin, weaving together like threads of silk. The purple static in the sky suddenly surged toward him, turning from a threat into a fuel.
Two hilts—black and wrapped in indigo silk—materialized in his hands. As he gripped them, blades of pure, humming energy ignited. They weren't made of steel; they were made of "Sound," vibrating so fast they blurred the air.
Ren slammed into the ground between the student and the Phantom. The shockwave of his landing sent a cloud of cherry blossom petals swirling into a miniature cyclone.
[SYNC RATE: 12% - MODE: TWIN AETHER] The holographic text appeared right in his field of vision, glowing a steady blue.
The Phantom hissed, a sound like dry leaves skittering over a grave. It swung its heavy blade down with enough force to split the earth. Ren didn't move until the last microsecond. He crossed his twin blue blades, catching the rusted steel.
Clang.
The sound wasn't a normal metal hit. It sounded like a high-pitched bell ringing through the entire city. The Phantom's red eyes flickered.
"You're in the wrong century," Ren said, his voice dropping an octave. His black hair, once messy, was now standing up slightly, charged with static electricity.
With a burst of speed that left a trail of blue light behind him, Ren vanished. He reappeared behind the Phantom, his blades already sheathed in a blur of motion.
A second later, four blue slashes appeared on the Phantom's chest. The black mist holding the armor together began to dissolve. The giant warrior let out a final, hollow roar before shattering into a thousand fragments of purple glass.
Ren exhaled, the blue glow of his blades fading as the hilts vanished back into his palms. His heart was hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird.
"Ren!" Hina came running down, her tablet glowing with new data. "That was... that was a Sync! You just performed a First-Order Echo-Strike!"
Ren looked at his hands. They were still shaking. "Is it over?"
"No," Hina said, pointing at her screen. Across the city, dozens of purple lights were beginning to flare. "It's just starting. The Shogun... he's waking up."
High above them, on the tallest skyscraper in the city, a man in black tactical armor watched them. He gripped the hilt of a blade that glowed a menacing, cursed red.
"So," the man muttered, his silver hair whipping in the wind. "The Echo has finally found a voice. Let's see if he can keep the tune.".
TO BE CONTINUED