Arrival in the Unknown

  The moment Renji and Selene stepped through the portal, the world tilted.

  A rush of cold air smmed into them, and for a split second, it felt like they were being pulled in a thousand directions at once.

  Then—

  Silence.

  Renji nded hard, boots scraping against smooth stone. His vision blurred, his ears rang. The shift between worlds always left him slightly disoriented, but this time, there was something different—an unnatural stillness.

  Selene nded beside him in a crouch, her gloved hand steadying herself on the ground, her other hand gripping her sword. Her sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, taking in every detail before whispering, "This pce…"

  They had arrived.

  And what they saw stole their breath.

  ---

  A City Lost to Time

  They stood at the edge of a vast, abandoned city. Towering buildings of obsidian and silver loomed overhead, their smooth surfaces etched with glowing inscriptions that pulsed dimly, like the st embers of a dying fme.

  Bridges crisscrossed above them, some broken, others intact. They wove through the sky like a complex web, remnants of a civilization that had once thrived—and then vanished.

  The air was thick with memory. As if the very stones were watching.

  Renji exhaled. "Where the hell…" His voice was swallowed by the stillness.

  The buildings had no doors. No windows. Only shadows.

  Selene stepped forward, boots clicking against the smooth, eerily polished ground. Her fingers traced a strange symbol carved into a nearby structure—its markings faintly familiar.

  "This city is… wrong."*

  Renji felt it too. Something was here. Watching. Waiting.

  Then—

  A whisper.

  Soft, fleeting. Not from the wind.

  But from the walls themselves.

  The air grew colder. The glow in the inscriptions dimmed.

  "Turn back."

  The words were faint, carried by something older than time itself.

  Selene’s eyes flicked to Renji. "Did you hear that?"

  He swallowed hard. "Yeah."*

  Before they could react, shadows peeled away from the buildings.

  And the Echoes emerged.

  ---

  The Echoes Awaken

  Figures stepped forward from the walls. Faceless. Transparent. Echoes of the past.

  Their movements were unnatural—glitching, as if reality itself struggled to hold them together. They flickered between different shapes, their forms warping between what they once were and what they had become.

  They were not alive. Not dead.

  They were something else.

  Selene’s grip tightened on her sword. "We’re not alone."*

  One of the Echoes turned its head.

  And suddenly—

  They spoke.

  "You should not be here."*

  The voice was yered. A chorus of whispers speaking at once.

  Renji’s stomach twisted. What the hell was this pce?

  Before he could ask, the Echoes moved.

  Not walking. Not running.

  They glided.

  Like the very air carried them.

  Selene took a step back. "Renji…"

  Then—

  One of the Echoes snapped toward them.

  It blurred, appearing inches from Renji’s face in an instant.

  His body reacted before his mind did—he jumped back, hands up, ready to fight. But the Echo didn’t touch him. It simply stood there. Watching.

  Then—

  It screamed.

  A piercing, ear-splitting sound that sent a shockwave rippling through the air. The glowing inscriptions on the buildings fred to life, burning brighter, hotter. The ground beneath them shuddered.

  And suddenly—

  The city came alive.

  ---

  The Chase Begins

  More Echoes emerged. Dozens. Hundreds. Some still barely formed, others more solid.

  Their whispers turned into shrieks.

  And then—they attacked.

  Selene moved first. Her bde sshed outward, cutting through the nearest Echo.

  But it did nothing.

  The creature shattered, then reformed instantly.

  Renji cursed. "Not good—!"

  The Echoes lunged, their wispy hands stretching out toward them.

  Renji grabbed Selene’s wrist and ran.

  "Move!"*

  The streets of the abandoned city became a blur as they raced forward, weaving through the shattered remains of what once must have been bridges, pzas, and towering halls.

  The Echoes glided after them. Silent. Relentless.

  The very city shifted as they ran. Buildings rearranged, pathways closed, forcing them down unfamiliar roads.

  Renji skidded to a stop at the edge of a broken bridge. A bottomless abyss stretched out below.

  Selene spun, back to his. "We’re trapped."

  The Echoes closed in.

  Their whispering voices overpped.

  "Turn back."*

  "You should not be here."*

  "The wheel must turn."*

  "All things must end."*

  Renji clenched his fists. "Like hell we will!"*

  Then—

  A voice cut through the noise.

  "Over here!"*

  A figure stood on a nearby rooftop, hooded, cloaked in silver and bck. A gloved hand reached out—a portal crackling with blue energy swirled beside them.

  Selene’s eyes flicked to Renji.

  "Do we trust them?"

  He grinned despite himself. "Not really. But it’s better than staying here."*

  They jumped.

  And the Echoes screamed.

  The world shattered into light.

  ---

  To Be Continued…