Episode 20: The City of Echoes

The swamp's mist thinned as dawn's pale light bled across the horizon. The silhouette of Norvahel loomed larger now—its towers half-submerged, its bridges fractured and reaching into nothing, its gates swallowed by mire and tide.

They had fought their way here through corpses and whispers, yet the silence that clung to the drowned city was worse than any battle.

Akira shifted uneasily, adjusting the strap on his scabbard. "I hate how quiet it is. Cities aren't supposed to be quiet."

Elira's violet eyes swept the skyline, her voice low, measured. "This is no city. It is a tomb."

Kuro said nothing. His gaze locked on the ruins, the faint ember in his pupils flickering brighter with each step forward. The closer they came, the heavier the air grew—like a weight pressing against their lungs.

His system pulsed.

[Environmental Hazard Detected: Memory Resonance]

[Warning: Psychological Distortion Imminent]

"…Stay sharp," Kuro muttered.

---

The causeway ended at a fractured archway, its carvings eroded by centuries of brine. Beyond, water lapped against flooded streets where the upper halves of buildings still stood like gravestones. Bridges stretched overhead, broken veins of a corpse long dead.

As they stepped into the drowned city, sound shifted—every footstep echoed too long, rippling through air as if bouncing between unseen walls.

Akira slowed, his expression tightening. "You hear that? It's like the city's… repeating us."

Elira's jaw clenched. "Echoes of Norvahel. They say the city remembers everything—every prayer, every betrayal, every death. Entering its heart means letting it remember you."

Akira grimaced. "Yeah, well, I'd rather it forgot me."

---

They pressed deeper, the mist growing thicker between the ruined streets. Statues lined the thoroughfares, their faces worn blank, their hands raised as if pleading with the sky. Some had toppled into the water, their reflections broken by ripples that moved though no wind stirred.

Kuro's hand lingered near his blade. His system flickered again:

[Distortion Active]

[Warning: External Influence Attempt Detected]

And then—

A whisper.

Soft at first, brushing against the back of his mind.

"…Jin."

His steps faltered. He knew that voice.

But it was impossible.

Akira noticed the hesitation. "Kuro? What is it?"

Kuro didn't answer. The whisper grew stronger, clearer. His system blurred with static.

[Identity Signature Match: Unknown | Probability: 87%]

"…Why did you leave me?"

His breath caught, heat flickering along his arm. Emberlight surged involuntarily from his palm.

Elira's eyes narrowed instantly. She thrust a hand forward, a veil of frost shimmering into place around him. "Control it. The city is feeding on your memory."

But the whisper didn't stop. It echoed from the stones, from the water, from the very air.

Akira gritted his teeth, stepping between them. "Hey! Snap out of it, damn it! This isn't real!"

---

And then it turned on Elira.

The mist coiled at her feet, taking shape—a figure of regal bearing, crowned and cloaked, eyes sharp as hers.

"Daughter," the phantom whispered, its voice deep, commanding. "You failed. You walked away from your crown… from me."

Elira's breath hitched, her composure cracking for the first time. The frostfire in her hands wavered.

Akira cursed. "The city's throwing illusions at us. Great. Just what we needed."

---

Kuro clenched his fist, forcing the emberlight to steady. He stepped forward, locking his gaze on Elira.

"They're not real," he said, voice low but cutting through the whispers. "Not unless you let them be."

Her eyes snapped to him, trembling faintly. "You don't understand—"

"Maybe not. But I know a chain when I see one." His ember-flame flared against the mist. "And I don't let chains hold me."

---

The illusions screeched as if burned by his defiance. The phantom figures warped, melting back into fog. The echoes faded, though not completely. The city still remembered.

Elira steadied herself, but her hands still shook as she lowered them. "…That was my father."

Akira exhaled heavily, running a hand down his face. "So the city digs into your worst memories and throws them back at you. Fantastic. Definitely my favorite dungeon mechanic so far."

Kuro said nothing. He turned his gaze deeper into the city, where the mist thickened into a wall of shifting light. His system pulsed again.

[Concentration of Resonance Increasing]

[Hostile Entity Detected – Class Unknown]

"…Something's waiting for us."

---

They moved on, every step sinking heavier into silence. The water reached their knees now, black and cold, rippling with unseen currents. The statues grew stranger—half-human, half-wraith, their mouths open in silent screams.

And then the street ended at a plaza drowned in waist-deep water.

At its center stood a massive statue, intact where all others were broken. It depicted a knight in ornate armor, its sword planted into the ground. Around its feet, chains spread outward like roots, vanishing beneath the water.

The air thickened.

The water stirred.

The statue's eyes ignited with pale blue fire.

Akira's hand flew to his blade. "Oh, come on. It's alive?"

Elira's voice dropped, grim. "No. Worse. It's bound."

The chains groaned, rising from the water like serpents of rusted iron. They writhed, dragging themselves across the plaza toward the intruders.

Kuro's ember-blade ignited instantly. "Finally. Something solid to cut."

Elira raised her frostfire, her posture tightening. "No reckless bursts this time. We fight in control—or the city will consume us."

Akira slid into stance, his steel gleaming against the ghostlight. "Guess our little pact's getting tested again."

The statue's head turned, the grinding of stone echoing like a death knell. The plaza trembled.

The first guardian of Norvahel had awakened.

---

[To Be Continued…]

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