The cold night air bit through Jayden's thin jacket as he stood alone on the rooftop of an abandoned building in Sector 5. The city lights flickered far below—dim beacons swallowed by the sprawling darkness of the slums.
He closed his eyes, the distant hum of neon and sirens fading as his mind slipped away into memories he had tried to bury.
---
It was years ago—before the raid that stole everything.
Jayden was just ten, a scrawny boy who clung to the shadows of alleyways and whispered stories of better days. His mother's voice still echoed softly in his ears, a lullaby against the cold world.
But the peace shattered the night the sky bled crimson.
---
The raid had come without warning—violent, chaotic, and merciless.
Supernatural forces descended like hellfire, tearing through the district with eyes that gleamed like cold stars.
Jayden remembered the sharp crack of energy, the screams, the burning smell of shadow and ash.
He ran—blind, desperate—until he stumbled into a strange alley bathed in an unnatural black light.
---
It was there, in the heart of that darkness, that something within him stirred.
A low whisper, like a voice beneath a dream, called out.
"Echo… echo… awaken..."
He collapsed, clutching his chest as pain radiated from deep inside, raw and alien.
Then came the shadows.
They crept from the walls, alive and sentient, swirling around his trembling fingers.
---
The power surged through him—terrifying and exhilarating.
In that moment, time fractured.
Everything slowed—the screams, the fire, the chaos.
Jayden lifted his hand, and the shadows obeyed.
They reached out like tendrils, pushing away the flames, shielding him from death.
---
But the cost was heavy.
His vision blurred.
A sharp burning carved into his skin where the shadows touched.
When the raid ended, Jayden was found by a rescue squad, alone, eyes blackened with a strange glow.
The world he knew was gone.
---
In the following days, as the authorities cleaned up the ruins, Jayden discovered the truth of his gift.
The Echobound System—a hidden force linking the conscious mind to a raw dimension of subconscious energy.
A dangerous power, one that could either save or destroy.
---
Back in the present, Jayden opened his eyes to the cool night sky.
His hand instinctively reached down to the scarred wrist hidden beneath his glove—the mark left from that night.
---
"I never asked for this," he whispered.
"But it's part of me."
A shadow flickered at his feet, responsive and alive.
---
The past was a chain, binding him to a future written in echoes.
And Jayden Bartels was ready to face it all.
Jayden's eyes scanned the shadows curling along the rooftop's edge. The city's heartbeat pulsed beneath him — distant, relentless, unforgiving.
His fingers twitched, and the living darkness responded, coiling and writhing like a serpent awaiting command. But tonight was different. He felt a chill inside, a restless stirring that wasn't just from the cold.
The memories were still fresh, but the dangers of today demanded focus.
"Get a grip," Jayden muttered under his breath.
From the alley below, footsteps echoed—soft, cautious, deliberate. Someone was coming.
He melted into the shadows, melding with the darkness until only the faintest silhouette remained visible.
A figure emerged—a young woman with a scar running down her cheek, eyes sharp and calculating. It was Elira Voss, the rebel faction's strategist.
"Elira," Jayden said quietly as she ascended the ladder to the rooftop. "You're late."
Her lips twitched in a faint smile. "Plans take time."
She glanced at his hand, still encased in shadow tendrils. "And you still haven't stopped practicing, huh?"
Jayden shrugged, "Old habits die hard."
Elira's gaze sharpened. "Listen, we don't have long. Apex Council patrols are tightening around Sector 5. They know someone here is stirring the Echobound forces. That someone is you."
Jayden's jaw tightened. "I'm not ready for a direct fight."
"You won't get a choice." She pulled out a small device — a holographic map flickered to life between them, showing red markers converging on their location. "Rika and Silas are moving to intercept. We have a plan — but it needs you."
A shadow pulse rippled from Jayden's wrist scar as he clenched his fist.
"The sooner I embrace it, the better," he said.
Elira nodded, eyes fierce. "Then let's make sure you're ready. Time is running out."
---
The city below seethed like a living beast, waiting to strike. But Jayden felt a spark of hope.
His past might be a burden, but his future — his fight — was just beginning.