Location: Unknown

  Time of Day: Night

  Smoke drifted across the skyline as fires raged, some Gravehowlers inside shattered buildings, others consuming abandoned vehicles along the roads. WHOOOSH Helicopters roared overhead, sweeping spotlights through the streets. WAAAH Sirens blared from all directions, and distant screams echoed through the chaos. This was a full-scale outbreak. Captain raised his rifle and scanned through the scope. CLACK "It's not just one block," he said grimly. "The infection has spread everywhere."

  Lumina stepped forward, her brown eyes reflecting the orange glow of burning structures. "...Tell me, Hikari. About how many people live here?"

  "I estimate around fifty thousand or so," Hikari answered softly. "Which means most of them might already have turned."

  Slayer, usually the lighthearted one, responded with a serious tone. "This whole place looks like a war zone. How the hell did it spread so fast?"

  "That's just how dangerous a Zerm-type Echo class is." Hikari's expression darkened. "But I doubt it started here. If I had to guess, it probably started at a nearby Echohold location and then spread to the city. If one vault fell... others could've too."

  Lumina's eyes narrowed, her tone firm. "So... do you think this Echo came from Echohold-09?"

  "Impossible." Hikari cut in quickly, shaking her head. "There's no data or samples to suggest the Gravehowler was ever captured and locked in a vault at Echohold-09."

  Captain's jaw tightened. "Then that means other Echohold locations have already been compromised... and in such a short time too." He clenched his fist. "Dammit, who the hell could be pulling the strings behind this operation?"

  Before anyone could respond, a metallic clatter echoed across the rooftop. CLANK The team whipped around instantly, Captain raising his rifle in one swift motion. A girl with long black hair and a white lab coat stumbled out from behind a ventilation unit, limping. She looked to be in her twenties. Her security uniform beneath the coat was shredded, soaked in blood, and a crude bandage wrapped tightly around her leg. DRIP... DRIP... A trembling flashlight flared in her hand, the sudden burst of light momentarily blinding the group. FLASH

  "Wait, please don't shoot!" she cried, lifting both hands in the air, the flashlight still trembling in her grip. Her voice was ragged with exhaustion.

  Captain didn't lower his rifle. "Identify yourself first."

  "M-My name is Samantha Park," she stuttered. "Junior researcher and a Hollow member at Echohold-02. I-I was there when it started."

  ("A Hollow member...") Hikari's voice softened. "You were inside when the Echos breached? What exactly happened at Echohold-02?"

  Samantha's eyes welled with tears as she shook her head. "It was chaos... and the lockdown failed. Not just the Gravehowlers, but other Echos too. Th-Things I'd never even seen before. Someone disabled the lockdown systems, and everything collapsed within minutes. The last thing I heard was the call to evacuate through the lower floors." Her voice trembled. "But it was too late for them... so I left the facility and drove toward the nearest city." WHIRR A gust of wind swept past, carrying the smell of ash and smoke.

  "Why would someone sabotage the facility just to cause chaos?" Lumina said sharply, a hand resting on her chin. "It doesn't make any sense."

  "I don't know," Samantha whispered, lowering her arms slowly. "But if it's happening at more Echoholds... no place is safe anymore." She took a shaky step forward, then froze. SSSHHHK A low, gurgling hiss slithered from behind the vent. The team's eyes widened as something shifted in the shadows.

  "Samantha get down!" Captain barked.

  It was too late. A Gravehowler Beast variant burst out of the rooftop hatch, tearing through twisted metal. KRASH Its upper body was humanoid, but its lower half slithered like a massive serpent. It was pale, stretched skin glared with black boils, and its claws were sharp. HSSSSHH It lunged forward with terrifying speed, coiling around Samantha before she could react. SNAP! She screamed, but it ended in a wet choke as its sharp jaws clamped down on her shoulder and yanked her behind the vent. SPLATTER!

  "Move!" Captain shouted, firing multiple rounds. BRRRTTT!

  Slayer and Lumina activated their Emanation states and unsheathed their blades, surging forward. FWOOOM Slayer struck first. "Damn you!" SHING His blade severed one of the creature's arms, and the Gravehowler hissed in fury. HSSSS!

  Lumina followed FWISH FWISH FWISH her katana slashing across its torso in a blur of motion. The force threw the creature back, but it lashed out instantly, sweeping its serpent tail toward them. WHIP In a heartbeat, Lumina and Slayer dodged aside with ease, their movements fluid and precise. SWOOSH

  Hikari sprinted to Samantha, but it was too late. Her eyes were wide and glassy, and blood pooled beneath her.

  "She's gone..." Hikari whispered. "It happened so fast..."

  The Gravehowler shrieked, wounded but furious, then slithered off the rooftop and vanished into the chaos below. KRASH Captain lowered his rifle slowly. "It's gone now."

  Slayer sheathed his blade as his aura faded. "No one's safe in this city... not even for five minutes."

  "We must move," Captain growled. "The city's being overrun. We must take shelter inside the building and plan our next move."

  Lumina's aura faded as she sheathed her katana, her gaze lingering on Samantha's lifeless form. "...Then let's make sure her death meant something."

  A distant rumble rolled across the sky. RMMM Thunder cracked overhead a second later. KRRRACK Then the rain came, drenching the team within seconds. SHHHHH The team turned away, pushing through a metal door that led into the stairwell. The stairwell was narrow and dimly lit, dust drifting with every step. CREAK The sound of settling steel echoed faintly as they descended.

  "...This place is too quiet," Slayer whispered.

  "I don't like it either," Captain muttered, sweeping his rifle across the shadowed corridor below.

  Lumina's hand rested lightly on the hilt of her katana. "Silence doesn't always mean safety so stay sharp everyone."

  When they reached the lower floors, they spread out with practiced caution. The offices were stripped bare - overturned desks, cracked monitors, and papers scattered across the floor. The evacuation had been frantic... or violent. Hikari crouched near a fallen sign. Her voice was hushed but steady. "We need to pinpoint our location. If we can find a map, I should be able to triangulate where we are."

  Captain scanned the ruined hallway, eyes narrowing. "We're in a city of death. It doesn't matter where we are."

  "It does," Hikari countered. "If we want to survive and reach Echohold-09, I need to know which roads are still intact and determine a viable route to get there."

  "Then let's make sure to do it quick," Lumina said quietly. "We don't know what might be lurking in this building." Her eyes swept across the lightly dim hallway.

  They swept room by room. Papers littered the floors, drawers hung open, monitors cracked and lifeless. The building had been abandoned - or torn apart - in a hurry. Slayer kicked open a supply closet and froze, then grinned under his helmet. "Bingo."

  On the back wall hung a large map of the city, along with several surrounding districts pinned beside it. Slayer grabbed it and hurried over to the others. He handed it to Hikari, who placed the map flat on a nearby desk and immediately began studying the layout, eyes sharp and focused. Her fingers traced the faded streets and landmarks until she stopped at a small dot. "Ah-hah. Found you," she said.

  Lumina crossed her arms. "How's it looking, Hikari?"

  "Well, the place we're currently at is called Black Hollow City. Which is northeast of Echohold-09. The Echohold itself won't be marked, but based on this..." Her eyes narrowed. "We're about fifteen miles out."

  Captain nodded grimly. "Good. Then we move at first light."

  Slayer’s tone turned firm. “I guess for now, we should secure a place to stay safe in.”

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  The team set their plan in motion, pressing deeper into the building to clear the lower floors and find shelter. The air grew heavy, every step they took echoed through the halls. Then it came. A faint noise from somewhere down the hallway. “Hm? What was that sound?” Lumina whispered.

  They heard a low moan - then another - followed by dozens more. GHHHHRRR The floor was thick with shadows, and dim emergency lights flickered overhead. At the end of the hallway... a swarm of infected. Gravehowlers twisted over one another, twitching and snarling. One snapped its head up, and its milky green eyes locked onto them. The entire swarm turned as one. "Back, now!" Captain growled, rifle raised.

  They bolted up the stairs, steps pounding against the metal. CLANG CLANG CLANG Hikari activated her Emanation state in a flash of pink light. "Tech-Link Drones go!" she shouted as three drones hummed into existence beside her. FWOOOM! The drones immediately moved to cover their backs, firing precise shots at the Gravehowlers PEW! PEW! as the team rushed up the stairs.

  Halfway up the stairwell, a heavy thud shook the metal above. THUD The rooftop access door burst open, KRASH! more Gravehowlers poured through, rushing down the stairs toward the team. Growls and rumbling echoed from above. "Dammit! We're surrounded!" Slayer shouted, blade and shield flashing free.

  "We have no choice but to hold the line here!" Captain barked.

  "Everyone, get ready," Lumina snapped, unsheathing her katana as her eyes blazed bright emerald. "We strike fast and hard!"

  The team was forced into battle, sandwiched between two advancing swarms of Gravehowlers. HSSSSHH Hikari and Captain held the line below, while Lumina and Slayer clashed with the ones charging from above. HUMMM! Hikari's drones flared, firing precise pink beams into the mass. PEW! PEW! SPLAT! Captain's rifle shifted into SMG mode, releasing bursts of red aura-charged rounds that tore into the horde. BRRT! Slayer barreled up the stairs with a defiant laugh, blade swinging wide to carve space. SLASH! Lumina dashed forward, her movements graceful and exact, each strike slicing cleanly through Gravehowlers. FWISH! FWISH! The battle dragged on for minutes, but there seemed to be no end to them. The team regrouped in a nearby hallway, forced back by the endless wave.

  "There's too many of them!" Hikari cried, shoving back one that nearly sank its teeth into her arm, but her drone shot it down with precise aim. ZAP!

  Captain slammed the butt of his rifle into a Gravehowler's skull with a sharp crack. THUD "We have no choice but to fight our way out!"

  The hallway was a war zone. Bodies piled across the floor, black blood smeared along the walls. HSSSSHH Slayer's armor was stained with filth; his breathing was heavy, his sword dripping with blackened gore. "There's no end to 'em!"

  Captain activated aura reload, red aura surging around him. FWOOOM "We're losing momentum and my stamina is draining fast!"

  Lumina's blade moved slower, her green aura beginning to dim. "At this rate, we'll collapse from exhaustion before the Gravehowlers even finish us..."

  Then CRASH a Gravehowler slammed into Lumina from the side, catching her off guard and knocking her off balance. Her footing faltered and she stumbled to the ground. The infected lunged at her, its jaws snapping inches from her face, while another closed in fast. Lumina growled, straining to keep the creature back. HNNGH Slayer spotted her struggling and charged. CLANG He slammed his shield into the one closing in, the impact shattering through its ribs and hurling it into the wall. SPLAT! Cracks split the concrete as the creature slid lifeless to the floor. Then he swung his blade in a wide arc, SLASH! The strike cut down the attacker pinning Lumina, sending it tumbling away from her.

  "Lumina, you okay?!" Slayer called out, his aura dimly lit.

  "I'm fine, thanks... just a bit winded that's all." She hissed, forcing herself to stand. "Let's continue." Slayer and Lumina fell back beside Hikari and Captain, unaware of what was happening. The battle raged on, blades and bullets killing more infected, but the team was running on fumes, each breath heavier than the last.

  Hikari's breathing quickened as her pink aura dimmed. Her Tech-Link Drones hovered shakily around her, their own glow fading fast. ("C'mon, Hikari... think. How can we turn this fight around? There must be a way...") Then her gaze fell to one of the fallen infected. Her eyes widened as the spark of an idea hit her. "Wait... that's it!"

  "What?!" Captain shouted, blasting another Gravehowler through the throat. BANG

  "I can reroute my aura!" Hikari cried, her voice cracking with sudden clarity. "I can override their corpses with Aura Tech-Link and force their nerves to obey me!"

  "You're gonna do what?!" Slayer yelled, slashing an infected.

  "I'm turning the dead back into living!" Hikari shouted back.

  Lumina spoke sharply, kicking a Gravehowler away. "Whatever you're planning make it count! We got your back!"

  Then Hikari dropped to her knees, aura surging around her. She pressed her hand against the corpse. Then a pink glow started crawling across the body like veins of light. Circuits etched across its skin in a flash as its eyes flared open, not with the usual milky green glow, but with a piercing pink glow instead. It rose before Hikari. Then another... and another. One by one, the fallen Gravehowlers reanimated by her side - not as enemies, but as soldiers under Hikari's will. She slowly stood up and turned toward the horde. Her eyes glowed pink, her expression sharp and focused. She thrust her hand forward. "Attack, my faithful servants." Her voice echoed through the hall, low and commanding.

  "HRRRRRAAaaaoOOOwwWWLlll..." The resurrected shrieked and hurled themselves into the oncoming swarm, tearing through them with brutal speed. The enemy Gravehowlers hesitated - confused - before being ripped apart by their own kind.

  Slayer froze mid-swing. "Okay... that's new."

  Lumina wiped the blood from her cheek, eyes narrowing in disbelief. "...They're following her commands..."

  "Keep pushing everyone!" Hikari shouted, aura dim. "I can't hold them for too long!"

  With renewed momentum, the team surged forward, joining Hikari's reanimated vanguard. FWOOOM Captain blasted a path open while Lumina and Slayer cut down the stunned stragglers. A few minutes of brutal, relentless combat... then silence. The last infected fell, and Hikari's revived corpses collapsed to their knees, the pink glow fading from their eyes. She lowered her hand, trembling as she exhaled a shaky breath. "...It worked."

  The team stood panting between the wreckage. Slayer slumped against a wall, his armor stained with Gravehowler blood. "...Are we alive?" he muttered.

  "Hmph. Barely," Captain replied with a smirk.

  "We should find a safe room and rest," Lumina said, wiping her blade clean before sheathing it. She turned toward Hikari, who was still kneeling. "You did great, Hikari. That was truly impressive."

  Hikari gave a tired nod, but before she could speak, her legs gave out. She collapsed, gasping for air.

  "Hikari!" Lumina rushed to her side, the others gathering around in concern.

  Lumina crouched and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You okay? You've burned through too much stamina. You need to take it easy and rest for a bit."

  Captain crouched beside her, his voice steady but firm. "Yeah, don't push it."

  Hikari pushed herself upright, settling into a sitting position. She shook her head weakly, pressing a hand to her forehead. "I'm just a little dizzy... I'll be fine, really. Don't worry about me."

  "Well, I'm helping you whether you like it or not. I’m not one to stand by and see someone in need of help." Lumina then slipped Hikari's arm over her shoulders.

  "Hehe thanks..." Hikari murmured, a faint smile flickering through her exhaustion.

  Lumina gave her a small nod. "Don't mention it." She helped Hikari to her feet, steadying her.

  Slayer glanced around, his tone cautious. "So... how do we make sure we stay safe without getting ambushed again?"

  "Well, if we take shelter in an office room, I should be able to seal the door," Hikari murmured. "That should keep us secure until sunrise."

  Lumina nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

  "In that case," Captain said, straightening, "Slayer and I will take point. We'll fend off any infected that might still be lurking around."

  "Aye, Captain!" Slayer responded with a salute.

  "Let's move," Captain ordered, stepping forward with Slayer, Lumina and Hikari following close behind.

  A few minutes later.

  The group moved into a cleared office space. Slayer shoved a desk in front of the door while Hikari used the last of her aura to fuse the lock shut with Aura Tech-Link, a faint flow of pink light spreading across the frame. Captain stayed near the window, rain still falling outside as he scanned the ruined streets below, watching the infected move through the debris. For the first time in hours, silence settled over them. Lumina sat cross-legged near the center of the room, breathing steadily.

  Slayer flopped onto the floor, staring up at the cracked ceiling. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss the deep forest of Xevia. At least the trees there didn't try to bite."

  Hikari sank against the wall. She whispered, "...We survived. But I'm afraid this is just the beginning."

  After several quiet minutes of resting, the group began to stir. Hikari stood first, rubbing her tired eyes as she brushed dust from her coat. “We should search around for any supplies or information we can use.”

  Captain nodded, arms crossed. “Yeah. There might be emergency gear… or maybe even a radio lying around here somewhere.”

  Slayer stretched his shoulders with a low groan. “A what now?”

  Hikari gave a faint smile. “It’s a type of communication tech, similar to our Aura Link Rings, just… slower, bulkier, and way less reliable.”

  Lumina rose to her feet. “I see. Well, as long as it gets the job done, I won’t complain.”

  Captain adjusted his rifle. “Alright. Let’s spread out and search."

  They then spread out, moving quietly through the wreckage. Cabinets lay overturned, papers scattered, dried blood pooling near what had once been a barricade. Slayer crossed his arms and shook his head. "Ah, blood and broken furniture. My favorite piece of art."

  Hikari opened a drawer, then froze. "...Found you." Inside was a handheld radio, half-buried under a pile of papers. She lifted it carefully, brushing off the dust. The antenna was slightly bent, but the switch still clicked under her thumb. Hikari quickly passed the radio to Captain, and the team gathered around him. Static hissed - then a broken voice crackled through the air. KSSHHH

  "...to any available units... this is Officer Harrell of the Black Hollow City Police Department... KRRRK ...we're requesting immediate backup. Repeat - BHCPD - pinned down at... KRRRK ...west evacuation point. There are civilians present and we can't hold out any lon-" The message cut off, replaced by screams, gunfire, and guttural snarls. Then silence.

  Hikari stared at the radio, her face pale. "...They were still trying to protect people."

  Slayer crossed his arms, his tone firm. "You think they're still alive?"

  "No," Captain said coldly. "They're not." The radio hissed softly in his grip.

  Lumina's eyes lingered on the burning city beyond the window. "If civilians were at that evacuation point, we need to check it out. Alive or not, we must confirm for ourselves."

  "I agree," Hikari said quietly. "Even if we're too late... maybe we'll find someone who knows what really happened here. We can spare the time before heading to Echohold-09."

  Slayer nodded. "Then at sunrise, we move. We'll rest and prepare until then."

  Captain glanced toward the window, "Yeah. Let's end this nightmare."

  "...With you on that," Hikari replied, nodding firmly. "Let's show the Echos we're not to be messed with."

  They waited in silence for sunrise, the signal to move toward their next destination. Captain set the radio down on the desk. Static whispered for a moment... then faded into the faint sound of an eerie lullaby - soft, distant, as if something out there was already awake.