The night air over Paris was cold and electric.Rain slicked the rooftops, turning the city's glow into a mirror of fractured light.
A news broadcast echoed faintly from an open café window:
"...The Heroic Council has classified the attacker as an Omega-Level Anomaly. Citizens are advised to avoid the northern sectors until further notice..."
Adrian sat alone on a bench across the river, hood drawn low.The reflection of the Eiffel Spire shimmered in the Seine — distorted, like a dying flame.
He hadn't slept since the night Jeanne's echo appeared. Every time he closed his eyes, her words echoed through the dark.
"Don't become what they said you were…"
He let out a slow breath."Too late," he murmured.
Far across the city, at the Citadel of Light, alarms pulsed through the Council's war room.
A woman in black combat armor adjusted her gloves, her eyes hidden behind a silver visor. Her name: Clara Duval — codename Seraphine.Once, she had been Adrian's classmate… and, for a time, something more.
Now, she was the leader of the Purge Division.
"Target sighted in the 12th arrondissement," said a technician, his voice shaking. "Confirmed Abyssal readings. Probability of Adrian Laurent's presence: 93%."
Clara's voice was calm, clipped. "Deploy strike team Delta and prepare the Resonance Seal. I'll engage personally."
"Captain, are you sure? He—"
"I said prepare it."
Her gaze lingered on the hologram showing his face — older now, sharper, eyes haunted but alive.
"He used to talk about saving people," she whispered. "Now we're saving people from him."
Meanwhile — Abandoned Metro Tunnels
Adrian walked the tunnels in silence. His footsteps echoed off the damp stone, the dim glow of his violet aura flickering against graffiti-covered walls.
[Synchronization: 31.8%][New Quest: Survive Purge Division Encounter.][Optional Objective: Analyze Resonance Seal technology.]
"Of course," he muttered. "They never send amateurs."
Lucien's ghost appeared at his side, slightly flickering.
"You expected them to ignore what you did to the knight?"
Adrian smirked. "I expected them to pretend they didn't notice. They like their heroes clean."
"Then you intend to fight?"
He stopped, glancing upward."No. I intend to understand."
The tunnels trembled.A surge of white light exploded from both ends, sealing the exits.
[Warning: Heroic Resonance Detected.][Seal Integrity: 98%]
A voice echoed through the chamber — firm, commanding.
"Adrian Laurent! By decree of the Heroic Council, you are ordered to surrender immediately!"
The light coalesced, forming six figures clad in silver armor, halos of runic light hovering behind them.
Adrian's eyes narrowed. "Of course… Purge Division."
One of them stepped forward — her armor trimmed in gold, visor reflecting his faint glow."Adrian," Clara said quietly. "You shouldn't have come back."
For a moment, the years between them vanished.He saw her as she had been — a young woman with auburn hair and a fierce smile, her laughter echoing through the academy halls.Then the memory died.
"I didn't," Adrian replied. "The world pulled me back."
She raised her blade. "Then I'll send you where you belong."
The battle began in a burst of light and shadow.
The Purge agents moved in formation, each strike coordinated, their blades humming with resonance energy.Adrian moved through them like smoke — precise, deliberate. He didn't waste motion; he let them attack and break themselves against him.
[Skill Activated: Fragment of the Void][Effect: Negate kinetic energy for 3.7 seconds.]
Bullets slowed mid-air, energy blasts bent around his aura.Lucien appeared behind him, striking in sync, spectral blade piercing the defenses of one agent.
Clara's voice cut through the chaos. "Formation Beta—compress and seal!"
The agents shifted instantly, forming a circle, light converging to trap Adrian in a glowing sphere.
He frowned. "Improvised containment field. You've been studying my resonance, haven't you?"
She didn't answer — just advanced, sword humming.The air around her shimmered with pure light.
[Signature Skill: Seraphic Execution]
Adrian met her blade with a burst of violet energy.Light and shadow collided, roaring through the tunnels like a storm.
The pressure cracked the concrete walls, spraying dust and light fragments everywhere.For a moment, neither moved — her sword locked with his spectral weapon, both faces inches apart.
Her voice was low, trembling just slightly. "You could have been one of us."
Adrian's eyes burned cold. "I was. You all just forgot."
He pushed her back with a surge of force. Lucien moved forward, striking at the agents as they regrouped.
Clara steadied herself. "You're not the man I knew."
"Then maybe you never knew me at all."
He raised his hand — and the shadows responded.
[System Update: New Skill Generated — Abyssal Convergence][Effect: Converts ambient emotion into condensed energy.]
The tunnel walls shook. The air vibrated with whispers — voices of past heroes, villains, and forgotten souls.The shadows thickened, rising around Adrian like a tide.
The agents panicked. One shouted, "Captain, containment's failing—!"
"Fall back!" Clara ordered.
But it was too late.The energy detonated outward in a wave of violet fire, swallowing light and sound.
When the dust settled, half the team was down — unconscious, breathing but shaken.Lucien stood guard as Adrian approached Clara, who had barely managed to block the blast. Her armor was cracked, her visor shattered.
She looked up at him, blood trickling from her lip."Why, Adrian?" she asked, voice breaking. "Why this path?"
He paused, kneeling slightly, eyes softer for just a moment."Because I'm tired of asking why they deserve to live… and I don't."
He rose, turning away as Lucien's spectral form dissolved back into mist.
[Synchronization: 34.9%][Emotional anchor strengthened: Sorrow / Betrayal.]
Behind him, Clara called out weakly. "They'll keep coming for you…"
Adrian didn't stop walking. "Then I'll keep reminding them what they created."
He disappeared into the tunnels, leaving only silence and flickering light behind.
Citadel of Light — Later That Night
Miriel, head of the Council, stood before the cracked hologram feed of the mission.She replayed the footage — the violet explosion, the whispers, the flicker of faces in the energy wave.
"Pause," she said.The technician obeyed.
In the still frame, among the shadows, faint outlines of other figures appeared — armor, banners, emblems from centuries past.
Miriel's eyes narrowed."Those aren't echoes," she murmured. "They're… memories."
Another councilor frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean the anomaly isn't just drawing from corrupted souls."She turned toward the group, her expression grim."He's awakening something buried inside the Heroic System itself."
Silence filled the chamber.
Miriel looked toward the city beyond the glass, her reflection merging with the night."Find him before it's too late," she said quietly. "Or the world will remember a truth it was never meant to."
Adrian stood on a rooftop, rain still falling softly.The city stretched before him — glittering, unaware.He opened his hand, watching faint violet sparks dance across his fingers.
[New Passive Skill Acquired: Abyssal Memory Link][Effect: Fragments of past hero souls will occasionally manifest to guide or test you.]
He stared at the message for a long moment.
"Guide me or test me, huh…"He smiled faintly, eyes reflecting the lightning above.
"Let's see who survives the lesson."