Chapter 5: The Voice in the Dust
Kael moved through the ruins cautiously. Every step echoed through the broken city like a whisper of the past.
The blood from the fallen warrior had already vanished—absorbed into the ground. Strange symbols pulsed faintly where it fell, and Kael could feel something shift inside him.
> [Memory Resonance Detected]
Hidden Memory Fragment Nearby.
He followed the pull, trusting the sensation guiding his steps. Around a crumbling archway, half-buried in rubble, sat an old helmet. Rusted. Cracked. But the moment he touched it—
> [Memory Fragment Retrieved: "The Fall of the Blade Court"]
+1 Stat Point
Passive Skill Unlocked: Battle Instinct (Lv. 1) – Predict enemy attacks with 5% accuracy.
Kael staggered as visions rushed in—himself, older, cloaked in black armor, kneeling in fire, clutching a dying comrade.
"We trusted you, Kael. Why…?"
The memory cut off.
He clenched his fists. That wasn't me… but it felt like it was.
---
He walked for hours, watching shadows stretch across a foreign sky. Occasionally, the system pulsed with small hints, urging him to explore. But Kael couldn't shake the feeling that this simulation wasn't just a trial—it was a message.
Then it came.
A whisper—not from the system. Not from memory.
Real.
"You're late," the voice said, soft as dust in the wind.
Kael spun. Nothing.
Just silence. Until a figure stepped out from behind a broken pillar. It wore his face.
But this wasn't the twisted warrior from before.
This one smiled.
And spoke.
"I'm you—but from a life you weren't supposed to remember."
---
> [Simulation Anomaly Detected.]
Warning: Unauthorized clone activity.
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