Chapter 14 — The Echo of Steel

CHAPTER 14 — THE ECHO OF STEEL

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The sharp sound of metal clashing echoed across the field, each strike ringing louder than the last. My breathing was ragged as I tried to steady my aim, sweat dripping from my forehead.

Three hours.

That’s how long this “mock battle” had gone on.

Me and SK versus Blaze.

And still, we hadn’t landed a single clean hit.

“SK! I’ll cover you!” I shouted, reloading my rifle.

She shot me a glare, her scythe spinning like a whirlwind. “Don’t tell me what to do!”

“That’s not even an order!” I yelled back, ducking as Blaze blurred past us.

He dodged every strike she threw, moving like water — smooth, effortless, untouchable.

“Well,” Blaze said mid-fight, yawning like this was just a warm-up, “you two really need more coordination.”

“Damn it, he’s too fast…” I muttered, raising my scope. “I can’t even track him with this thing!”

I fired a quick shot — and nearly hit SK.

“Hey! Watch where you’re aiming!” she shouted, jumping back.

“Not my fault you ran into my line of sight!”

“Tch!”

She lunged again, swinging her scythe down in a clean arc. Blaze sidestepped with minimal effort, tapping her weapon with his finger — just a touch — and sending her off balance.

“This is getting ridiculous,” I whispered.

Blaze looked at the sky — or, rather, the endless gray void above. “Oh. It’s almost time.”

“Time for what—”

Before I could finish, he vanished. One second he was ten meters away — the next, right in front of SK.

Two clean moves — nothing flashy, just pure speed and precision — and she dropped, unconscious.

Then his eyes shifted toward me.

“Oh no,” I muttered. “Not again.”

And everything went black.

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When I opened my eyes, I was back inside the house.

The lights were dim, the fire had burned out, and my body felt like it had been hit by a truck.

“Oh, look who’s awake,” SK said, sitting nearby with her arm bandaged.

“You too, huh?” I groaned, sitting up slowly.

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She just smirked. “Guess we both learned something today.”

“Yeah,” I said. “That Blaze is basically a walking raid boss.”

I rubbed my temples and stood, heading to my room. On the small table beside my bed sat my communicator.

Still silent.

Still dead.

Every night, I hoped for a signal. Some message. Some proof the Resistance was still out there. But all I got was static.

Through the window, I could see Blaze outside, training with a sword that shimmered faintly with blue light. Each swing left trails of energy that vanished in the air.

A strange player with no memory of his past — strong enough to rival the best fighters in the world.

If he joined the Resistance, we could turn the tide of this war.

But with SK here… that would never happen.

Me and her barely got along, and Blaze knew it.

I sighed. “I should get some rest…”

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Morning came — or at least, what felt like morning. There was no real day or night cycle in the Void, but sometimes you could feel the difference — the faint warmth in the air, the softer light.

I sat by the table, tools scattered everywhere as I continued to fix my communicator.

“Come on, just work already…” I muttered.

Blaze eventually walked over, wiping his hands with a towel. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to get this thing to work,” I said, holding up the damaged comm.

He leaned closer, squinting. “A communication device, huh?”

“Yeah. My only way to reach the outside. Any chance you can fix it?”

He laughed. “Sorry, not my field. I’m more of a ‘hit-it-until-it-works’ kind of guy.”

I sighed. “Figures.”

He scratched his chin, thinking. “But… I do know someone who might be able to fix that.”

My eyes widened. “Really? Where is he?”

Blaze grinned. “No idea.”

“Seriously?”

“Hey, don’t give me that look. The Void’s huge. But if we ever find a way out, I’ll help you get to him.”

I couldn’t tell if he was serious or just teasing. But for some reason, I believed him.

Then, suddenly —

Bzzt.

Bzttt.

I froze.

“What the—”

The communicator crackled again.

Bzzt-bzzt. Bzzt-bzzt-bzzt.

“Morse code?” Blaze said, raising an eyebrow.

“Morse what?”

“It’s an old form of communication. Used in the army back in the day — dots and dashes, signals through sound. You should know that.”

“Well, I don’t,” I said flatly. “You do?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Not that old.”

We leaned closer, listening carefully. The signal repeated, faint but rhythmic — a pattern of short and long bursts.

“Maybe someone’s trying to contact us,” I said.

“Could be. Or maybe it’s just interference.”

“No… this feels too deliberate.”

As we were trying to fix the comm, SK came running toward us — breathing heavily, sweat dripping down her neck as she wiped her forehead.

“Sir…” she said, catching her breath.

“What the— what happened to you?” I asked.

“Outside,” she said between breaths, “some strange entity came near the house. I tried to fight them off, but they just kept getting stronger… but finally, I defeated them.”

I glanced toward the window.

Outside, in the faint light of the Void, I saw them — humanoid figures flickering like broken holograms, their bodies glitching in and out of shape.

“Oh, those things?” Blaze said, stepping beside me. His tone was oddly calm.

“That’s perfect.”

“Perfect?” I echoed.

He smirked. “Yeah. A Shard is the perfect sparring partner for you.”

“Shard?” I repeated.

“Yeah. They mimic your movements. Still don’t know where they come from, but they spawn every now and then,” he explained. “The first time you fight one, it’s tough. But if you beat it once… the next one learns from your style. It gets harder each round.”

“Wait, so they adapt?” I asked, staring at the shifting silhouettes outside.

“Exactly,” Blaze said. “Like a mirror that remembers your every mistake.”

SK frowned, gripping her scythe tighter. “But something’s off. I’ve never seen that many before.”

Blaze’s expression darkened slightly. “You’re right. Something’s different tonight.”

I looked out the window again. More figures were emerging from the mist — their glitched bodies twisting unnaturally, like corrupted reflections coming to life.

I didn’t know what they were, or what caused them to appear…

But one thing was certain — training was about to get a lot more dangerous.