The narrow tunnel led Kael, Elira, and Torran into a cavern that felt markedly different from the rest of the dungeon. The oppressive air seemed heavier here, thick with an unplaceable energy. The walls were smooth and metallic, lined with glowing panels that flickered erratically, displaying fragmented lines of text.

“Doesn’t look like this part of the dungeon was built for adventurers,” Torran said, scanning the room with his shield raised. “Feels... ancient.”

Elira walked ahead, her eyes narrowing as she examined one of the panels. “This isn’t dungeon design,” she murmured. “This is System architecture—leftover traces of whatever created this place.”

Kael followed, his gaze drawn to the shifting text on a nearby panel. It wasn’t gibberish, but the meaning was hard to decipher. Fragmented logs appeared briefly before vanishing, and the faint sound of overlapping voices echoed through the chamber.

One of the panels caught Elira’s attention. She tapped it gently, and the fragmented text stabilized, its glowing lines forming readable phrases.

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[System Log Fragment 0482: Node Stabilization Report]

Objective: Repair corruption through energy redirection.

Status: Experiment failed. Significant destabilization detected. Origin unknown.]

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“An experiment,” Elira muttered. “They were trying to fix the Nodes, but something went wrong.”

Kael felt a faint pull in his chest, the same cold sensation he’d experienced around the fractured Nodes. His shadow flickered unnaturally, stretching toward the glowing panels.

“Kael,” Elira said sharply, noticing the movement. “Your shadow—”

“I know,” he said, his voice tight. “It’s reacting to this place.”

Torran’s gaze darted between Kael and the walls. “If this experiment created the corruption, then someone must have started it. Who’s behind this?”

Before anyone could respond, the air grew colder, and the voices around them grew louder. Kael staggered slightly, clutching his chest as the panels brightened.

“Elira,” Kael managed, his breathing shallow, “I don’t think this place is just a storage room. I think it’s pulling something... out of me.”

Elira stepped back, her bow ready. “We need to be careful. This place is more than just an archive—it’s a trap.”

Kael felt a chill run down his spine as the lights in the room dimmed, and a new message appeared on the nearest panel:

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[Activating System Protocol: Project Echo.]

The chamber shifted as the fragmented panels lit up in unison, casting the room in an eerie glow. Kael staggered back, his vision swimming as faint trails of energy spiraled toward the center of the room.

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“Elira, what’s happening?” Kael asked, clutching his chest.

“Some kind of activation sequence,” Elira said, her voice tense. “Stay alert.”

The spiraling energy coalesced into a humanoid form, flickering with jagged distortions. A faint hum resonated as the figure stabilized, its features resolving into the image of a tall man clad in flowing robes marked with intricate System runes. His face was partially obscured, flickering like a corrupted hologram.

“This isn’t a person,” Elira muttered. “It’s a projection.”

“Welcome,” the figure said, its voice deep and mechanical, yet layered with a strange solemnity. “You have entered the Echo of the Architect’s design. If you are here, the System is failing.”

The words sent a chill through the air, and Kael felt his shadow twitch unnaturally at his feet.

“You’re... an Architect?” Kael asked cautiously.

The figure tilted its head slightly. “I am an Echo. A memory of one who shaped this reality. The System was once stable, self-regulating. But then came The Shattering—a breach in design that fractured the Nodes and allowed corruption to fester.”

Kael exchanged a glance with Elira and Torran. “What caused The Shattering?”

The Echo flickered, its voice darkening. “The Shattering was no accident. It was... a rebellion. The Nodes were tampered with, their purpose twisted by those who sought to unmake what the System was built to protect.”

Kael stepped forward, his shadow stretching toward the Echo involuntarily. “And what does that have to do with me? Why is my class reacting to all of this?”

The Echo turned its hollow gaze toward Kael. “You are Edgeweaver. A failsafe—created to interact with the corrupted Nodes and restore balance. But your class was never meant to act alone. The Edgeweaver draws power from the shadows, yet it is inherently unstable, feeding on the System’s very essence.”

Kael’s stomach sank. “You’re saying I’m making things worse?”

“Not intentionally,” the Echo replied. “But your presence accelerates the corruption if left unchecked. Edgeweaver is both a tool of restoration... and a harbinger of collapse.”

Torran took a step forward, his hand on his sword hilt. “And you thought it was a good idea to design something that dangerous?”

The Echo flickered again, its voice laced with regret. “The Edgeweaver was our last hope. But we underestimated the cost.”

Before Kael could respond, the energy in the room shifted violently. The panels around them crackled, their glow dimming as the Echo’s form began to distort.

“What’s happening?” Elira asked, her bow raised.

The Echo’s voice turned fragmented, strained. “The corruption... has found us. You must prepare... the Reset cannot be stopped. But it can be... redirected. The choice... will be yours.”

The light surged once more, and the hologram vanished, leaving the chamber plunged into heavy silence.

Kael stared at the empty space where the Echo had stood, his mind racing. “Failsafe gone rogue,” he murmured to himself. “What does that even mean?”

“It means we’ve got a problem,” Torran said, his tone sharp. “If what it said is true, your class might be the reason the corruption is spreading faster.”

Kael looked to Elira, but her expression was unreadable. “Not the time to point fingers,” she said, cutting off the tension. “We’re still standing in the middle of a dungeon, and that thing said the corruption’s coming. We need to move.”

A distant rumble shook the ground, sending debris trickling from the ceiling. Kael took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus. “Let’s go,” he said, his voice resolute. “We’ll figure this out, but first we need to survive.”

The rumbling grew louder as the trio moved toward the chamber’s exit, the floor trembling beneath their feet. Kael’s shadow flickered erratically, and the oppressive air seemed to grow heavier with each passing moment.

“Something’s coming,” Torran said, his shield raised as he scanned the room.

Before anyone could respond, a massive figure crashed through the far wall, shards of stone and metal flying in every direction. Kael staggered backward, raising his arms to shield his face.