John stood in front of the bathroom mirror, his reflection catching his attention as he changed out of the hospital gown into his regular clothes. The faint scars lining his body would fade with time, but for now, they stood as reminders of battles fought and survived. He got his last check-up early in the morning today, and he was ready to get out.
All of his surface wounds had healed, though a few deeper ones still demanded patience before fully mending. As he stepped outside, the fresh air hit his lungs sharply, a stark contrast to the sterile scent of antiseptic that had clung to him for weeks. He found himself amidst the extensive BMI grounds, surrounded by sleek, gleaming buildings bustling with activity.
Shielding his eyes against the sun, he navigated his way to the parking lot. Just as he reached his car, ready to head back to his apartment, a soft chime interrupted his thoughts. His comm screen lit up with a notification:
(Your custom weapon is ready for testing. Report to the lab at 14:00.)
John exhaled, a flicker of anticipation cutting through the monotony of the past few days. Finally. He turned around and made his way back. And after a few minutes of walking, he reached the lab. Holographic displays flickered across the room, casting blue and white hues on the sleek metallic surfaces. Evelyn stood near a workbench, her tablet in hand and a focused expression on her face.
She glanced up as John entered. “You are a bit early,” she said, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
“I can’t wait.” John replied, his eyes drawn to the weapon resting on the workbench, its surface rippling with a liquid-metal sheen that seemed to swallow and refract the light around it. At rest, it resembled a prismatic core—a sleek, ovular cylinder no longer than John’s forearm, its surface etched with interlocking runes that pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat.
The metal itself defied categorization: part steel, part obsidian, part something else, as if forged from a material that existed between solid and liquid.
Evelyn gestured to it; her voice edged with pride. “Go on, try using it while shifting your attributes to attune it to yourself.”
John reached out, hesitating a breath before his fingers brushed the surface. The runes flared to life, siphoning streaks of cobalt light into the grooves, and the weapon shivered. It wasn’t cold—it hummed with a subdued warmth, like the throaty purr of a predator lying in wait.
“It’s… lighter than I expected,” he murmured, lifting it. The weight shifted as he moved, as though the core were adjusting to his grip in real time. “That’s the adaptive resonance,” Evelyn said. “The runes aren’t just for show.”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
As if in response, the cylinder fractured—not with a sound, but a vibration that thrummed in John’s teeth. Segments slid apart, unfolding like a steel blossom, and the weapon reshaped itself into a double-edged broadsword. The blade’s edge honed to a lethal whisper, while the hilt molded itself to his palm, leather-like grips emerging from smooth metal as though grown there.
John exhaled. “How does it—?”
“Shift your stats. It’ll respond.”
He focused, channeling his attributes into agility. The blade became lighter all of a sudden, making his swing speed faster. Shifting to strength, the blade became heaving in his grasp, like it could destroy anything with its weight.
“The material’s density and edge adjust to your stats. Strength? It’ll hit like a meteor. Agility? It’ll cut faster than thought. And the runes—” Evelyn said, pointed to the symbols now glowing a hungry crimson. “They’re not just reactive. They learn. The more you use it, the tighter the sync.”
“Interesting!” John was beaming as he tried to swing it a couple of times. “How do I make it change to another weapon though?” He turned his head to her, puzzled.
“Use your talent, Insanity-check, then move your hands to the core, and you would find the weapon choices appearing in your smart lenses. You can choose which weapon you want from there.”
Following the instruction, the blade dissolved mid-air, collapsing into a storm of metallic shards that orbited his hand for a heartbeat before snapping into a new form: a bow gleaming with a honeycomb pattern that caught the light like fractured glass. The balance was flawless—no drag, no resistance, as if the weapon was made to be a bow from the very beginning.
John switched to strength and chose a different weapon. and the bow melted, surging upward into a spiked warhammer with a haft wrapped in what felt like dragonhide. The head thrummed with kinetic energy, the air around it warping faintly, as if the weapon were pulling gravity itself into its next strike.
“Oh my God! I like it." John’s heart raced with excitement, a beaming smile spreading across his face. "No, let me take that back. I don’t just like it—I'm loving it.”
He played with its transformative nature for a while before asking. “What is its name?”
“We didn’t give it a name yet. Your name it; it’s yours anyway.”
"Mhm, let me think.” John swung it a few more times while muttering. "The weapon resonates with my talent, shifting seamlessly between forms. Resonance and changing shapes... forms.”
John stopped his movement for a moment as his eyes shone. "That's it—Echoform.”
“It’s not a bad name. Now go on, I’m busy. Go try your Echoform somewhere else.” Evelyn handed him a sheath as she pushed him out of the lab.
John's excitement didn’t diminish as he was just about to go to the simulation room when his comm chimed as a call from Professor Ada, halting his plan.
“Hello, professor.” John answered as he walked.
Ada looked at him for a few seconds before replying. "You look like you are in a good spirit; what happened?”
Scratching his head awkwardly, "Nothing; I just got a new weapon, so I’m a bit excited to try it out. Why did you call professor?”
“I’m happy to see you’re still in good spirits after what happened.” Professor Ada smiled a bit before continuing. “I see you’re finally out of the hospital. Good to see you on your feet again. Your injuries are still healing, so no fighting for now, but you can officially enter the investigation department. Come to my office; I will lead you there.”
John’s excitement shifted a little after the call, replaced with curiosity about what awaited him in the investigation department.