Echoes of Resonance

PROLOGUE

Before kings ruled,before empires rose,before the first world was spoken—there was resonance.

It was not magic, nor was it science. it was the breath of the universe,the hum of creation itself.Every living thing carried a frequency, a vibration that connected them to the great song of existence. To the ancients, this was the Divine Echo, a force that could shape mountains, heal the wounded, and even glimpse the future.

But where there is harmony, there is always discord.

*****

[The Rise of the Crescendo Order]

In the earliest days, those who understood resonance became guardians of balance. They were known as the Crescendo Order, scholars and warriors who learned to harness the echoes of the world.With their knowledge, they built cities that sang with energy, brigdes that hummed with unbreakable tones,and weapons that could shatter armies with a whisper.

For centuries, the Crescendo Order ruled,guilding civilizations not through force,but through harmony. They believed that if one could tune their own frequency perfectly with the universe,they would transcend mortality itself—becoming one with the Echo Veil, a realm of pure sound and light.

And then ,they discovered Solas.

*****

[The Legend of Solas, the First Resonant]

Solas was not born,nor was he made. The ancients say he simply was—the first being to achieve Perfect Resonance, a state where body,mind and energy become one.He could walk without touching the ground, see without eyes, and hear the past,present and the future in a single breath.

He was neither god or man, yet his existence proved that resonance had no limits.

Fearing what this meant, the Silent Choir, a faction within the Crescendo Order, turned against him. They believed resonance was too powerful, a force that would one day bring ruin if left unchecked.

A great war began—the Dissonance War—and in its final battle,Solas vanished leaving behind only a prophecy:

"The echoes will fade, and the world will fall silent.

But when all seems lost, a single voice will rise—

And in their song,the universe will tremble."

After his disappearance, resonance itself began to break. The Crescendo Order collapsed, and their great cities fell to ruin. The knowledge of resonance was lost to time, surviving only in myths and whispers.

*****

[The Present Day: A World of Silence]

Now, thousands of years later, resonance has become a curse instead of a gift. Those who wield it are hunted,enslaved or feared.

The government seeks to eliminate all traces of resonance, But the prophecy remains.

But still people with powers still exists albeit in hiding, the power scaling was divided into three, the Resonant(self-focused-warriors), Echoist(supportive manipulators) and the Crescendos(masters of frequency manipulation)

And somewhere in the slums of Nova, a young boy with unique resonance will soon discover that his voice may be the one the universe has been waiting for.

CHAPTER ONE

THE AWAKENING

("A single voice will rise—and in their song,the universe will tremble")

[9years ago]

"Hey! You boys are going to be late to school again. Now you can’t eat breakfast again!"

Linda, a middle-aged woman in her early fifties, had a slender but gracefully toned build. One could mistake her for a teen with her silvery-white hair and elegant attire. She carried a calm, motherly aura, but beneath it was immense sadness—it had been exactly nine years since she lost her husband to a freak accident. Perhaps fate consoled her by sparing her two sons.

"Mom, I've told you—don’t drive me to school. I know my way," Marcus grumbled.

The oldest of Linda’s two boys, Marcus was in his late teens, bulky, and taller than most of his peers. In fact, one could mistake him for someone much older.

"Well, it’s a good thing I’m not doing this for you but for your brother," Linda said, then looked around. "Speaking of which, where is he?"

As if they hadn’t all slept in the same house, concern flickered in her eyes.

..hmm...could he have left the house without my knowledge? nah kyle's stubborn but ..

Linda was lost in thought when Marcus sighed and stood up.

"hey marcus go check on your brother"

"Mom stop treating him like a kid!...for someone who stumbled upon po—"

"Power? is'nt that what you want to say" kyle interupted as he walked in.

The youngest of the two, Kyle was lanky, in his early teens, and the complete opposite of Marcus. He wasn’t athletic, but he had what some would call a ladies’ charm.

"Mom, good morning," Kyle greeted before turning to Marcus. "And Marcus, it’s reso—"

"Shut up both of you!!" Linda's voice cut through the morning air. She was visibly angry.

"I told you both never to say those words! You don’t know who’s listening, and besides—"

"Kaboom!!! kaboom!"

The windows shattered instantly.

"Mom! I'm hurt!" Kyle screamed, blood dripping down his knees from the glass shards.

The once beautiful room was now unrecognizable—half of it on fire, the other half covered in broken glass.

"Marcus! Get to your brother, get him out of here!" Linda commanded.

.....The Echo Division. How did they find us? No need to hide anymore.....

Linda’s thoughts were interrupted as a chill ran down her spine.

"Kaboom!!! kaboom!"

"Mom, I'm gonna get you both outta here!" Marcus shouted.

Courage had always been his nature, even in the face of danger. But this—this was a different kind of danger. One that even he didn’t fully understand.

..kyle is bleeding and mom can't really do anything what exactly is the echo division? what should i do? now i wish i—..

Marcus was lost in thought when suddenly—

A chill ran down his spine. His neck froze stiff with fear, but he forced himself to turn.

"Oh, Shi......Grenades?"

"BAM!BAM!"

Smoke filled the room, so thick Kyle could almost reach out and grab it.

..Am i dead? huh? marcus shielded me?..

Kyle trembled as he held his unconscious brother, his breathing growing heavier as blood gushed from Marcus’s head.

"Marcus, are you okay?" Kyle panicked. "Mom! Marcus is injured! Mom... Mom? Mom?!"

Stunned, he watched as soldiers in different tactical gear stormed through the shattered window, their faces void of emotion.

"Hey! Come with us. We have orders to kill you, but we don’t hurt women. Ahaha! But we’d gladly make an exception for an old hag like you," sneered the first soldier.

He was a dark-skinned man, likely in his early forties, with a protruding belly and multiple scars on his face.

"hey, Ayo no time wasting let's get this over with kill the hag.." "kra-kra"

The second soldier, a man in his early twenties with the demeanor of a seasoned killer, cocked his gun.

"Gushhhh...."

Then, the fire suddenly died down.

And almost immediately, Linda transformed.

Her eyes glowed yellow.

"It’s okay, son," she said with a gentle smile, looking at Kyle and his unconscious brother. "I promise to protect you both—even if I die."

What kyle saw next betrayed his eyes. "huh? mom what are you?"

Outside, a dark, sinister figure watched, grinning with anticipation.

"Yes," he whispered, his voice dripping with malice. "That’s what I’m talking about..."

*****

Kael Ravos was a man in is his early 30s, with a lean athletic build, piercing blue eyes and a small scar above his left eyebrow, he wore a black high collared jacket which hinted at his government affilation.

Those who know him describes him as cold,lacks empathy and the perfect assassin.

"Boss, the coast is clear, she and her kids are home" the soldier spoke with the usual military elegance and charisma

"hmm....now, now don't get all riled up, why the rush?.." kael spoke in a more condescending tone and let out a scoff before giving the soldier a saddistic look

"but sir we—" you could feel bad for the soldier who looked like in any minute he could piss his pants

"shutup! send in the weaklings, let feed the prey first and get her to show her true colors" Kael eyes glowed yellow

" oh-kay ..alright Jan Squad proceed" the soldier hurriedly gave the order to attack and left to avoid angering kael the more.

"kaboom!!!"

..Show me what you've got linda dont make me regret..

Kael cracked his wrist in excitement

*****

As Linda's body began to resonate, her cells vibrating in harmony with the Echoes, she felt her very essence start to shift. Her senses expanded, her perception of time and space wraping like rubber stretched to its limits.

Her skin prickled with gooseflesh as the echoes swirled around her, their ethereal energy coursing through her viens like liquid fire. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing through her entire being like a drumbeat in a vast empty cavern.

And then in an instant, she was transformed. Her body shimmered, her molecular structure bluring and shifting like sand in a desert storm. Her limbs elongated, her senses heightened, and her mind expanded, her body filled with pain.

When the transformation finally subsided, Linda stood tall, her eyes blazed with yellow otherworldly energy. She was no longer just a human — she was now an echoist, a being capable of harnassing raw universal energy.

"It's okay son, i promise to protect you both even if i have to die" Linda spoke with a smile as she glanced at both kyle and his now unconcious brother.

..This power is greater than my body but still—oh i need something..

she sighed as she knelt down to pick something and scanned the damage room before saying

"yeah this should do" she smiled as she clenched her fist

*****

Marcus could barely see, his head was still banging as he tried to make out who the creature beaming was

"Kyle is that?" Marcus seemed like he could pass out anytime as he tries to stand

"Marcus don't you're badly injured, mom she's...whatever that is " kyle as always being known as the crybaby of the house but what seem to run down his face weren't tears but shock and question

"So you and mom both have..." Marcus pushed kyle off him.

Marcus has always habored resentment towards kyle, ever since kyle discovered that he was a resonant,since they were both kids

"..Why would you be choosen.. "

"..You don't deserve those powers, well your powers are weak anyways.. "

"Marcus now's not the time to say those things! let's focusing on helping mo—" Marcus interupted abruptly

"And what will you do?" marcus said

Marcus was right, in as much as he wanted to help but none of them stood a chance right now

"kaboom kaboom"

*****

Linda could feel the power surging through her veins as she held up the knife

"Who's first?" Linda spoke calmly and with a sadistic smile " i promise to make it quick" as she pointed the knife the the first soldier.

"Your new form don't scare us, we are battle harden soldiers" Ayo boasted as he aimed his gun

In a twinkle of an eyes, like robots all the soldiers immediately launched a cordinated attacks, both gun wielding soldiers and sword wielding soldiers

"kaboom kaboom"

Linda moved with precision, her echo-enhanced senses guiding her through the chaos. She waded through the enemy ranks as she stabs them.

"shook shook"

A soldier lunged at her, his sword glinting "die you ugl—"

Linda sidestepped, her hand held his wrist, twisted it then snapped the arm "argh!!! you—" the scream echoed through the air as linda's knife sliced his throat.

..I can sense someone powerful and sinister outside.. i can't waste time with this minions

Linda mind raced" let's call a truce, i don't know what you guys want from me but i'm willing to let this slide"

"Who do you think you are..." Ayo rushed towards Linda with anger,his riffle firing, Ayo has always being one prone to anger outburst

"You made your choice" Linda smiled as she dodged, her movements was deadly, she kicked ayo's chest sending him crashing to the ground

"you bast..." before ayo could finish his statements linda's blade plunged into his heart "argh!"

"shook "

The fight was a blur of blood and scream, She killed with efficiency, her emotions locked away, When the last soldier fell, Linda stood tall, her chest heaving with exertion. the knife dripped with blood. She gazed out upon the carnage, her eyes empty of emotion, her heart rate steady.

"mom..ugh!" Marcus spoke faintly as kyle helps him up "Why didnt you tell us?"

"Marcus" Linda breathed a sigh of relief "can you walk?" Linda scanned the room

"mom" Kyle manages to stand up "Your nose.... it's bleeding"

The reason why linda hasn't used her resonance abilities in years was down to one single fact—which was that this form grants her supersonic speed,superhuman abilities, but at great cost to her body, continous usage breaks down her body on a cellular level, this phenomenum is common amongst other resonance users and it's called Echo overload

...Never imagined the drawback would be this painfull...

"no it's fine" as she sunk into the half-burnt shard-filled couch "i just need to rest"

"i'm glad it's over,marcus is bleeding let me get banda—" Kyle couldn't complete the sentence as a sinister aura enveloped the damaged room

...Someone's here? no someone's coming, but how can i sense someone who's not here? something's not right...what going on?

Time froze like a trance, only kyle could see, hear and feel everything clearly including marcus heartbeart,his mother's degrading cell, felt like marcus was about saying something but paused midway—scratch that felt like time stoped moving—within a blink time moved again without nobody noticing

"hehehe" kael let out a hearty laughter "You did well woman!, you just cost me my men, well they were worthless to begin with"

Inside the half damaged room, the siliohoutte of a man laughing as he approached them

"You did well woman!, you just cost me my men, well they were worthless to begin with" Kael eyes glowed yellow as he snarls "You better put up a better fight Linda"

Linda was shocked

" what..how come??" and words raced through her mind

...Who's he??

...How does he know me??

Linda summoned courage to speak " what does the echo division want with my family?"

Linda held up the bloodied knife—"i guess i'd have to pry the answers from your dead body"—pointing the knife at kael.

Which seemed to upset kael the more "pick your words carefully, they'll be your last" resonant energy immediately begins to envelope kael's body

"kyle, marcus is wounded stay with him" linda smiled as she spoke before turning back to face kael

"it'll be fine, i'll protect you boys even if it kills me"

"mom!" Kyle was already crying, he was also a resonant but a weak one—"Damn it,Damn it" Never have kyle cursed his powerlessness like this moment even though he was only 16,but here he was his brother injured and bleeding, his mom risking her life.

*****

The air was filed with tensions as kael and linda faced off, their powers crackling with anticipation.

Linda, her eyes blazing with intensity "You're a monster"

she spat "A creature without control".

Kael, his eyes flashing with anger, snarled. "i am what you say i am", he hissed, his voice dripping with venom.

With a sudden burst of speed, Kael closed the distance between them, his fist flying towards linda's face, but linda was no ordinary opponent. With a swift motion, she raised her hand, and a blast of resonant energy sent kael flying across the room.

Kael picked himself up, his eyes blazing with fury. "You think you can defeat me?" he sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "i am the master of my own resonance!!"

Linda smiled, a cold calculating smile. "We'll see about that" she said, her voice dripping with confidence.

The battle raged on, the two combatants exchanging blows and showcasing their powers. Keal's veil cloak allowed him to disapear reappear at will, while linda's resonance inversion enabled her to reflect kael's attack back at him.

But despite her formidable powers, linda was beginning to tire.

...Echo overload huh ..my body already feeling the strain??

Her body, ravaged by the constant strain of using her powers, was begining to disintegrate.

Kael, sensing his opponents weakness, pressed his advantage. With a swift and deadly strike, he sent linda crashing to the ground.

"Mom!!" kyle screamed "Get away from her you monster"

As linda struggled to get back to her feet, Kael stood over her, his eyes blazing with triumph. "it's over" he said, his voice filled with contempt. "You're no match for me"

Linda, her body disintegrating before kael's very eyes, " stay back kyle, i'm sorry that i couldnt protect you"she smiled weakly "i may have lost" she whsipered, her voice barely audible " but ...i'll..never be...defeated cause my sons would live on"

And with that, linda's body dissolved into nothingness, leaving kael standing alone, his chest heaving with exertion.

Marcus was already up and no longer bleeding, for the first time since his father's death he cried and rushed blindly towards kael " you piss of shii.."

Kael's eyes blazed with a mix of fury and contempt as he gazed at marcus coming towards him, with a deadly and swift motion,kael fist connected with marcus jae, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Argh!..you'll pay for killing my mother" marcus winced in pain

Kael's grip closed around marcus's arm, marcus screamed as kael snapped his bones.

"Arggh!!!!!! my....arm" marcus arm hung limp,broken and useless as kael stood over him

"You should've stayed outta my way" kael spat at marcus before turning away

Just then he heard a voice "Where do you think you're going to?"

Kael turned around stunned and wondered

...Ohh i see he has awakened his resonance..his brother is the one without powers..

"fate does work in mysterious ways" kael jeered as he cracked his wrist " seems like i have to kill two for the price of one"

But what kael saw was shocking,

...a Crescendo?..

Crescendo are a rare form of resonant power, crescendos are said to be literal gods who can rewrite the fabric of reality and have mastery of the resonants.

Nah it can't be, even if he is i just have to kill him before he possesses a threat ,now that's he's still weak..

"they say you have a high chance of seeing a blue moon twice than seeing a crescendo"

A very strong resonant energy swirled around kael "i'll take my sweet time in killing you" Kael let out a smirk as hisbody glowed with yellow resonant energy rips out his shirt revealing muscular build.

Marcus was still wringling in pain, clutching into his broken hand, when a familiar hand patts his back "don't worry marcus i'll take it from here"

"Wait kyle ..what's—" marcus nodded as is desire for revenge was more than his quest for question. "Don't worry , i understand"

"Don't get cocky! bastard" kyle gestured to kael with his palms "...come and die!!!" kyle eyes glowed with a golden light as his resonance energy builds.

*****

As kyle's emotion reached a boiling point, his body began to resonate with an otherworldy energy. His eyes blazed with a golden light, and his skin shimmered with an ethereal glow.

The air around him seemed to vibrate with anticipation, as if the very fabric of reality was being stretched to its limits. Kyle's senses expanded, his perception of time and space warping like rubber stretched to its limit.

And then, in an instant, he was transformed. his body erupted in a blaze of golden light, his molecular structure shifting and flowing like a liquid. His mind expanded.

When the light finally faded, kyle stood tall, eyes still blazing with golden energy of the crescendo. he was no longer just a boy­—he was pure resonance, he was a god.

What is this powers?. so much pain.....i can see everything,feel everything

Kyle mind was running through a million things,

his mother,

None of those matter now if i can't bring my mother back, i can feel her resonance presence

Kyle's eyes blazed with fury as he faced kael "You caused my mother's death, broke my brother's hands also tried to kill me"

kael sneered, his eyes flashing with confidence "i'm just a loyalist , it's nothing personal" he said, his voice cold and detached. "And you're just a foolish boy who can't even control his powers" kael resonance energy flared up wildly

"Pick your words carefully for they would be your last" kyle spoke with a new found confidence and arrogance "hurry up and come at me with everything you've got" kyle beckons

With a sudden burst of speed, kael vanished into thin air, his Veil Cloak ability rendering him invisible. But kyle was unfazed "is that all you've got?" Kyle senses had expanded, his perception of time and space warping like rubber stretched to its limits.

"i can see you, Kael" kyle said, his voice dripping with contempt. "And i'm going to make you pay for what you did to my mother".

Kael reappeared, his eyes flashing with anger. He launched a flurry of attacks, his fists and feet flying towards kyle with deadly precision. But kyle was unstoppable. He bypassed kael's attacks with ease, his movements were deadly.

Just as kyle was about counterattack kael's eyes flicked to the side, where marcus, kyle's brother was,

"Ah-ah, i don't think so" kael said, his voice having malice. During the fight kael had his soldiers hold marcus captives, "You see, i have a little insurance policy. Your brother marcus will make a perfect shield."

Kyle's eyes narrrowed, his anger already boiling over "i won't let you" kyle's voice sounded abnormally calm.

With a sudden burst of speed, Kyle closed the distance between himself and kael, his movements lightning fast. Kael tried to react, but kyle was to quick as he delivered a devastating combination of punches and kicks, each blow landing with precision and force "Kael , you're weak" .

Kael stumbled back, mouth bleeding and his eyes wide with shock and pain. But he refused to give up,

..Damn you kyle, what terrific power gap, he his dominating me with just raw strength and speed, i've got to do something or i'll die

He summoned all his strength, his resonance invasion ability—an ability that can reflect any attack back to the sender—the resonance inversion reflected kyle's attack back at him. But kyle was ready, he sidestepped the attack with ease, his movement lightning quick.

And then, in a flash of inspiration, kyle struck. His hand closed around kael's wrist, his fingers tightening "Oh and yes, this is for marcus" Kael screamed as kyle twisted, his arm snapping like a twig.

"argh!..How dare you" Kael retaliated wih his harmonic pulse ability—an ability that allows him to generate powerful pulses of energy—unleashing a powerful blast of energy that sent kyle flying across the room. But kyle recovered quickly, his body glowing with a soft, golden light.

Kyle charged forward at light speed, his movements a blur of speed and power. Kael tries to defend himself, but kyle attacks were relentless. He delivered a series of brutal kicks, each one landing with a sickening crunch.

"Argh!...how come..you're..this powerful?" kael ribs cracked, his lungs bursting with pain as he bled.

But kyle wasn't finished. "You'll feel my pain" He grabbed kael's hair, yanking his head back with a vicious jerk.. Kael's eyes widened in terror as kyle's fingers closed around his eyes socket.

"No please don't please" And then, in an instant, kyle plunged his fingers into kael eye socket,his fingers closing sround the eyeball like a vice. "damn it!!, my eye....." Kael screamed, his body trembling with agony.

Kyle twisted, his fingers ripping kael's eyeball from it's socket. Kael 's scream turned to a blood curdling wail as he stumbled back "argh!!please mercy",his hands clutching at his eyes sockets.

Kyle stood tall, his chest heaving with exertion, as Kael collapsed to the ground, his body batter.

"You should have stayed out of my way"

Kyle spat, his voice dripping 'Now, you're nothing but a shell of your former self.

As kyle stood over kael, his hands began to glow with a brillant, golden light. it was clear that he was about to unleash his devastating attack

“Resonance Burst” Resonance burst—an attack that can obliterate any and all matter in its path—Just when kyle was about to finsh kael off, he suddenly felt a strange, unsettling pain— an echo overload.

..What is this pain?...same pain as..argh!!...

Kyle’s eyes widened as he stumbled, his legs buckling beneath him. He collapsed to the ground, his body wrackled with agony.

Marcus, who had been watching in horror,screamed and ran towards kyle. “Kyle!, no! Oh God, no” he shouted, tears streaming down his face.

Kael, still bleeding and broken, gazed up at kyle with a mixture of shock and satsifaction. “Looks like..you’re not...invincible after all” he gasped, covering his empty eye socket.

An unearthly silence fell over the ravaged landscape, a haunting stillness that seemed to suffocate all in it’s grasp.

Amidst the carnage, a faint trail of molecular debris traced the devastating path of linda’s unravelling powers.The once familiar and beautiful surrounding now looked grim.

Marcus scream broke the silence “Kyle kyle!“.his voice filled with despair.

As Marcus screamed, his voice echoing through the damaged landscape, immediately kael drove his hands into marcus’s chest “wha...” the sound of flesh tearing filled the air.

Marcus’s scream abruptly ceased, his body as kael removes his hands from his chest. kyle’s uncounscious form slipped from his grasp.

“Two birds one stone” a twisted sense of satisfaction filled kael eyes.

And as the last remenant of life faded from marcus eyes, kael turned to face kyle’s lifeless body, his grin growing wider.