"In this world, your value is not in money or fame — it's in how much you're willing to feel."
Bright lights flashed in the sky. Big screens showed people holding glowing cards. These cards, called K-Cards, were full of color, energy, and memories.
Words appeared above them:
"Your worth is your emotion. Your power is your Echo."
Ryke didn't look up.
He kept his head low, hands in his coat. People walked past him fast. They didn't see him. Or maybe they did—and just didn't care.
They had something he didn't.
A K-Card.
"He doesn't even have a Card," someone whispered as they passed.
"Is he a Voidborn?"
"No, look at his eyes. He remembers things."
Ryke heard all of it. He always did.
The air was cold. His breath came out in little clouds. He stopped near a vending machine. It scanned his face.
A beep.
The screen turned red:
"No Echo found. No purchase allowed."
Ryke gave a small, tired smile. "Figures."
In this world, people didn't use money or IDs. They used feelings.
After something called The Collapse, new technology called Emotronics was made. It turned memories and strong emotions into power.
If your feelings were strong enough, you got a K-Card.
The K-Card held your memories, your pain, your love—everything that made you feel. That card became your ID, your weapon, your life.
And with it, you could enter the Dome Game.
It was the biggest game in the world. A place where people used their Echoes—energy from emotions—to fight. The more powerful your feelings, the stronger you became.
Ryke didn't have a K-Card.
Not because he didn't feel.
But because no machine could read his emotions.
They said he was Emotionally Null.
But Ryke felt everything.
The way his sister coughed every night in their small room. The way she smiled even when she was in pain. The way she believed he could save her.
"You'll need a K-Card one day, Ryke," she said with a soft voice. "You can't help me without one."
He wanted to help her. More than anything.
But he didn't know how.
A loud cry came from an alley nearby.
"Hey! Stop! That's mine!"
Ryke turned. A boy—maybe 10—was on the ground. Two teens in dark jackets were holding his arms. One of them grabbed a glowing card from the ground.
A Green-Rank K-Card.
Ryke saw the Vault symbol on their jackets. They weren't just thieves. They were Judge Cadets—trainees for Dome lawkeepers.
They're supposed to protect people. Not steal from them.
His body moved before his mind could stop him.
"Let him go!" Ryke shouted.
One of the cadets turned. He saw Ryke's plain coat. No glow. No card.
"You talking to us, Null?"
"I said—"
A punch hit Ryke's stomach hard. He dropped to his knees.
"Stay down, stray," the other one said. He kicked dirt at Ryke's shoes. "You've got nothing."
They turned to leave.
But then—
Ryke felt heat in his chest.
His pocket was burning.
What is this?
He reached inside and touched a small locket he always wore. It had belonged to his father. But now—something was different.
It opened on its own.
Glowing lines ran down Ryke's arm, like little blue rivers. They moved like they were alive.
A soft voice spoke in his head.
"Veinlock active. No Echo detected. Dome Sync Mode starting. Do you accept?"
"What the...?" Ryke whispered.
The two cadets froze.
"Is that a—" one said.
"No way," said the other. "That's Vein tech. It's supposed to be gone."
The light from Ryke's arm got brighter—
And then everything turned white.
When his eyes opened, he was no longer in the alley.
He stood in the center of a strange, round place. The floor was metal. The air was buzzing. The lights were strange and cold.
A voice spoke from above:
"Welcome, Challenger. First Echo Trial starting. No K-Card. No record. No mercy."
Something stepped out of the shadows.
A person—but not fully real. Made of smoke and red light. Eyes glowing. Two blades in hand.
Ryke's hands were shaking.
What is this place? What is this fight?
He looked down at his arm. The glowing lines were still there.
He took a breath.
No Card. No Power. No Chance.
But still—I won't run.