Kelvin let the soul cores hover in the air for a moment before slowly closing his hand. The glowing orbs flickered, then dissolved into thin wisps of light, vanishing into his palm.
He exhaled slightly, then shifted his gaze toward Hope and Walker.
"I've been thinking about a way to defeat the sacred beast—the centaur." His voice was calm, but there was a sharpness to it, a hidden intensity that made Hope pay attention.
"At first, I couldn't come up with a solid plan," Kelvin admitted. "I knew it was possible, but not alone. But now that you guys are here, I think we might be able to pull it off."
His words hung in the air for a moment, then faded into silence.
Hope watched Kelvin carefully. There was something about the way he had said "might." He wasn't completely confident. He was still weighing their chances.
Walker, who had been leaning slightly back with his dagger twirling between his fingers, finally stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Alright," he said. "You've got my attention. What's your plan?"
Kelvin's sharp eyes flicked toward him, then to Hope, as if assessing how much he should say.
Finally, he spoke.
"These soul cores—" he gestured toward the empty space where they had been moments ago—"they contain residual essence from the creatures they came from. For an awakened, an ascended, or even a transcended, absorbing them can strengthen their power."
Hope nodded, processing the information. The idea of absorbing essence from creatures they killed wasn't something he had heard before, but it made sense. If the Veil gave them power, then naturally, there had to be ways to grow stronger within it.
But Kelvin wasn't done.
"That's not their only use," he continued. "If you infuse them with the right kind of essence, they can also be used as bombs."
Hope's eyes flickered with interest.
"Bombs?" Walker echoed, tilting his head slightly.
Kelvin nodded. "When infused with unstable essence, soul cores become volatile. The stronger the creature the core came from, the greater the explosive force when detonated."
Hope's mind immediately went to the possibilities. If the sacred beast—the centaur—had a soul core, and if what Kelvin was saying was true, then…
"So all Veil creatures have soul cores?" he asked, wanting to confirm.
Kelvin gave a slight nod.
"Yes. The difference is in the potency. A corrupted fiend's core might cause a moderate explosion, but a sacred beast's core? That could level an entire structure. And if we go even higher, to celestial beasts or corrupted titans, the destruction would be unimaginable."
Hope absorbed the information carefully. It wasn't just about fighting anymore. If they could harness this power, if they could use soul cores as weapons, then their chances of survival in the Ashlands would increase drastically.
But there was a problem.
"That's great and all," Hope said slowly, "but we don't have a soul core from the centaur yet."
Kelvin smirked. "Exactly."
Hope narrowed his eyes.
"Then we'll have to kill it first."