The crack in the Core pulsed, leaking thin tendrils of shadow that coiled like living things. The golden energy flickered, struggling against the spreading darkness.
Celestine stepped closer, her breath shallow. It was breaking.
"How long has this been happening?" she asked, voice tight.
Veyrion's gaze remained fixed on the fracture. "Too long." His expression was unreadable. "And if we do not act, it will consume the Core entirely."
Elias exhaled sharply. "And I'm guessing that's… bad?"
Alistair shot him a look. "The Core is the heart of the First Sanctum. If it collapses, this place goes with it."
Celestine clenched her fists. "And if the Core falls—what happens to the power inside?"
Veyrion turned to her. "It does not vanish." His voice was quiet, but heavy with meaning. "It is claimed."
A chill ran through her.
Malrik.
This was why he had led them here. Why he had forced them to pass the Sentinel's trial. He had never intended to take the Core for himself—he was waiting for it to break.
Because when it shattered, someone would inherit its power.
And Malrik was ensuring that someone would be him.
Elias swore. "So, what do we do?"
Veyrion stepped toward the Core, lifting his hand. The air around him shimmered as ancient symbols glowed beneath his fingertips. "We must stabilize it."
The platform beneath the Core rumbled. Runes flickered to life, forming a ring of golden light. A mechanism.
Alistair narrowed his eyes. "You knew about this."
Veyrion did not deny it. "The Architects never built something without a failsafe."
Celestine stepped beside him, energy thrumming beneath her skin. The Core's fractured light called to her.
She could feel it—a tether, a connection.
The Core was reaching for her.
Because she was meant to be here.
Elias glanced between them. "So what's the plan? Fix the big magic crystal before it explodes?"
Veyrion nodded. "In simple terms—yes."
Alistair studied the runes. "How?"
Veyrion's expression was grave. "The Core needs an anchor." He turned to Celestine. "A conduit strong enough to stabilize the energy flow."
She understood immediately.
It had to be her.
The Core had chosen her the moment she entered this place.
Alistair's expression darkened. "You don't know what that will do to her."
Veyrion met his gaze. "I do." A pause. "And so does she."
Celestine took a deep breath. She didn't hesitate.
Because there was no choice.
She reached for the Core.
The moment her fingertips brushed the surface—
Light.
Blinding, searing, overwhelming.
The fracture pulsed violently—
And then everything shattered.