The Vault had become a ghost of itself.
Jalen staggered through the halls, his mind a haze of thoughts and echoes. The power of the Ember Core coursed through him—an unpredictable, chaotic force that he could barely control. Each pulse felt like a new wound, every heartbeat a reminder of the price he was paying. His vision blurred intermittently as if the energy inside him was warping reality itself, causing the walls to twist and distort.
"I'm not going to make it," he whispered to himself, the weight of what had happened pressing down on him like an invisible force.
Ari and Reyka were with him, their faces grim as they watched his every move, but Jalen barely noticed them now. He had become more than just a hero in their eyes. He was something else entirely—a vessel for an alien, unstoppable power.
"We're close," Reyka said, her voice sharp but filled with concern. "The Reactor Room is just up ahead. Once we disable the Core's connection to the Vault, we'll be able to stabilize it."
Her words sounded hollow to him, but he tried to focus. He had to keep going. He didn't know how much longer he could hold on, but stopping now wasn't an option. The Ember Core's unstable energy was threatening to tear apart the Vault, and if it wasn't contained, the damage would spread far beyond this place.
"Is it really possible?" Jalen asked, his voice rough, feeling the weight of the power shifting inside him. "To stop it?"
Ari's voice cut through the silence, sharper than ever. "The only way is to take control, Jalen. You were the one who absorbed the Core's energy. Only you can end this." Her eyes were fixed on him, unblinking, as though she expected him to rise to the occasion. But Jalen knew that his control over the Core was slipping. He could feel it within him, like a beast clawing to escape its cage.
The Vault trembled beneath them, a low growl of its dying systems. Sparks flew from exposed wires, and the walls groaned under the weight of the destruction caused by the unstable energy. Time was running out.
The trio reached a large chamber—an open space where the Vault's central systems were housed, and where the Ember Core's power was funneled into the facility's reactor. The Core itself was visible in the center of the room, a swirling mass of radiant energy surrounded by a containment grid, pulsing violently with every second.
"This is it," Reyka said, her voice tight. "We need to sever the connection and stabilize the Core."
Jalen's hands trembled as he stepped forward. He could feel the energy calling to him, its surging power like a dark siren's song. It wanted to be free. And deep down, Jalen knew that if he gave in—if he released it—the world would burn.
He closed his eyes, trying to center himself, to focus. He had to keep it together. He had to stop this.
"Jalen," Reyka's voice broke through his thoughts, urgent. "We're running out of time. If you don't do something, the Vault will collapse completely. This place will be gone—and so will everything around it."
He nodded slowly. His chest tightened as the pressure of the moment pressed on him. Every fiber of his being wanted to let go, to let the energy consume him. But if he did that, everything they had fought for would be lost.
The Core's energy surged again, and with it, Jalen could feel a deeper, darker force rise within him. It was too much. His vision blurred, and he could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears. The Core's power was suffocating him. It was as though it was trying to force itself into his very soul.
"Focus!" Ari shouted, her voice fierce, cutting through the chaos in his mind. "Jalen, don't let it win. You have to control it!"
Jalen's hands clenched into fists. I can do this, he thought, his body aching with the strain. He couldn't let the Core take him. He couldn't let everything he had worked for slip away.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, placing his hands on the energy grid surrounding the Core. The moment he made contact, the world seemed to shudder around him.
A shockwave of pure power slammed into him, and for a moment, Jalen saw everything—his past, his future, the faces of those he had lost, the lives he had saved. The energy spiraled within him, threatening to tear him apart, but through the chaos, he focused on one thing: control.
I can't let it win.
His body surged with the power of the Ember Core, and for the first time, he understood its true nature—not just as an energy source, but as something alive, something that fed on chaos. It wanted to consume everything, to burn the world. But Jalen could fight it.
With a violent roar, he pulled the energy inward, drawing the Core's power back into himself. He felt the storm of energy inside him crackling, unstable, but he pushed harder, drawing it all into a single, concentrated point.
The room around him began to flicker as the containment grid warped and pulsed with increasing intensity. His heart raced, the power within him surging, trying to break free.
"Jalen!" Reyka screamed, fear in her voice. "You have to release it! Now!"
But Jalen knew better. If he let go now, the world would be destroyed. He had to contain it, keep it from spreading, keep it from consuming everything. His body burned as the energy coursed through him, a final battle between his will and the Core's unrelenting force.
The entire Vault shuddered, and for a brief, terrifying moment, Jalen thought he might fail.
Then—nothing.
A crushing silence filled the room. Jalen collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath, his body drained, every inch of him feeling as though it had been pushed to its absolute limit.
The Core's energy, for now, had been contained.
"Jalen?" Ari's voice was quiet but filled with concern. She stepped closer, helping him to his feet.
He looked up at her, his face pale, sweat beading on his brow. "It's over," he said, his voice weak, but resolute.
The Vault still groaned under the strain of the rift's energy, but the worst had passed. The Core was no longer a threat. For now, the world was safe.
But Jalen knew this was just the beginning. He had contained the Core, but at what cost? He could feel it, deep within him—the Ember Core's power still pulsing, restless. And he wasn't sure how long he could keep it under control.
"Let's get out of here," Reyka said, her voice tinged with exhaustion. "Before it's too late."
Jalen nodded. He had no idea what the future held, but one thing was clear—he wasn't the same person who had walked into this Vault. The Ember Core had changed him.
And he wasn't sure if he could ever go back.