The moment he swallowed the core completely, his throat erupted in searing heat, as though he'd consumed molten lava.
He gasped for air, his chest heaving while his face flushed deep red, sweat pouring from his skin.
A pressure, unlike anything he'd ever felt pressed against his entire body, as if his very being was being torn apart from within.
His vision went white as his body convulsed violently. Every nerve ignited with searing pain, as if his very being was being torn apart and reformed at once.
The markings on his body flared to life, blazing with an intensity that consumed the entire pagoda.
The veins beneath his skin began to glow faintly, pulsating with fiery energy. Then the cracks appeared.
At first, they were fine lines on his hands, barely noticeable, but they quickly spread, climbing up his arms like jagged bolts of lightning.
