Without a second thought, he opened his maw and swallowed the egg whole.
The moment it slid down his throat, the world seemed to shatter.
An explosion of light detonated within him, setting his nerves ablaze. It wasn't the warm, nourishing light he expected—it was searing, violent, like his insides were being scorched from the inside out. Arthur's entire body convulsed, his massive frame wracked with pain as if his own blood had turned into molten lava.
The light inside him fought—no, it warred—with the darkness that had already taken root in his core. His Void Core, the very essence of his being, rejected the light as if it were poison.
Arthur gasped, his breath ragged. His muscles strained, and his scales began to pulse, flashing from deep, abyssal black to a radiant, blinding white. The contrast was striking—his body flickered like a beacon, each pulse threatening to tear him apart.
No, no... this isn't right!
