Ashiro skidded to a halt in the storage area, his chest heaving. The orb trembled violently on the pedestal, pulsating with an eerie rhythm. Cracks spider-webbed its surface, leaking tendrils of dark energy that hissed and writhed like living things.
"There's no time for hesitation, boy," the Nexomorph's voice growled in his mind, deep and gravelly, with a hint of impatience. "Absorb it. It's the only way."
Ashiro clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. "You've got to be joking. You just want me to feed you more power, don't you? I'm not doing it."
"Do you think this is about me?" the Nexomorph snapped, its tone taking on a sharp edge. "That orb is no ordinary relic. It carries the essence of something like me—but darker, hungrier. If it emerges fully, it will consume this bunker, your precious friends, and everything else within miles. You have no choice."
