The ground trembled beneath Mira's boots, sending vibrations up through her legs and into her chest. The room seemed to breathe, each pulse of the fractured Core drawing the air tighter, heavier, more suffocating. Crimson cracks snaked along the walls, jagged and alive, spreading like veins that sought to consume the room.
"Lucien," Mira's voice broke as she clutched me tighter, her arms trembling under the strain. She sounded like she was on the verge of shattering herself. "This… this place—what is happening?"
Lucien didn't respond immediately. His broad shoulders remained rigid, the tip of his sword glinting faintly as he took a cautious step forward. His movements were sharp, precise, like a predator circling prey that hadn't yet revealed itself. "It's destabilizing," he said finally, his voice low and firm, though tension laced every syllable.
"That's an understatement," Charlotte muttered from behind us. Her breaths were shallow, her voice tight with pain. She leaned heavily on her sword, her injured arm hanging limply at her side. The blood staining her sleeve had darkened, dried into an ugly crust, but her grip on the hilt of her weapon remained steady.
The Core pulsed again, a violent shudder rippling through the air. Mira staggered, tightening her hold on me as the crimson light flared brighter. "We can't stay here," she hissed, panic bleeding into her tone. "Lucien, we have to leave. Now."
"We're not leaving." His response was quick, final.
Mira's breath hitched. I could feel the erratic rhythm of her heartbeat against my back, faster than the pulsing Core. "You're insane," she whispered, her voice cracking. "If this place collapses—"
"It won't collapse," Lucien interrupted, his gaze fixed on the Core. He raised his sword slightly, the blade reflecting the violent light. "Not yet."
Before Mira could respond, the room shifted violently, a deafening crack splitting the air. The floor beneath us groaned as if it were alive, chunks of stone breaking loose and tumbling into the crimson light below.
The Core erupted.
A mass of black, writhing energy burst from its fractured surface, expanding rapidly. It was a pulsating, grotesque thing, twisting and folding in on itself like it couldn't decide what shape to take. Shards of the Core embedded themselves into its shifting form, jagged and glowing with unstable energy.
Mira froze mid-step, her breath hitching in her throat. Her voice trembled as she whispered, "What… what is that?" Her wide eyes reflected the creature's shifting, monstrous form.
The mass contorted once more, and from its amorphous body, jagged, elongated limbs burst forth. They were spindly and sharp, their edges glimmering faintly like cracked glass while shifting in and out of existence. The creature loomed over us now, towering and menacing, its glowing eyes burning with an intelligence that felt unnervingly human yet utterly alien. It wasn't just looking at us—it was studying us.
Charlotte straightened, the weariness in her stance replaced with grim determination. She adjusted her grip on her sword, her knuckles whitening around the hilt. "It's not going to let us leave, is it?"
"No," Lucien said, his voice clipped, his sword already raised.
The creature moved.
---
The first strike came without warning. A jagged limb lashed out, cutting through the air with a piercing whistle. Lucien reacted instantly, his sword a streak of silver as he intercepted the attack. The clash was deafening, the metallic scream of impact reverberating through the chamber and sending a shower of sparks cascading around them. Lucien grunted, the force of the blow driving him back a step as he braced against the crushing weight of the limb.
"Stay back!" he barked, his voice sharp and commanding, muscles straining as he forced the limb upward, redirecting its path before pushing it back.
Mira didn't hesitate. She stumbled backward, clutching me tightly against her chest. I could feel her rapid, shallow breaths against my skin, each one tinged with fear. Her trembling arms tightened their hold, her steps faltering as she retreated, her heart pounding loud enough that I could hear it.
Charlotte moved next, her boots scraping against the stone as she circled wide, angling toward the creature's blind spot. Her steps were deliberate, though slower than usual—she was favoring her injured side. Her face twisted briefly in pain, but her determination never wavered. With a fierce cry, she surged forward, her sword cutting through the air in a wide arc. The blade connected with one of the creature's limbs, carving deep into its unstable form.
The creature shrieked.
The sound was unearthly, a bone-rattling scream that clawed its way into my skull. Mira flinched violently, nearly dropping me as she stumbled back another step.
"Lucien, this is madness!" she cried, her voice cracking with desperation. "Do you want us all to die here?"
"Focus!" he snapped in response, his voice sharp, jaw clenched as he stepped into another attack. The creature's limb descended in a sweeping strike, its jagged edge aiming to cleave him in half. Lucien sidestepped at the last second, the limb crashing into the ground where he had stood, leaving a jagged crater in its wake. His blade was already moving, cutting upward in a controlled arc that severed the limb cleanly. The dismembered piece disintegrated before it could even hit the ground, its remnants dissolving into black vapor.
But another limb sprouted in its place.
---
Lucien gritted his teeth, stepping back to regain his footing. His chest heaved, sweat beginning to bead on his brow as he kept his sword raised. Every strike he delivered was precise, each movement fluid and deliberate, but the creature's relentless regeneration was wearing him down.
"Charlotte!" he shouted, not taking his eyes off the monster.
"I'm trying!" she shot back, her voice strained. She feinted left, her blade flashing as she lunged forward. Her target was the creature's torso, where a jagged fragment of the Core pulsed like a malignant heart. The blade struck true, embedding itself deep into the shard.
The creature convulsed violently, its limbs flailing in wild arcs. A nearby column shattered under the force of its thrashing, chunks of stone raining down. Charlotte barely had time to wrench her sword free before one of the creature's limbs swung toward her with blinding speed.
She tried to dodge, but her injury slowed her down. The limb struck her injured arm, the sickening crack of bone audible even over the chaos. She cried out in pain as the force sent her sprawling across the floor. Her sword clattered out of reach, skidding to a stop several feet away.
"Charlotte!" Mira screamed, her voice raw with panic.
Lucien surged forward, taking advantage of the creature's momentary distraction. His blade was a blur, each strike aimed to keep the creature off-balance. Sparks flew as steel met energy, his movements a deadly dance of precision and power. He sidestepped a wild swing, pivoting smoothly as he brought his sword down in a heavy slash that severed yet another limb. But for every strike he landed, the creature grew another limb, its form shifting more erratically with each regeneration.
The air in the chamber grew heavier, oppressive. The pressure was suffocating, pressing down on my chest like a physical weight. Pain pulsed from the crack on my arm, each throb sharper than the last. It felt like the room itself was conspiring against us, the very air thick with malice.
---
Lucien ducked low, narrowly avoiding a limb that whistled past his head, slicing through the air where he had been a heartbeat ago. He countered with a quick thrust, his blade piercing through the creature's side. It screeched again, its limbs jerking wildly.
"Lucien!" Charlotte's voice, hoarse but determined, called out as she dragged herself to her feet. She staggered toward her sword, her injured arm hanging uselessly at her side.
The creature turned its attention to her, its glowing eyes narrowing. A limb lashed out, faster than before, aiming to finish her off.
Lucien roared, throwing himself between them. His sword met the limb mid-strike, the force of the impact nearly driving him to his knees. His muscles strained as he held his ground, sweat streaming down his face.
Then it happened.
A burst of light erupted from my tiny body, the Spectral Echo activating without warning. The light rippled outward in a wave, slamming into the creature and halting its movements. Its limbs twitched erratically, its form convulsing under the force of the energy.
"Now!" Lucien shouted, his voice echoing above the chaos.
Charlotte, despite her injuries, grit her teeth and pushed forward. Her fingers closed around her sword, and with a pained grunt, she drove it into the creature's core with all the strength she could muster.
The room exploded in a blinding flash of light, the creature's shriek cutting off abruptly as it was consumed.
---
When the light faded, the chamber was still.
Lucien stood in the center, his chest heaving, his sword lowered. Charlotte leaned heavily on her weapon, her breaths labored and uneven, blood dripping from her injured arm.
Lucien stood in the center of the room, his chest heaving as he lowered his sword. Charlotte leaned heavily on her weapon, her breaths labored and uneven.
Mira collapsed to her knees, clutching me tightly as she sobbed into my hair. "This can't go on," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "This can't…"
The system flickered in my mind again.
[Warning: The anchor cannot sustain. Seek the Obelisk of Mending.]
I didn't understand what it meant, but the weight of the words pressed down on me, suffocating and unrelenting. My body trembled, the crack on my arm spreading further.
Lucien turned to us, his expression grim. "We need to move."
Mira looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen. "You can't keep doing this to him," she said, her voice shaking. "You can't—"
"We don't have a choice," Lucien said quietly. His gaze shifted to me, his jaw tightening. "Not if we want to save him."