The oppressive silence of the Abyss returned as the glow of the Luminescent Garden faded into nothingness. Daniel floated motionless, the two shards clutched in his trembling hands. The Abyssal Nexus Shard and the Abyssal Core Fragment pulsed in eerie synchronization, sending waves of energy coursing through his body.
"Daniel!" Mira's voice cut through the haze. She shook his shoulder firmly, her expression etched with worry. "Snap out of it!"
He blinked rapidly, the whispers in his mind subsiding to a dull murmur. "I... I'm fine," he said, though his voice was shaky.
"You don't look fine," she replied, her grip tightening on his arm. "Whatever that fragment did to you, it's not normal."
The system chimed in Daniel's mind:
[System Upgrade Initiated. Integrating Abyssal Core Fragment...]
[Warning: Abyssal Energy Levels Unstable. User Synchronization Exceeding Safe Threshold.]
