The artificial shard pulsed violently at the chamber's center, its golden light flickering in chaotic bursts that sent ripples through the fractures. The glowing fissures beneath their feet trembled, their once-steady rhythm breaking into erratic pulses.
"It's destabilizing," Rivan said, their voice filled with urgency. "The shard—it's reacting to us. Or to the fractures."
Ardyn stepped back, her blade drawn as the terrain shifted beneath her feet. "You mean it's about to blow up?"
"No," the Watcher said, their tone calm but tense. "The shard is not unstable—it's defending itself. It senses a threat."
Ardyn shot them a sharp look. "A threat? We're trying to save this place, not destroy it!"
The Watcher's faint smile flickered. "The shard does not trust easily. It was born of chaos, shaped by fear. If you wish to control it, you must prove your intent."
The Fractures Turn Hostile
The fractures' light flared suddenly, casting the chamber in blinding brilliance. The ground beneath them trembled violently, jagged fissures opening and closing with a ferocity that made the terrain nearly impossible to navigate.
Rivan staggered, their connection to the fractures surging painfully through their mind. The whispers grew louder, their fragmented words overlapping into a single, furious cry.
"Chaos must hold. Balance demands strength. The Custodian must... endure."
"They're rejecting us," Rivan said through gritted teeth, their hands clutching the edges of a glowing fissure. "The fractures—they're trying to force us out."
"Well, they're doing a great job," Ardyn muttered, narrowly avoiding a collapsing section of the ground. "Rivan, if you've got any ideas, now's the time!"
Rivan steadied their breathing, their focus locking onto the shard at the center of the vortex. The fractures' chaotic energy spiraled around it, feeding into its unstable light. "The fractures are connected to the shard. If I can sync with it, I might be able to stabilize the energy."
Ardyn's eyes widened. "You might? That's not exactly reassuring!"
"It's the only option we've got," Rivan replied firmly, stepping toward the shard.
Dominion's Attack
Before Rivan could reach the shard, a deafening hum filled the air, cutting through the fractures' chaotic whispers. The chamber trembled violently as a blinding beam of light pierced through the ceiling, shattering sections of the jagged terrain and sending shards of crystal cascading to the ground.
"Dominion," Ardyn hissed, her blade flashing as she turned toward the source of the disturbance.
Through the broken sections of the chamber, Dominion's forces descended, their armored figures moving with precision as they deployed a device that pulsed with a sinister, red light. The fractures beneath the device reacted violently, their chaotic rhythm spiraling into further instability.
"They've brought another weapon," Rivan said, their voice grim. "But this one—it's different."
The Watcher's gaze sharpened, their shimmering cloak glowing faintly. "It's a fracture manipulator. A crude attempt to bend the fractures' energy to their will. If they activate it, the Veilspire will collapse entirely."
Ardyn raised her blade, her stance steady. "Then we stop them. Rivan, can you handle the shard?"
Rivan nodded, their hands trembling as they reached out toward the glowing fragment. "I'll try. Just keep them off me."
"Consider it done," Ardyn said, charging toward the advancing soldiers.
The Shard's Resistance
As Rivan placed their hands on the shard, its energy surged through them, filling their mind with fragmented images of the Custodians' experiments and the Nexus's collapse. The fractures' whispers grew deafening, their overlapping words forming a single, desperate plea.
"Balance must hold. Chaos must be contained. The Custodian must... endure."
Rivan's breathing steadied as they synced their thoughts with the shard's chaotic rhythm. The fractures' energy spiraled upward in jagged waves, clashing violently with the manipulator's destabilizing pulses.
"I can feel it," Rivan said softly, their voice trembling. "The shard—it's tied to the fractures' core. If I can stabilize its energy, I can stop the collapse."
The shard's light flared brightly, its jagged edges glowing with an intensity that threatened to overwhelm them. Rivan's hands trembled as they poured their focus into the fractures, their connection to the shard deepening with each passing moment.
Ardyn's Battle
Ardyn moved with ruthless precision, her blade flashing in the fractures' chaotic light as she cut through Dominion's ranks. The manipulator loomed ahead, its red light pulsing dangerously as soldiers worked to activate it.
"Not on my watch," Ardyn muttered, darting forward and slicing through the nearest soldier.
The manipulator emitted a low hum, its spires glowing brighter as its destabilizing pulses grew stronger. The fractures beneath it trembled violently, their chaotic rhythm spiraling out of control.
The Watcher stepped forward, their shimmering cloak glowing faintly. With a single gesture, they sent a wave of fractures' energy spiraling toward the device, disrupting its rhythm and halting its activation.
"Go," the Watcher said sharply. "I will hold them off."
Ardyn nodded, her blade gleaming as she charged toward the manipulator.
The Shard's Stabilization
Rivan's connection to the shard deepened as its chaotic energy surged through them, syncing with the fractures in a harmonious pulse. The whispers in their mind grew clearer, forming a single, commanding voice.
"The path must hold. Balance must be restored. The Custodian must... act."
"I'm trying," Rivan muttered, their voice strained.
The shard's light flared one final time, its energy stabilizing as it synced fully with the fractures. The chaotic terrain around them stilled, the fractures' rhythm growing steady and harmonious.
"It's done," Rivan said, their voice filled with quiet relief.