The Node pulsed violently, flooding the chamber with waves of golden light that quickly turned unstable, flickering between bright brilliance and shadowy corruption. The floor beneath Kael's feet trembled, cracks spiderwebbing across the stone as chunks of the ceiling began to fall.
"This place is coming down!" Torran shouted, his shield raised to deflect a falling piece of debris. "We either stabilize that thing or we're leaving in pieces!"
Elira darted toward the glowing pedestal, her bow slung over her back as she examined the runes surrounding the Node. The corrupted energy made them flicker erratically, their patterns partially obscured. "I need time to figure out these runes!" she called.
"Not sure we have time!" Kael shot back, stumbling as another violent tremor nearly sent him to the ground.
A guttural snarl echoed from one of the side corridors. Kael turned, his stomach dropping as a swarm of smaller corrupted creatures poured into the chamber. The twisted, polygonal forms jittered unnaturally, their glowing red eyes fixed on the group.
Torran stepped forward, planting his shield in the ground. "I'll hold them off. Elira, focus on the Node!"
The creatures surged forward. Torran swung his sword in a wide arc, cleaving through the front line, but more kept coming. His shield lit up faintly as he activated another skill.
[Skill Activated: Shield Bash]
Effect: Deals AoE knockback to nearby enemies.
The creatures recoiled briefly, giving Torran a moment to breathe. "Kael! Cover the flanks!"
Kael darted to Torran's side, his dagger ready. He activated Shadow Stitch, his threads lashing out to snare two of the creatures before they could flank Torran. The strain of holding them back pulsed through him, the corrupted energy pushing against his control.
"Elira!" Kael called, his voice strained. "How's that rune puzzle coming along?"
Elira didn't look up. "It's like trying to fix a broken system with half the code missing!" she snapped. Her fingers danced over the pedestal's surface, tracing patterns across the glowing runes. "If you want this done faster, keep those things off me!"
Kael gritted his teeth, his shadow flickering wildly. The air grew heavier with every passing second, the Node's instability threatening to tear the chamber apart.
The Node's pulses grew more violent, sending arcs of unstable energy crackling across the room. One bolt struck near Elira, forcing her to duck as sparks flew past her face. She swore under her breath, redoubling her efforts to stabilize the runes.
"I'm running out of time!" she yelled. "This thing's going to blow if we don't feed it some kind of energy to counteract the corruption!"
"Energy?" Kael shouted, slashing at one of the corrupted creatures that broke past Torran's defenses. "What kind of energy?"
"The kind we don't have!" Elira snapped.
Kael stumbled back, his shadow flickering violently as the Node pulsed again. The cold, familiar pull from earlier gripped him harder now, his shadow stretching unnaturally toward the Node as though it recognized the energy.
"Elira," Kael said, his voice lower, "what if my class can stabilize it?"
Elira froze for a split second, her head snapping toward him. "What are you talking about?"
"My shadow—this Edgeweaver thing—it reacts to the Node," Kael said, his voice tight. "What if I can channel energy into it? Enough to buy us time?"
"That's insane!" Elira retorted. "You don't even know what'll happen!"
"I don't see any other options!" Kael replied.
Torran's shield slammed into another wave of attackers, his voice booming above the chaos. "If you've got a plan, do it now! I can't hold them forever!"
Kael hesitated, but another pulse from the Node sent a wave of force through the chamber, knocking him to his knees. His Mana bar flashed in the corner of his vision, the System flickering erratically.
[Skill Unlocked: Shadow Conduit]
Effect: Channel shadow energy to stabilize corrupted systems. Drains Mana and Health over time. Risk of Overload: High.
A notification appeared, but Kael barely had time to read it. Instinct took over, and he extended his hand toward the Node. Tendrils of shadow unraveled from his form, coiling through the air toward the glowing shard at the Node's center.
The energy met resistance at first, pushing back against his control. A sharp, searing pain lanced through Kael's chest as his Mana bar began draining rapidly.
[Mana: 60 → 30 → 15...]
[Health: 110/150]
The Node's glow flickered wildly, its corrupted energy colliding with Kael's shadow tendrils in violent sparks. He gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down his face as he forced more energy into the Node.
"Elira!" he shouted through the strain. "Work on the runes! This isn't going to hold forever!"
Elira didn't argue this time. She scrambled to align the glowing symbols, her fingers working quickly to complete the pattern.
Torran knocked another creature back, his shield dented and his breathing ragged. "Whatever you're doing, finish it now!"
The Node let out a deafening pulse, the entire room shaking violently. Kael felt his vision blur as his energy drained dangerously low.
[Warning: Critical Mana Levels. Overload Imminent.]
"Almost there!" Elira shouted.
Kael let out a desperate cry as he pushed one final surge of energy into the Node. A burst of light erupted from its core, momentarily blinding everyone in the chamber. The tremors subsided, and the glow from the Node stabilized, its corrupted flickers dimming into a steady rhythm.
Kael collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. His Mana bar flashed empty, and his Health hovered dangerously low.
"Elira?" he croaked weakly.
"It worked," she said, kneeling beside him. "But you look like hell."
"Felt worse," Kael muttered, though his body ached like he'd been torn apart and stitched back together.
"Don't move," Torran said, stepping over the remains of a defeated creature. "Whatever you just did, it bought us time, but this place isn't safe yet."
Kael nodded weakly, the edges of his vision still swimming. Whatever that skill had done, it felt like it had taken more than just energy from him.
The Node pulsed gently now, its once-erratic energy stabilized into a steady glow. Kael leaned against the pedestal, his body trembling from the effort. Elira hovered nearby, keeping a wary eye on both him and the Node, while Torran stood guard at the chamber's entrance, his shield ready.
Kael's relief was short-lived. The gentle glow of the Node dimmed slightly, and the shadows in the room deepened unnaturally. The air grew cold, and an oppressive silence fell over the chamber.
"Something's wrong," Elira murmured, stepping back.
Kael forced himself to his feet, his shadow flickering unnaturally again. "What now?" he rasped, his voice weak.
A figure emerged from the Node itself, its form twisting as though it were being pulled from another realm. It was humanoid, but barely. Its body flickered between solidity and a mass of writhing shadows, its glowing red eyes fixed on Kael.
"Edgeweaver," the figure said, its voice a deep, guttural growl that sent chills down Kael's spine.
Kael froze, every instinct telling him to run, though his legs felt like lead. "What... what are you?"
The figure tilted its head, the motion unnatural. "A remnant. A whisper of what this System once was... and a harbinger of what it will become."
"Stay back!" Torran shouted, stepping forward with his shield raised.
The entity's gaze didn't waver from Kael. "The corruption spreads because it must. And you, Edgeweaver, are both its cause and its cure."
Kael's heart pounded, the weight of the entity's words pressing against his chest. "What do you mean? I didn't cause this!"
"You are bound to the shadows," the figure said, its form flickering again. "And in shadows lies the answer."
Before Kael could respond, the entity dissipated into tendrils of smoke, leaving behind faint remnants of corrupted energy swirling in the air.
Torran lowered his shield cautiously. "What in the void was that?"
Elira approached the Node, her expression grim. "Whatever it was, it knows more about this mess than any of us do."
Kael clenched his fists, his mind racing. The weight of the entity's words hung over him like a storm cloud. Bound to the shadows. Cause and cure. What did that mean?
"We need to move," Elira said, her tone sharp. "If that thing was right, this is just the beginning."
Kael nodded, forcing himself forward despite the exhaustion wracking his body. "Then let's find some answers before this system breaks for good."