Time felt irrelevant as Ardin stood before the Core. It seemed as if days, maybe even weeks, had passed since the chaos first began to churn. The Core, this new anomaly in Pale Garden, wasn't just changing the landscape; it was altering the very rules that governed the game. Every time Ardin thought he was making progress, the forces of chaos pushed back harder.
This entity, if it could even be called an entity, was learning. It was feeding on the parameters that Ardin had put in place, devouring them and then twisting them into new forms, new possibilities.
A low growl came from behind Ardin, pulling him from his concentration. He spun around, eyes narrowing, heart pounding. A huge creature—its body a mixture of beast and shadow—stepped from the foliage. Its glowing eyes locked onto his.
The thing wasn't a creature Ardin had ever designed. This was something new, something born from the chaos of the Core itself. Its massive, coiling form shifted, as if it were made of liquid darkness—streaks of light running along its shifting body, taking shapes and shifting unpredictably.
The creature opened its mouth, revealing teeth jagged and sharp, and it let out a roar that split the very air around them.
Ardin quickly reached for his interface, summoning the Combat Mastery Protocols. But when he attempted to use his weapons, they malfunctioned, unable to override the life force emanating from the creature. This was no NPC, no creation of code—it was an emergent force.
Before he could react, the beast charged, moving so quickly that Ardin only had enough time to erect an energy shield. The collision sent a shockwave through the virtual world, the force splintering the ground beneath him. Ardin struggled to maintain his balance, but the shield faltered. With a roar, the creature lashed out, shattering his defenses.
Ardin was thrown back, his avatar crashing to the ground. Every action, every move from the creature was designed to break him—not physically, but mentally. It was testing his limits.
Desperation set in. Ardin knew that if he couldn't stop the Eldritch Core's influence, he was going to lose control of the entire game—his masterpiece would become nothing more than a breeding ground for chaos and madness.