The Starblade emerged from hyperspace above Xuánwǔ Prime, its hull shimmering with temporal static. The planet below was a paradox—a world caught in a perpetual loop, its surface flickering between lush forests and barren wastelands. Rivers flowed backward, and cities rose and crumbled in the span of a heartbeat.
Kara adjusted the ship's sensors, her mechanical eye glitching as it tried to process the conflicting data. "This place is a nightmare. How do we even land?"
Li Wei stood at the viewport, his hybrid core pulsing faintly. The spear shards embedded in his flesh glowed with a dissonant light, their energy resonating with the planet's temporal distortion. "We follow the loop," he said. "The Ninth Core is at its center."
"And Veyra?"
"She's already here."
The Descent
The Starblade descended through the temporal storm, its shields flickering as they struggled to stabilize. The ship's AI sputtered warnings: "Temporal anomaly detected. Chronological integrity compromised."
Kara gripped the controls, her knuckles white. "If we get stuck in this loop, we're dead."
Li Wei placed a hand on the console, his hybrid energy stabilizing the ship's systems. "We'll be fine."
The landing site was a clearing surrounded by petrified trees, their branches twisted into impossible shapes. The air hummed with the sound of a thousand whispers, each one a fragment of a forgotten timeline.
As they stepped onto the surface, the ground shifted beneath their feet. The forest around them dissolved, replaced by a bustling marketplace from a bygone era. Vendors hawked wares that flickered in and out of existence, and the faces of the crowd blurred like smudged ink.
"What the hell is this?" Kara muttered, her pistol drawn.
"Echoes of the past," Li Wei said. "The loop pulls everything into its orbit."
A figure approached—a younger version of Li Wei, clad in Azure Dragon Sect robes. His eyes were wide with fear.
"You shouldn't be here," the echo said. "The loop consumes everything."
Li Wei reached out, but the echo dissolved into static.
The Temple of Eternity
The path to the Ninth Core led to a temple carved into the side of a mountain. Its entrance was a massive archway, its surface etched with runes that pulsed with temporal energy.
Kara scanned the structure, her mechanical eye projecting a holographic overlay. "The core's inside, but the temple's defenses are active. We'll need to disable them."
Li Wei nodded, his hybrid core flaring as he approached the archway. The runes reacted to his presence, their light intensifying.
Memory: The first Sovereign stood here, his hands trembling as he sealed the Ninth Core within the temple. "It must never be freed," he whispered. "The loop is its prison."
The vision shattered as Li Wei stepped through the archway. The temple's interior was a labyrinth of shifting corridors, each one a snapshot of a different timeline.
Veyra's Shadow
Veyra watched from the shadows, her body a fusion of obsidian scales and glowing lotus sigils. The Eighth Core in her chest pulsed, its tendrils lashing at the air.
"They're here," she whispered to the Prisoner.
"Let them come," it replied, its voice a chorus of dying stars.
The Temporal Guardians
The temple's guardians were constructs of temporal energy, their forms shifting between past, present, and future. They attacked without warning, their blades cutting through time itself.
Li Wei fought with the Skyrend Spear's remnants, his hybrid energy disrupting the guardians' forms. But each strike cost him—his cracks glowed brighter, the spear shards searing his flesh.
Kara provided cover, her plasma pistol overloading the guardians' temporal cores. "We can't keep this up!"
"We don't have to," Li Wei said. "We just need to reach the core."
The Ninth Core
The core chamber was a paradox made manifest. The Ninth Core floated at its center, a sphere of condensed time that pulsed with golden light. Its surface was etched with the Prisoner's sigil, a reminder of its true nature.
Li Wei approached, the spear shards in his flesh resonating with the core's energy.
Vision: The first Sovereign stood here, his hands trembling as he sealed the Ninth Core within the temple. "It must never be freed," he whispered. "The loop is its prison."
The vision shattered as Li Wei reached for the core.
Veyra's Gambit
Veyra emerged from the shadows, her body a fusion of obsidian scales and glowing lotus sigils. The Eighth Core in her chest pulsed, its tendrils lashing at the air.
"You're too late," she said, her voice a symphony of echoes.
Li Wei raised the spear shards, his hybrid core flaring. "We'll see."