The Vault was a maze of corridors, and Kael knew they didn't have much time. The Neptar forces were closing in, and they were armed to the teeth. They couldn't afford a direct confrontation.
"We need to secure the artifact," Lyra said, her eyes scanning the room. "But we can't leave yet. We need to understand how to use it before we move."
"Do you think they'll let us?" Kael asked grimly.
A loud explosion echoed from above, and the walls shook again. The ground was cracking. They had no time.
Elira's voice cut through the chaos. "The artifact... it has to be activated. We need the core's energy to power it. Without that, we're walking straight into a trap."
Kael turned to her. "How do we activate it?"
Elira didn't hesitate. "We need to connect the Heart of Xypheris to its power source. There's an interface inside the Vault, a conduit designed to harness its energy. If we can get it connected, we can use it to control the Xypherian tech."
Kael nodded. "Then let's move."
The Vault's interior shifted as the walls began to illuminate, revealing a series of advanced control panels. They quickly made their way to the center, where the larger Heart of Xypheris was housed.
Kael connected the artifact to the system, and the entire room vibrated as energy surged through the conduits. A blinding light erupted from the Heart, and suddenly, the whole Vault hummed with power.
The artifact had activated.
Outside, the Neptar forces were still coming, but Kael had one last weapon. And he would use it to take down the system that had tried to destroy him.