When Tayo put his hand on the Prime Conflux, a huge rush of energy went through him. It felt like he became one with the world's power. He saw the whole planet in his mind, like a map of glowing lines. He felt the parts where the energy was sick or blocked, and the cold, strict energy of the city.
He put all his power and good thoughts into the Conflux. He imagined the pure, wild energy flowing everywhere, unblocking the stuck parts, cleaning everything. He sent healing power to dry lands, tired forests, and weak oceans.
All over the world, big things started to happen.
In the Wastes, the strange, glowing plants changed. Their wild energy settled down, becoming steady and calm. Places that had been empty for a very long time suddenly showed tiny green shoots. The dangerous energy bursts that used to happen stopped, replaced by a soft, calm hum. The Waste-Dwellers gasped in wonder. Elara, their old leader, had tears in her eyes. "The land... it can breathe again," she whispered.
In Aethelgard, the city's perfect energy system broke down. Lights blinked on and off, then exploded. The machines that controlled energy screamed and shut down. Commander Valerius and the Watchers were thrown back as their control panels broke. The city's clean, quiet hum turned into loud alarms and crashing sounds. But then, something new began. Small green plants started to push through the clean, perfect streets. The air, which used to smell like nothing, now had a faint, fresh, earthy smell.
Lord and Lady Solaris, in their broken control room, watched their screens go crazy. "Impossible!" Lord Solaris yelled. But Lady Solaris, staring at the wild energy on the screens, saw something else. A quick picture of a baby's eyes, and a special energy she had seen before. "Tayo," she whispered. "It's Tayo."
Back in the Prime Conflux room, Tayo felt the world calm down. The huge rush of energy became strong but steady. He felt the earth's thanks, the gentle awakening of new life, and the painful but needed change in the city's strict energy system.
He opened his eyes, changed forever. Kaelen looked amazed. "You did it, young key," he whispered, his voice shaky. "You started the healing."
Lyra hugged him tightly. "Tayo! You did it! The city... I can feel it. It's broken, but it's alive!"
Tayo looked at the Prime Conflux. Its pure energy now flowed freely, connected to everything. He had made his choice, and the world had answered. The Ascendant Dynasty's control was shattered, not by destroying things, but by showing the truth of wild energy and balance. The fight for the world's energy had just gotten bigger, from a secret chase to an open war. Tayo, the Living Key, was right in the middle of it.