Pain.
Celestine's entire body burned as raw energy surged through her. The Core's fractured light wrapped around her like golden fire, searing through every fiber of her being.
She couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
Somewhere beyond the blinding radiance, voices called her name. Elias. Alistair. But they felt distant—like echoes in a collapsing world.
The Core was unraveling.
And it was pulling her with it.
"You are the vessel."
The voice rang through her mind—ancient, layered, and impossibly vast.
She turned, though she wasn't sure if she had a body anymore. Around her stretched an endless expanse of golden light, shifting like liquid stardust.
In the center of it all, a figure stood.
Not human. Not quite spirit. A silhouette woven from the same light that filled the Core.
An Architect.
Celestine's heart pounded. "Who are you?"
The being did not answer. Instead, it lifted a hand—palm open, waiting.
"Choose."
The single word sent a shudder through her soul.
She understood, somehow.
The Core was offering its power. Offering its legacy.
If she accepted—she would become its anchor. Its guardian. The only force keeping the First Sanctum from collapse.
But at what cost?
Would she still be herself?
Would she still be human?
Her thoughts raced.
Alistair's warning. Elias' reckless grin. The life she had fought for beyond this forgotten ruin.
But then—Malrik.
If she hesitated, if she let the Core fall, he would take everything.
Her decision had already been made.
Slowly, she reached out—
And pressed her palm to the Architect's.
The light exploded.
Reality slammed back into place.
Celestine collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Her body trembled, her vision flickering between golden radiance and shadows dancing at the edges of her sight.
Elias was the first to reach her. "Hey—stay with me."
Alistair knelt beside them, his hand gripping her shoulder. "What happened?"
Celestine forced herself upright, swallowing down the nausea rolling through her.
Her fingers still glowed.
The Core's light had not faded. It had become part of her.
Veyrion studied her carefully. "You stabilized it." His voice held something almost like… wonder. "But the bond is incomplete."
Celestine's breath caught. Incomplete?
The Core was no longer falling apart, but neither was it fully restored.
Which meant—Malrik could still take it.
She forced herself to stand, her body still trembling. No.
She would not let that happen.
Celestine clenched her fists. It was time to face him.