The inner chamber was a cathedral of shadows and light, its vaulted ceiling lost to a haze of shimmering dust. Li Tian staggered through the archway, his breath ragged, blood from his battle with the golem still seeping through a hastily tied bandage. The air here was thick with the scent of ozone and petrified resin, a stark contrast to the metallic tang of the collapsing city outside. Before him, suspended in a lattice of crystalline filaments, pulsed the Primal Core—a sphere of raw, undulating energy, its surface alive with veins of molten gold and crackling lightning.
It was not beautiful. It was *feral*.
The Core hovered above a pedestal carved with scenes of cataclysm: volcanoes birthing mountains, storms carving continents, and a hooded figure—the Magic Emperor—standing at the eye of the chaos, arms outstretched as if to embrace annihilation.
"A warning," Li Tian muttered, tracing the carvings. The stone was warm, vibrating with a low, resonant hum that matched the Core's rhythm.
Elder Qiang's voice crackled through the communication talisman in Li Tian's pocket, distorted by interference. *"…energy readings… unstable… do NOT touch the…"*
The rest dissolved into static.
Li Tian approached the Core. The filaments surrounding it thrummed, reacting to his presence. His Celestial Core flared in response, its silver light clashing with the Primal Core's amber fury. The scar on his chest burned, and for a moment, he saw double: the chamber as it was, and as it had been centuries ago—filled with robed figures chanting, their hands raised to the Core as it devoured a bound celestial beast whole.
***The past is a mirror***, a voice echoed, neither the Magic Emperor's nor the Primal Core's, but something older. ***Look closely.***
The vision sharpened. The beast's screams faded as the Core absorbed its essence, swelling brighter. The Magic Emperor stood at the edge of the ritual circle, his face alight with triumph—and then, horror, as the Core ruptured, consuming three of his disciples in a wave of liquefied stone.
Li Tian blinked, the vision dissolving. The Primal Core's surface now rippled with faint, ghostly faces—the souls of those sacrificed to its creation.
"You're not a tool," Li Tian said, voice steady. "You're a tomb."
The Core pulsed, as if in challenge.
---
**The Guardian's Gambit**
The filaments snapped taut, retracting into the walls. The Core dropped into Li Tian's waiting hands, and the chamber erupted.
From fissures in the floor surged geysers of molten rock, while the ceiling rained shards of electrified crystal. Li Tian dodged, the Primal Core searing his palms, its energy seeping into his veins like wildfire. His senses sharpened—he could *smell* the mineral composition of the falling debris, *feel* the charge in each crystal seconds before it struck.
***Adaptation***, the Primal Core whispered. ***Evolution***.
A column of magma erupted beneath him. Li Tian leapt, twisting midair to avoid a crystal spear. The movement was instinctive, fluid, as though the Core had momentarily usurped his muscles. He landed on a crumbling platform, the Primal Core's energy now coursing through him, foreign and exhilarating.
"You're trying to bond with me," he growled. "Not today."
He slammed the Core against the pedestal. The chamber shook, the carvings glowing as ancient runes flared to life. A hologram materialized—a map of the continent, seven points glowing amber.
***The network***, the Magic Emperor's voice boomed, a prerecorded message. ***My legacy, scattered. Unite the Cores, and the heavens themselves will kneel.***
The hologram shifted, showing the Celestial Core in Li Tian's chest interfacing with the Primal Core. Energy radiated outward, terraforming deserts into forests, parting oceans—and then, incinerating entire kingdoms caught in the crossfire.
***Power demands sacrifice***, the emperor intoned. ***Will you pay the price?***
Li Tian's grip tightened on the Primal Core. "I'll find another way."
---
**The Choice**
The chamber's tremors intensified. A crack split the pedestal, racing up the wall. Li Tian tucked the Primal Core into a reinforced satchel, its heat blistering the leather.
Elder Qiang's voice pierced the talisman again, clear now. "Tian! The city's core is destabilizing! You have minutes!"
"I'm done here!"
He sprinted for the exit, the floor disintegrating behind him. The Primal Core's energy lashed out, desperate to remain connected to the chamber's machinery. Amber tendrils snaked from the satchel, anchoring him in place.
***Stay***, it demanded. ***Merge***.
Li Tian drew his dagger, its edge dull but sufficient. He severed the tendrils, their screams echoing in his skull. "I'm not your vessel."
The archway collapsed as he dove through, rolling into the outer corridor. Su Lin and Zhang Wei were there, hauling him up.
"Nice souvenir," Zhang Wei said, eyeing the smoldering satchel.
"Move!" Su Lin barked.
They fled through the disintegrating city, leaping over chasms, dodging falling debris. The Primal Core thrummed against Li Tian's side, its energy syncing with his Celestial Core in erratic bursts. His vision flickered—one moment seeing the crumbling ruins, the next, overlapping blueprints of the Magic Emperor's network, each node a pulsing amber star.
---
**The Surface**
They erupted into the desert night as the city imploded behind them, sand cascading into a newly formed sinkhole. Li Tian collapsed, the Primal Core rolling from the satchel. It glowed defiantly, illuminating the group's battered faces.
Elder Qiang prodded it with his staff. "Madness. This energy is… incompatible with life. It's a cancer."
Li Tian sat up, flexing his hand. Amber energy flickered across his fingertips, solidifying into a shard of crystalline rock before dissolving. "It's adaptable. Malleable. The emperor used it to reshape the world."
"And destroy it," Su Lin said coldly. She nodded to the horizon, where crimson flares signaled the approaching Talons. "They'll want that Core."
Zhang Wei hefted his broadsword. "Let them try."
Li Tian stood, the Primal Core levitating to his hand. "They're not the real threat." He closed his fist, the Core's light dimming. "The Magic Emperor built these cities to be interdependent. Destroying one destabilizes the others. We've just triggered a countdown."
The group fell silent. Somewhere beneath their feet, the earth groaned, as if in agreement.
---