The crystal pulsed once, twice, and Xavier felt something shift in the air—not pressure, but *information*. A whisper that wasn't sound, crawling up his spine and settling behind his eyes like cold water.
But then Lily's calm voice echoed in his mind... "Listen carefully. What you've found is a labyrinth—a dungeon with a living, thinking core at its heart. It's unclaimed, which means you could bind it to yourself with a blood bond and make it your own dimensional space. But I need you to understand something: that core is aware of you, and it's hostile. Be careful
Xavier's eyes narrowed. The crystal before him pulsed faster now, the rhythm erratic. Afraid.
He'd felt it during the entire descent—every trap that sprung half a second too slow, every construct that hesitated a fraction before committing. The Spire had been studying him, yes, but not to test. To measure. To calculate whether it could survive him.
It couldn't.
And now it knew.
