The Starcore Sanctum darkened as if the light itself was being suffocated.
The constellations lining the walls dimmed one by one, their glow retreating from a spreading fracture of absolute black. The crack widened slowly, deliberately—like a predator taking its time.
The Void Sovereign was not fully present.
Yet.
But his will filled the chamber.
Ethan stood firm at the center of the Sanctum, the Second Pulse radiating from his chest in calm, steady waves. For the first time since awakening the Silent Star, the power did not fight him. It listened.
Lyra felt it immediately.
"The pressure… it's different," she whispered.
"He's not attacking."
Eldric tightened his grip on his staff.
"That's worse."
Vahl'Serath's molten eyes burned as he stared into the crack.
"When the Sovereign pauses, it means he's judging."
The darkness shifted.
A shape began to form—not a body, not a face, but a distortion where reality refused to exist. Stars behind it vanished as if erased from history.
The Sovereign's voice flowed through the Sanctum, smooth and impossibly vast:
"You survived the alignment."
"Interesting."
The Guardian of the Sanctum moved instantly, placing itself between the crack and the Silent Star's core.
"VOID PRESENCE DETECTED."
"SANCTUM BREACH UNAUTHORIZED."
The darkness laughed.
Not loudly.
Not cruelly.
Amused.
"Guardian construct… you still obey dead commands."
The crack expanded.
With a single ripple of nothingness, the Guardian froze—its starlight flickering.
Then—
it shattered.
Lyra screamed.
Fragments of ancient light rained across the Sanctum floor, dissolving before they touched the ground.
Eldric stepped forward, fury flashing in his eyes.
"That Guardian protected this Sanctum for epochs!"
The Sovereign's voice responded calmly:
"Protection implies relevance."
Ethan felt the Silent Star react—not violently, but sharply.
Like a blade being drawn.
He stepped forward.
"You came all this way just to talk?"
The darkness turned toward him.
For the first time, Ethan felt its attention fully lock onto him.
The pressure was immense—but the Second Pulse held.
"No," the Sovereign replied.
"I came to confirm something."
The crack narrowed, focusing.
"The Silent Star did not choose you by chance."
Ethan's jaw tightened.
"Then why?"
A pause.
Not hesitation—calculation.
"Because you are flawed."
Lyra glanced at Ethan.
Eldric frowned.
The Sovereign continued:
"Perfect vessels break.
Controlled vessels stagnate.
But flawed ones…"
The darkness rippled.
"…adapt."
Ethan felt a chill.
"You're saying you wanted this?"
"I anticipated it."
The Sovereign's presence deepened.
"Every cycle, the Silent Star awakens a bearer to oppose me."
"Every cycle, that bearer fails."
Vahl'Serath snarled.
"Not this one."
The Sovereign ignored him.
"But this time," it said,
"the bearer learned alignment instead of dominance."
The Second Pulse brightened slightly.
"That changes probabilities."
Ethan stepped closer to the crack, unafraid.
"So you're here to kill me before I grow stronger."
The darkness stilled.
Then—
"No."
The word echoed with finality.
"I am here to offer you truth."
The Sanctum trembled.
Eldric's voice was sharp.
"Do not listen to him, Ethan!"
But the Silent Star resonated—curious, attentive.
The Sovereign spoke again:
"The universe is already dying."
"Not by my hand."
The words landed heavier than any attack.
Lyra's eyes widened.
"What…?"
"Reality decays," the Sovereign continued.
"Stars fade. Dimensions collapse. Entropy wins—inevitably."
Ethan felt a strange resistance inside him—not denial, but tension.
"The Silent Star was created to delay the end."
The crack pulsed.
"I was created to finish it."
Silence consumed the Sanctum.
Ethan's thoughts raced.
"You're saying you're… necessary?"
"I am inevitable."
The Sovereign's voice softened—not kindly, but honestly.
"But inevitability does not require cruelty."
The darkness shifted, forming a clearer outline.
"Join me."
Lyra froze.
Eldric shouted, "Ethan, no!"
Vahl'Serath stepped forward, furious.
"He lies! He always lies!"
But Ethan didn't answer immediately.
The Second Pulse hummed—steady, thoughtful.
"Join you… and let everything end?"
The Sovereign replied:
"Join me… and decide how it ends."
The crack began to close.
"You have time, Starbearer."
"When the Third Pulse awakens… you will understand."
The darkness withdrew.
The crack sealed.
The Sanctum's light slowly returned—but something had changed.
The threat was no longer distant.
It was personal.
Ethan stood in silence, staring at where the Sovereign had been.
Lyra finally spoke, voice low.
"…What did he mean by the Third Pulse?"
Ethan looked down at his glowing chest.
The Silent Star answered faintly—
not with words…
but with a warning.