The chamber did not collapse anymore.
It listened.
The Guardian stood motionless, its form shifting in faint geometric patterns, as if reality itself flowed through it. The projection from the ancient record flickered again, stabilizing in fragmented pulses of light.
Kai stepped forward slowly.
"…It called me Sovereign."
Ryo crossed his arms.
"Yeah. That's not normal."
Elias remained focused, eyes faintly glowing with the calm clarity of Axis Alignment.
"It didn't guess. It recognized."
Kai looked at both of them.
"…Then we need to understand what that means."
The projection activated again.
Fragments of Dezuno's final memory echoed through the chamber.
"Divinity is concentration of existence… condensed beyond mortal structure."
Elias whispered—
"Divinity Core."
The projection continued:
"The Devourer hunts concentrated existence."
"Our civilization fell resisting extraction."
Ryo frowned.
"…Extraction of what?"
Kai answered quietly—
"The Core."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Real.
Ryo looked at him carefully.
"So you're saying… whatever this 'Devourer' is… destroyed your world trying to take something like you?"
Kai didn't look away.
"Yes."
Elias added calmly—
"If Divinity Cores are stabilized existence nodes… then they're not just power sources."
He looked at Kai.
"They are anchors of reality."
Ryo blinked.
"…Speak normal."
Elias exhaled.
"Imagine existence as structure. Most beings are temporary. But a Divinity Core stabilizes reality around it — like a fixed star in space."
Ryo frowned deeper.
"…So Kai is basically a walking cosmic anchor?"
Kai spoke quietly—
"…Sealed."
The projection shifted again.
The figure from Dezuno looked toward them — clearer this time, though still fragmented by time.
"The Sovereign must not awaken before equilibrium stabilizes."
Ryo tilted his head.
"…Equilibrium of what?"
Elias answered:
"Of the universe."
Silence fell again.
Kai looked at his hands.
"…If I awaken too early…"
The projection finished the sentence.
"Reality fractures."
Ryo stepped closer to him.
"Okay — pause. Let's actually think about this."
Kai looked up.
Ryo continued:
"If this Devourer hunts beings like you… and if your awakening is dangerous… then why send you to Earth?"
Elias answered before Kai could.
"Because Earth was hidden."
The projection flickered once more.
"Concealment world chosen. Low divine density. Stable dimensional shell."
Kai whispered—
"…Earth was hiding me."
Ryo ran a hand through his hair.
"So the Rifts… the scouts… the deaths… all of it is because they're searching for you."
Kai didn't deny it.
"Yes."
Ryo exhaled slowly.
"…Then we stop them."
Kai looked at him.
"How?"
Ryo smirked faintly.
"We get stronger."
Elias shook his head slightly.
"Strength alone won't stop something that destroyed a civilization capable of sealing a Sovereign."
Ryo frowned.
"…Then what will?"
Elias looked at Kai.
"Control."
Kai nodded slowly.
"Yes."
The Guardian shifted again.
Its voice entered their minds.
"Resonance confirmed. Sovereign host stabilized."
The chamber dimmed slightly.
Then the Guardian continued.
"Warning — Devourer course adjusted."
Kai's chest tightened.
"…How long?"
Silence.
Then—
"Time… shortened."
Ryo spoke quietly now.
"…Kai."
Kai looked at him.
"…Yeah."
Ryo's voice was firm.
"You're not facing this alone."
Elias added calmly—
"We stabilize you. We strengthen ourselves. And we prepare."
Kai looked at both of them.
For the first time—
Not calm.
Not distant.
Real.
"…Thank you."
Silence lingered.
Then—
The chamber trembled.
Not collapsing.
Responding.
The Guardian projected something into the air.
A star map.
Deep space.
A faint pulse moving slowly toward a marked point.
Earth.
Elias whispered—
"…It found the signal."
Kai spoke quietly—
"No."
He looked closer.
"…It found me."
The Guardian spoke one final time.
"The Sealed Sovereign of Shattered Light… must endure."
The projection faded.
The chamber fell silent.
But the truth remained.
The hunt had begun.