The chamber was silent after Xyron's disappearance, but the tension in the air had not faded. Broken pieces of metal and energy fragments still floated slowly before settling on the ground. Ayan sat there, breathing heavily, trying to steady himself. The glow around his body had completely vanished, leaving behind only exhaustion and a strange emptiness.
Rudra sat beside him, still overwhelmed. "I don't understand how you're even alive right now," he said. "That guy… he felt like a final boss already."
Ayan gave a faint smile but didn't respond. His mind was not on the fight anymore. It was on what Xyron had said.
You are still incomplete.
Those words echoed again and again.
Zyra stood quietly for a moment, then finally spoke. "He was not wrong."
Ayan looked up. "What do you mean?"
Zyra stepped closer, her expression serious but calm. "What you are using right now is only a fragment of the Core. A small part of the original energy. That is why your power rises suddenly… and then collapses."
Rudra frowned. "So you're saying he's running on low battery?"
Zyra ignored the comment. "The Core was divided long ago into multiple fragments to protect it from beings like Xyron. Each fragment holds a different aspect of its power."
Ayan slowly stood up. "And I only have one."
"Yes," Zyra said. "The most important one—the Heart Fragment. It gives you raw energy and connection to Nexora. But without the other fragments, your power will never be complete."
Ayan felt a shift inside him. "So if I find the others… I become stronger?"
Zyra nodded. "Not just stronger. Whole."
Before anyone could say more, the walls of the chamber flickered again. This time, it wasn't an attack—it was a signal. Lines of light moved across the surface, forming a map-like projection in the air.
A circular image appeared.
Different zones of Nexora.
And in one corner…
A pulsing red mark.
Zyra's eyes narrowed. "That location…"
Ayan stepped closer. "What is it?"
Zyra hesitated for a moment. "Another fragment."
Rudra's eyes widened. "Wait, that means… power upgrade mission?"
Ayan looked at the map, determination rising again. "Then we go there."
Zyra's expression didn't change. "It won't be that simple."
The map zoomed in automatically. The red mark was located deep within a dark, unstable region of Nexora. The energy there looked distorted, almost broken.
"That area is called the Void Sector," Zyra said. "It is where corrupted energy gathers. Nothing stable survives there for long."
Rudra immediately reacted. "Yeah… sounds like a place we should avoid."
Ayan didn't move. "That's where the fragment is."
Zyra looked directly at him. "And that is exactly why Xyron has not taken it yet. Even he avoids that place unless necessary."
Silence fell again.
This was not like before.
This was a choice.
Ayan closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them with clarity. "If I don't go, I stay weak. If I stay weak… I lose."
Rudra sighed. "And if we go… we might also lose."
Ayan looked at him and smiled slightly. "Then we don't lose."
Rudra shook his head but smiled back. "Yeah… that's the plan."
Zyra watched both of them, then finally nodded. "Very well. We leave immediately. But once we enter the Void Sector, there is no easy escape."
Ayan stepped forward. "We're ready."
As they prepared to leave, the map suddenly flickered again.
But this time…
It changed.
For a brief second, another image appeared—hidden, unstable, almost like a glitch.
A face.
Ayan's face.
But different.
Darker.
Colder.
Then it vanished.
Ayan froze.
"Did you see that?" he asked.
Zyra looked confused. "See what?"
The map returned to normal.
Nothing unusual.
Rudra shrugged. "I didn't see anything, bro."
Ayan stayed silent.
But inside…
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Far away, in a dark part of Nexora, a shadow moved.
Two glowing red eyes opened slowly.
A faint voice echoed in the darkness.
"So… he has started searching."
A low, quiet laugh followed.
"Good."
Back in the chamber, Ayan looked at his hand. The faint glow returned for a moment.
But this time…
It felt different.
Not just light.
Something else was mixed within it.
And he didn't understand why.