Despite the Blight manifestation's defeat, the cavern still pulsed with a residual dark energy. The air felt heavy, and the twisted vines of Shadow Rot clung to the walls, their touch radiating a faint chill.
Lumi, though bruised, insisted on examining the weakened spiral of dark energy. "This… this is the source, isn't it?" she said, her voice still raspy. "The nexus you spoke of."
Xylos nodded, feeling the oppressive energy weighing on his senses. "It's wounded, but not destroyed. The Blight's influence is still strong here."
The "System" provided a somber assessment:
[Abyssal Blight Nexus (Weakened)]
[Lingering Dark Energy Contamination: High]
[Potential for Re-emergence: Significant]
"We need to sever its connection to this world," Xylos said, his gaze fixed on the pulsating spiral. "Otherwise, it will heal, and the Shadow Rot will spread."
But how? His own power was still fragmented and unreliable. He had managed to channel the Blight's energy in the heat of battle, but it was a dangerous and unstable tactic.
As they examined the nexus, Lumi noticed strange crystalline formations embedded within the dark, spiraling mass. They pulsed with a faint inner light, different from the malevolent green glow of the Blight manifestation.
"These crystals…" she murmured, reaching out cautiously. As her fingers brushed one, she gasped. "They feel… alive. But… corrupted."
Xylos felt a faint resonance with the crystals, a distorted echo of the pure magical energies he remembered from his own world.
[Interaction with Corrupted Crystals]
[Potential Insight: Nature of Blight Corruption]
[Faint Resonance with Pure Magical Energy]
"They seem to be drawing energy from the land, twisting it into this… blight," Xylos realized. "If we can disrupt them…"
He focused his will, reaching out with his nascent water sense. He could feel faint veins of water flowing beneath the cavern floor, drawn towards the corrupted crystals like tendrils.
"The water… it's being tainted," he said. "The Blight is poisoning the very lifeblood of this place."
An idea began to form in his mind, a risky maneuver that would require precise control and a significant expenditure of his limited power.
"Lumi," he said, "I need you to create a diversion. Something to draw the energy of the nexus away from those crystals, even for a moment."
Lumi, trusting his instincts, nodded. She began to rummage through her pack, pulling out a collection of rare herbs and focusing her intent. The air around her shimmered as she began to weave a small but potent magical enchantment.
While Lumi prepared, Xylos focused all his concentration on the water beneath the cavern floor. He reached out with his will, attempting to purify it, to disrupt the flow of corrupted energy towards the crystals. It was a slow, painstaking process, like trying to untangle a knot made of shadow.
Finally, Lumi released her enchantment. A burst of vibrant, pure magical energy erupted from her hands, striking the spiraling nexus. The nexus pulsed violently, its dark energy momentarily flaring outwards, away from the crystals.
"Now!" Lumi yelled.
Xylos seized the opportunity. Focusing all his remaining strength, he manipulated the purified water beneath the floor, forcing it upwards in sharp, pressurized jets. The pure water slammed into the corrupted crystals, shattering several of them.
As the crystals shattered, the pulsating light within the nexus flickered violently, and a wave of pure energy washed through the cavern, pushing back the oppressive darkness. The twisted vines of Shadow Rot recoiled, hissing as if burned.
[Disruption of Corrupted Crystals]
[Abyssal Blight Nexus Severely Weakened]
[Lingering Dark Energy Contamination: Moderate]
[Purification of Local Water Source (Partial)]
The change in the cavern was palpable. The air felt lighter, the oppressive energy lessened. The silence was no longer one of death, but of a fragile, returning peace.
They had struck a significant blow against the Blight, but Xylos knew their task was far from over. The nexus was weakened, but the corruption lingered. And the ancient darkness, he sensed, would not be so easily defeated. Their journey had taken them to the heart of the rot, and now, they had to find a way to extinguish it completely, before its shadow consumed all of Aethel.