The guardian stood in front of the anchor pit with one plate missing from its spine. Black vapor leaked through the gap and folded back into the room whenever it reached the barrier cameras.
Nox kept the core blade down at his side. The Void Step recovery left his legs weak enough that every shift of weight had to be chosen, and the pattern inside his channels kept pointing toward the guardian's exposed core.
The pressure offered a simple command: take the damaged core.
Vasa watched him from behind the scanner bank with one hand near the emergency alarm. She did not tell Kendra to restrain him or pretend the decision belonged to someone else.
"Your pulse is irregular, and the corruption reading is holding at twelve percent. It spikes every time the guardian's core comes into view," Vasa said.
"That makes sense because it wants the nearest shortcut," Nox replied.
