The choice hung before me, as heavy as the void pressing in. My arms trembled, sweat dripping onto the black stone.
I looked at Feng—her icy mask shattered, raw desperation in her eyes. At Mei—tears streaking down her face even as she forced her qi into me. At Lin—calm but resolute, ready to end me if I fell.
"Essence Bond Override…" I muttered, tasting blood in my mouth. "We're in this together, or not at all."
The system flared.
[Group Sync Initiated: Fragment of Eternal Woe]
[Warning: High Risk – Corruption Exposure May Become Permanent]
The chamber erupted in light—gold, green, and blue intertwining with crimson corruption as our energies collided with the fragment's will.
The whispers screamed louder, then broke into laughter before a eeree silnece....
The silence stretched for exactly three heartbeats.
Then reality screamed.
