The blue light from the second core was no longer just pulsing.
It was trembling.
Throbbing.
Then it burst outward like something trying to break free of its own limits.
The air in the underground chamber changed drastically.
Heavier.
Hotter.
Yet also… cold at the same time.
Daniel stepped back two steps unconsciously.
"What is that…?" his voice was barely audible.
Leonard Graves did not answer.
His eyes narrowed, fully focused on the now-transforming core.
"It's not a machine," he murmured softly.
"Nor is it a reactor."
Richard Blackwood stood forward.
His body was tense.
Every instinct of his screamed one thing—
danger.
Ethan stayed where he was.
But this time.
It was not because he did not know where to move.
But because he was connected to it.
Waves from the core struck his mind.
Harsher than before.
Wilder.
More… uncontrolled.
He held his breath.
Trying to understand.
But what he felt was not an orderly pattern.
Not a network like the first node.
