"…Another."
The word echoed through the chamber.
Not loud.
But heavy.
Kael didn't move.
His body was still recovering.
His energy is unstable.
But his eyes—locked onto the figure before him.
It stood where the sphere had shattered.
A form made of fractured light and shadow.
Its shape flickered—unstable, like it hadn't fully decided what it was yet.
But its presence…
It was overwhelming.
"…You can talk." Kael said carefully.
The entity tilted its head slightly.
Studying him.
"You carry one."
Kael's chest pulsed faintly in response.
The core reacted again—stronger now.
"Yeah," he said slowly.
"And you're… what? Another one of those things?"
A pause.
Then—
"Incomplete."
Its voice wasn't like Aetherion's.
Not calm.
Not controlled.
Broken.
Like trying to remember how to speak.
Kael frowned slightly.
"So… a fragment."
The entity didn't respond immediately.
Its form flickered again—more violently this time.
"Lost…"
"Separated…"
"Fading…"
The words came out uneven.
Like pieces of something bigger.
Kael's expression shifted.
"You're dying."
The entity's eyes locked onto him again.
Silence.
Then—
"Yes."
The air grew heavier.
The light around the chamber dimmed slightly.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"Let me guess…"
His voice hardened.
"You're gonna tell me to carry you too."
The entity didn't answer right away.
But its form shifted—taking a step closer.
"Integration… possible."
Kael's eyes narrowed instantly.
"Yeah. No."
His body tensed.
"One of you is already enough."
The entity stopped.
Its gaze didn't leave him.
"Without integration…"
It paused.
"…I will fade."
Kael didn't respond.
Something about this felt familiar.
Too familiar.
That night.
The rooftop.
Aetherion's voice.
"This is not a request."
Kael's jaw tightened.
"I'm not doing that again."
The entity's form flickered—unstable.
But this time…
Something else moved with it.
Darker.
Sharper.
The system's voice cut in suddenly—
"Warning."
Kael didn't look away.
"I can see that."
"Core fragment instability is increasing."
The entity's body distorted again—this time more violently than before.
Cracks of dark energy spread across its form.
Its voice changed.
Lower.
Less… controlled.
"If… not integrate…"
It took another step forward.
The air around it warped.
"Then… consume."
Kael's eyes widened slightly.
"…What?"
The entity lunged.
Not like before.
Faster.
Stronger.
Desperate.
Kael reacted instantly—throwing himself backward as the entity slammed into the ground where he stood.
The impact shattered the stone beneath it.
"—!"
Kael slid across the floor, barely regaining his footing.
His heart pounded.
"So much for talking…"
The entity rose slowly.
Its form is now twisted.
Half light.
Half something else entirely.
Its eyes burned brighter.
Locked onto him.
"Core…"
"…needed."
Kael clenched his fists.
Weak.
Tired.
But standing.
"Yeah…"
A faint spark flickered across his hands again.
This time—sharper.
Darker than before.
"You're not getting it."