The silence didn't last.
It never did.
The moment Aetherion revealed itself as the Last Core, everything changed.
The Devourer rose slowly from the shattered floor.
Darkness twisted around its body.
Violent.
Unstable.
Angry.
Its gaze never left Kael.
"Last Core..."
The words dripped with hatred.
The creature took another step forward.
The facility trembled.
Hosts instinctively backed away.
Even the strongest among them looked uneasy.
Kael forced himself to stand.
Every muscle screamed in protest.
His energy reserves were nearly empty.
His body felt broken.
But the battle wasn't over.
Not even close.
"Aetherion."
"I'm here."
The response came immediately.
Different from before.
Warmer.
More alive.
Kael swallowed.
"Can we beat it?"
A pause.
Then—
"No."
The answer hit harder than expected.
Kael blinked.
"What?"
"We cannot defeat it in our current state."
Before Kael could reply, the Devourer laughed.
A horrible sound.
Like bones scraping against metal.
"You finally remember."
Darkness gathered around its arms.
"The Last Core."
The pressure in the room doubled.
Several hosts collapsed.
Others dropped to one knee.
The Devourer's voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"You should have stayed dead."
Aetherion answered.
Its voice calm.
Steady.
"You should have remained extinct."
The Devourer's rage exploded.
The facility shook violently.
Cracks spread across the walls.
Alarm systems failed.
Lights burst overhead.
Then the creature attacked.
Not Kael.The Core.
Dark spears erupted from every direction.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
The air itself screamed.
Kael's eyes widened.
Too many.
Far too many.
"Aetherion!"
Blue light erupted around him.
A barrier formed instantly.
BOOM!
The collision shook the entire underground complex.
Shockwaves ripped through the chamber.
Dust filled the air.
Concrete shattered.
When the smoke cleared—
The barrier remained.
But cracks covered its surface.
Aetherion spoke.
"Host."
Kael's chest tightened.
"What?"
"You need to leave."
His eyes widened.
"What?"
"The Devourer is not here for you."
A pause.
"It is here for me."
Kael froze.
For the first time since they met—
Aetherion sounded tired.
Ancient.
Lonely.
"If I remain inside you..."
The Core's light flickered.
"...you will die."
The Devourer smiled.
It had heard everything.
And it agreed.
Kael clenched his fists.
"No."
The answer came instantly.
"No?"
"I'm not leaving."
The chamber fell silent.
Even Aetherion stopped speaking.
Kael's gaze hardened.
"I'm not abandoning you."
A pulse echoed from the Core.
Soft.
Surprised.
Then—
For the first time—
Aetherion laughed.
A genuine laugh.
Small.
Almost forgotten.
And somewhere deep within the Core...
A sealed memory began to crack.
The Devourer's smile vanished.
Because something was happening.
Something it had feared for a very long time.
The Last Core was waking up.