The chamber shook.
Cracks spread across every wall.
The barrier surrounding Kael pulsed with brilliant blue light.
The Devourer stopped moving.
For the first time since its arrival—
It hesitated.
Aetherion's presence filled the room.
Ancient.
Vast.
Alive.
Kael felt it coursing through every part of his body.
Not forcing him.
Not controlling him.
Standing beside him.
"Aetherion..."
The Core answered.
"I remember."
The words echoed through his mind.
Fragments of memories flooded forward.
Stars burning.
Worlds thriving.
Civilizations stretching across galaxies.
And then—
War.
An endless war against creatures born from darkness.
The Devourers.
Kael staggered.
The memories weren't his.
Yet he could feel every loss.
Every death.
Every star that had gone dark.
"They consumed everything."
Aetherion's voice was quiet.
Heavy.
"The universe once held thousands of Cores."
Kael swallowed.
"Thousands?"
"Now there is one."
Silence.
The Last Core.
The final survivor.
The Devourer suddenly roared.
Darkness exploded outward.
"ENOUGH!"
The facility trembled.
Its shadowy body expanded.
Growing larger.
More monstrous.
More unstable.
It wasn't trying to hide its strength anymore.
It was preparing to kill.
"Hostile energy spike detected."
Kael could feel it.
The creature's power was rising rapidly.
Soon it would overwhelm everyone.
Aetherion spoke.
"Kael."
His heart pounded.
"What?"
"You must trust me."
Blue light surged through his veins.
His body lifted slightly from the ground.
The energy didn't hurt.
It felt warm.Familiar.
Like a dying star refusing to fade.
"What are you doing?"
"Synchronizing."
The chamber disappeared.
For a brief moment—
Kael found himself standing in a sea of stars.
Aetherion stood before him.
Not as a voice.
Not as a Core.
As a person.
Tall.
Clothed in flowing light.
Eyes filled with ancient sorrow.
Kael stared.
"Aetherion..."
The figure smiled faintly.
"You've carried me farther than anyone else."
Kael frowned.
"What does that mean?"
The smile faded.
"Many hosts came before you."
His chest tightened.
"How many?"
Aetherion looked toward the stars.
"Too many."
Silence followed.
Then—
Aetherion extended a hand.
"One more time."
Kael looked at it.
Then nodded.
Without hesitation.
Their hands touched.
The stars exploded into light.
Back in reality—
The Devourer froze.
Its eyes widened.
Fear appeared.
Real fear.
Blue flames erupted around Kael's body.
His energy surged beyond anything he had felt before.
The floor beneath him shattered.
The air trembled.
Even the darkness retreated.
The Devourer's voice shook.
"No..."
Aetherion's voice echoed alongside Kael's.
United.
Powerful.
Ancient.
"You should have stayed extinct."
The battle wasn't over.
But for the first time—
The Devourer realized it might lose.