The sensation was faint, almost too subtle to register, like a whisper on the edge of hearing. But for Sun, starved of any real power and desperate for a sign, it was a clarion call. It was different from the general ambient Ki of the cavern; this was a focused point, a gentle throb of concentrated energy.
"There!" he exclaimed, scrambling to his feet, renewed vigor coursing through him despite his exhaustion. "It's him! It's fucking him!" He didn't know why he personified the object, but in his mind, it was a "him," a benevolent entity waiting to restore him.
The source seemed to emanate from behind a massive pile of fallen masonry and debris that blocked what might have once been another passageway or a smaller chamber off the main hall. He'd initially dismissed it as a dead end, too unstable to explore. Now, it was the focus of all his hopes.
With a surge of adrenaline-fueled strength, Sun began to attack the blockage. He heaved aside smaller rocks, his muscles screaming in protest. Larger boulders he strained against, grunting with effort, using leverage where brute force failed. Dust billowed around him, choking him, but he barely noticed. His eyes were fixed on the dark gap he was slowly, painstakingly, creating.
The Ki signature grew stronger with every rock he moved, a warm, inviting pulse that beckoned him onward. It felt familiar, almost like the energies he had once bathed in, albeit a vastly diluted version. This had to be it. A true cultivation aid, perhaps even a remnant from the Age of Gods, something that had miraculously survived the Unmaker's purge and the subsequent decay.
Finally, after what felt like another eternity of back-breaking labor, he cleared a passage large enough to squeeze through. The air on the other side was thick with the scent of damp earth and something else… a clean, almost metallic tang to the Ki.
He wriggled through the opening, scraping his already battered body, and emerged into a much smaller, almost perfectly circular chamber. It was remarkably intact compared to the main hall, as if shielded from the worst of the ruin's collapse. And there, in the very center, on a low, natural stone pedestal, was an object.
It glowed faintly, pulsing with a soft, internal light that matched the Ki he had been sensing. It was roughly spherical, about the size of his head, its surface a mottled grey and black, with veins of what looked like crystallized energy running through it.
Joy, pure and unadulterated, flooded Sun. He felt lightheaded, almost giddy. He could barely contain the triumphant laughter bubbling in his chest. He stumbled forward, his hands outstretched, his previous despair forgotten.
"Come to daddy, my baby," he cooed, his voice thick with emotion. He practically threw himself onto the pedestal, snatching up the glowing sphere. It was surprisingly heavy, cool to the touch, and thrummed with a gentle, steady energy.