Chapter 2: Eclipse Core
The ruin groaned as Kaelen pried loose a stone plate. Dust and age choked the air, and something deeper—something wrong—crawled across his skin.
In the chamber beneath, a sphere floated above a shattered pedestal. It looked like a dying star: dark, cracked, leaking thin threads of violet light. Symbols he couldn't read flickered across its surface, rearranging themselves every few seconds.
It spoke, not in words, but in silence.
[ ECLIPSE CORE IDENTIFIED. HOST POTENTIAL: 2%. SYSTEM OVERRIDE IN PROGRESS. ]
Kaelen stumbled back, eyes wide. But the light struck him anyway—burrowed into his chest and branded his soul with a symbol that burned like truth.
The world fractured again. But this time, it was inside him.
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**To be continued