The chamber pulsed with raw, painful energy. The purification field hummed, and Kael's ragged moans were the only soundtrack to Aki's ordeal. The Sassy Sentinel had withdrawn her hand, the transfer of intelligence complete. Aki felt hollowed out, his mind a painful echo chamber of the Architect's malice and the sacrifice of Lyra.
The Guardian stood, her small figure radiating an immense, calculating power. Her red eyes glowed, processing it , The silence was broken by her sharp, judgmental voice.
"The scope of this is offensively large," she declared, pacing in a tight circle. "The Architect's plan isn't to conquer this dimension; it's to replace existence using the Child God as a reactor. And you, little Incarnation, are the key that unlocks the furnace."
She stopped, looking down at the tormented Kael. "This one's corruption is deeper than I thought. The Architect didn't just possess him; he left a spiritual anchor. It's a fail safe. If I pull it out, it might snap his soul. If I leave it in, he'll be a beacon straight to this sanctuary once the purification ends."
Kael let out a sharp cry, and a final, larger plume of black, oily smoke erupted from his chest, his body going limp. The purification was over, but the terror was not.
"He's clean, but the anchor remains. It's a microscopic piece of the Architect's own essence," the Guardian announced, her expression tight with intense focus. "I can't destroy it without killing Kael. But you can neutralize it."
Aki pushed himself up, his light wings twitching weakly. "How?"
"It requires a sacrifice of pure life, willingly given," she said, kneeling to look him straight in the eye. "You must offer a fragment of your life force your mortal human essence to this anchor. It will coat the malice, making it inert. You'll lose years of your life, perhaps a decade or more. The Divine Incarnation will be dimmer. The sacrifice must come from your human core, not Lyra's power."
Aki nodded immediately. "Do it."
"Wait," she held up a hand. "I require more than just your life, boy. I require an Oath of Service to this Sanctuary. The moment the Architect is defeated, you and Kael return here. You will serve as the protectors of this realm, guarding it against the inevitable chaos that follows cosmic wars. You owe me this, for the use of my land, my protection, and my wisdom. This is the price."
A profound moment of silence hung in the air. The deal was laid bare: Life for Life, Freedom for Fealty. Aki looked at the still, bleeding Child God, then at the broken face of his friend. He had no choice.
"I swear it," Aki rasped. "By the remnants of the Pact and the whole of Lyra's sacrifice, we will return. We are yours."
The Guardian smiled, a terrifying, beautiful flash of sharp teeth. "Good boy."
She moved swiftly, pressing a glowing, three-pronged root onto Kael's temple and placing a finger directly onto Aki's forehead. The transfer began. Aki felt a warm, golden current—his own human years, his precious mortal time—being violently pulled from his core and channeled into Kael. He cried out, the pain sharper than any physical blow. The Divine Incarnation flickered, and the golden glow around his body dimmed noticeably.
A dark spot on Kael's forehead—the invisible anchor—instantly absorbed the pure human essence. It didn't explode. It simply turned a dull gray and vanished. The threat was neutralized.
The Guardian stood back, assessing her completed work. "He's stable. And your clock is ticking faster now. You have earned a few hours of sleep before the Architect finds a way through my shield."
She cast a final, long look at the unconscious Child God. "Now, rest. You are two broken pieces of a broken universe, but you are the only weapon I have. Don't waste the years you just bought."