The Eastern Spine loomed on the horizon like a serrated crown of stone and shadow. Towering peaks sliced through low clouds, their jagged silhouettes tinted with faint blue luminescence—the ancient remnants of Core energy that once sustained the world.
Sera stared at it from the ridge, breath catching in her chest.
"This place feels…" She hesitated. "Awake."
Theron stepped beside her, his silver-gold threads flickering faintly in the thin air. "Because it is. The first Anchor reacts to presence. Especially to anyone carrying a fragment."
Sera's palm pressed over the casing holding the seventh fragment. It pulsed—rapid, agitated, almost like a heartbeat out of rhythm.
"It's scared," she murmured.
Or… warning them.
Theron nodded. "Kieran is ahead of us. The fragment senses what he's trying to do."
The wind cut across the ridge, carrying the faint metallic scent of hybrid energy. Sera's wolf growled uneasily beneath her skin, its strength still recovering but its instincts as sharp as ever.
"We need to move," she said. "Before he reaches the Anchor chamber."
They descended the ridge—fast, careful, silent.
---
The Path of Echoing Stone
The trail narrowed into a canyon where every step echoed as if the mountain itself replayed their movements a second too late. Their combined footsteps formed a strange duet—real and reflected—but Sera knew the mountain wasn't just mimicking.
"It's testing us," Theron whispered. "This place evaluates every intruder."
Sera tilted her head, listening. A soft hum vibrated through the stone walls—ancient, rhythmic, like the exhale of something enormous resting in the heart of the mountain.
Wolf shifted inside her.
Old power.
Older than the clans.
The deeper they walked, the more the air thickened with shimmering particles of pale-blue light—Core dust. It clung to their skin like frost, leaving faint marks on their clothes.
Theron brushed some off his sleeve. "An Anchor this active means one thing."
"Kieran's close."
"Too close."
Sera gripped her blade tighter.
---
Signs of His Passing
Halfway down the canyon, they found the first real sign.
A burn mark across the stone—spiraling, chaotic, crimson-black in color.
Kieran's energy.
Sera crouched, fingertips brushing the scorch. Heat still radiated from the mark.
"He was here less than an hour ago."
Theron studied the pattern, brow furrowing. "His energy is—unstable. It's fracturing."
The scorch pattern pulsed erratically, like something exploding outward without control.
"He's falling apart," Sera whispered. "Even faster than before."
Theron nodded grimly. "If the proto-Core fully ruptures…"
"I know," she cut in.
The world could suffer the same fate as the crater.
But that wasn't her biggest fear.
If Kieran died like this, the proto-Core would lash out, consuming everything nearby in a catastrophic final detonation.
She straightened.
"We have to stop him before he loses control completely."
Theron nodded.
They pressed on.
---
The Whisper Hall
The canyon opened into an enormous cavern illuminated by pillars of glowing mineral that reached from the floor to the ceiling like frozen lightning.
The pillars hummed as Sera walked past—soft, curious, almost like whispers brushing against her ears.
She stiffened. "Theron… did you hear—"
"Yes," he said calmly. "They're reading us."
Sera shivered. "Reading?"
"Assessing your intent. Your alignment. Your resonance with the Core."
Sera swallowed hard. "And me?"
He paused, listening.
Then he smiled faintly. "They like you."
"Like?"
"They recognize your wolf."
Sera exhaled.
Then something else stirred.
Between two glowing pillars—
A faint trail of dark red motes drifting like embers.
Kieran's energy again.
But this time… mixed with something else.
Theron stepped closer, analyzing the air. "He made contact with the Anchor's outer field."
"What does that mean?"
"He's inside."
Sera's heart lurched.
"No—he can't reach the core chamber alone."
"He won't," Theron said, stepping in front of her. "We're going after him. But carefully."
Sera inhaled deeply.
Wolf pushed against her skin, demanding movement.
She followed the trail into the next passage.
---
The Guardian of the First Anchor
They emerged into a circular chamber so vast it felt like stepping into the sky.
A massive platform of pale stone floated in the center, suspended over a bottomless abyss. Threads of pure blue energy streamed upward like the mountain's heartbeat.
The First Anchor.
A column of ancient power.
Sera barely had time to breathe before something moved atop the platform.
A creature—
Tall, humanoid, but not human.
Made of stone, crystal, and living energy.
Eyes glowing with the same pale light as the pillars.
Theron inhaled sharply.
"A Core Guardian."
The Guardian turned its head slowly toward them.
Sera felt its gaze like cold fingers brushing her soul.
It raised its arm—and a giant halberd materialized in its grip.
Sera's breath caught. "It's hostile."
Theron's threads flickered around his hands. "Guardians attack anyone who enters without synchronization."
"Meaning…?"
"It doesn't recognize us."
Sera grimaced. "But it recognizes Kieran?"
Theron hesitated. "Possibly."
That meant
Kieran was already inside the Anchor chamber.
Sera took a step forward.
The Guardian roared—a sound that shook the cavern—and charged.
---
Battle on the Floating Platform
The Guardian's halberd swung down like a hammer of lightning. Sera leaped to the side as the blade slammed into the stone, sending shockwaves through the entire platform.
Theron's threads shot forward, weaving a barrier that absorbed part of the blast.
Sera launched into motion, golden aura flashing as she dashed across the platform.
She struck the Guardian's arm—
The impact sent pain up her wrist.
The Guardian barely staggered.
Theron shouted, "Its body is reinforced by the Anchor! You have to hit the joints!"
Sera gritted her teeth, dodging another sweeping strike.
The force of the blade carved a deep gouge through the stone.
She aimed for the knee—
Struck—
The Guardian buckled slightly but recovered instantly.
Theron encircled its torso with glowing threads, tightening—
The Guardian tore through them with brute force.
Sera ducked as debris exploded outward. "It's too strong!"
"It's not trying to kill us," Theron said suddenly.
Sera stared at him. "What?"
"It's testing us."
Another halberd strike barely missed her.
Theron's eyes widened with realization. "Sera—give it intent. Show it why we're here."
Sera clenched her fists.
She closed her eyes—
Focused—
Letting her aura expand outward in a wave of golden warmth.
Her wolf stepped forward inside her.
Pure.
Resolute.
Unafraid.
When Sera opened her eyes, they were glowing bright gold.
"I'm here," she said clearly, "to stop the corrupted one. To protect what remains of the Core."
Her voice echoed through the chamber.
The Guardian froze.
Light pulsed through its body—
A deep vibration rolling outward.
Theron stepped beside her, aura steady.
"And I'm here to protect her. No matter the cost."
The Guardian lowered its halberd.
Sera exhaled.
Slowly…
Its massive hand reached out toward the center of the platform.
A path opened—
A bridge of light leading deeper into the mountain.
Theron nodded. "It's granting passage."
Sera tightened her grip on the fragment casing.
"Kieran is ahead."
She stepped onto the bridge.
Theron followed.
The Guardian remained still, watching them pass.
---
The Descent Into the Heart
The bridge led them to an ancient door—circular, engraved with symbols from a forgotten age. Blue energy pulsed across its surface.
Sera approached cautiously.
The door whispered—
A soft, questioning hum.
She placed her hand against it.
The seventh fragment vibrated violently inside its casing.
The door responded.
Then—
BOOM.
A thunderous shockwave blasted from behind the door, throwing Sera and Theron backward.
The mountain trembled.
Sera scrambled to her feet. "That's Kieran. That has to be Kieran!"
Theron grabbed her arm. "Sera—wait—"
Too late.
The door split open.
Light—crimson-black and pale-blue—poured out like a storm.
Sera shielded her face, heart hammering.
Then she saw him.
---
Kieran at the Anchor
He stood in the chamber beyond, chest heaving, body cracked with raw energy, the proto-Core pulsing violently beneath his skin.
And he was connected—
A stream of pale-blue energy linking him directly to the Anchor's core.
He turned toward Sera.
A slow, twisted smile curved across his lips.
"Sera," he whispered, voice fractured, "you're just in time to see me become what I was always meant to be."
Sera's stomach dropped.
Theron's threads snapped into defensive formation.
Kieran lifted his hand.
The Anchor chamber shook.
And the world trembled with it.