Kellan and Lyra descended into the deepest, unmapped sub-level of Apex Command—the ruins of Finch's final, failed experimental zone. This area was sealed off after Finch's collapse and was saturated with volatile, unprocessed energy.
"The Apex Prediction indicates the stable, chaotic energy is here," Kellan noted, holding the Apex Nexus Core (A.N.C.) as a guide. The Core pulsed strongly, confirming the presence of massive power.
Lyra walked beside him, her Absolute Energy Control (AEC) acting as a sensitive radar. "The energy signature is extreme, Kellan. It's too raw, too volatile for any normal human to survive. It feels like the entire area is held together by sheer, unstable will."
[Optimal Insight (Level 4) Activated! Target: Sub-Level Energy Source. Assessment: Unprocessed Dimensional Psychic Energy (D.P.E.). Highly chaotic, yet contains a stable nucleus.]
"It's Dimensional Psychic Energy (D.P.E.)," Kellan identified. "The residual fear and ambition from Finch's and Vance's experiments—pure, uncontrolled chaos. Lyra, your Level 5 upgrade requires you to impose perfection onto this absolute disorder."
"I understand," Lyra replied, her eyes intense. "I must convert the raw chaos into Controlled Chaos."
They arrived at the central containment chamber. Instead of a machine, they found a vast, shimmering void where the floor should have been. The void pulsed with dark purple and green light—pure D.P.E.
"This is the source," Kellan stated. "But Finch always built a trap."
[Apex Prediction (Level 4) Activated! Target: D.P.E. Void Environment. Sub-Optimal Action Chain: A pressure plate triggers the void to instantly collapse the chamber ceiling, killing the intruder and containing the D.P.E.]
"Don't move, Lyra," Kellan commanded instantly, his Apex Prediction showing the sub-optimal action chain in a flash. "There's a sub-optimal pressure plate two steps ahead. Finch designed this ceiling to collapse."
Lyra froze, her foot hovering a millisecond before landing. "His final, childish attempt at vengeance," she said with contempt.
"We will use his flaw against him," Kellan declared. "Lyra, use your AEC to neutralize the pressure plate's trigger mechanism—don't disable it. Reverse its function. Make the pressure plate open the chamber, instead of collapsing it."
Lyra smiled, recognizing the Optimal counter-strategy. She projected her golden energy, delicately weaving it into the mechanical trigger beneath the floor.
Click.
The massive steel ceiling above them didn't fall; instead, a hidden section of the far wall slid open, revealing a smaller, sealed containment unit. Inside, suspended in a field of liquid nitrogen, was a perfect, pulsating orb of pure, crystalline D.P.E.
"The D.P.E. nucleus," Kellan breathed. "He was so proud of his sub-optimal traps, he hid his greatest asset behind one."
Kellan moved to the containment unit. "This is the essence of Finch's failure, Lyra. It is stable, chaotic energy. Now, for your ultimate test. You must absorb all of it."
"If I absorb it directly, the psychic chaos could overwhelm me," Lyra warned, though her determination was absolute. "My Absolute Energy Control is strong, but the sheer volume..."
[Optimal Insight (Level 4) Action: Lyra must use her Sub-Optimal Point (Singular Ambition) as the Optimal Anchor to synthesize the D.P.E.]
"You will not absorb it, Lyra," Kellan corrected her, his voice intense. "You will dominate it. Your ambition is your anchor. Use your will to crush the psychic chaos, forcing the D.P.E. to submit to your absolute control. You must prove your will is the most Optimal force in this dimension."
Lyra nodded, understanding the gravity of the task. She placed her hands on the liquid nitrogen chamber, and the D.P.E. nucleus pulsed violently, sensing the oncoming storm of her perfection.