The monolith's presence pulsed inside Li Yan's consciousness like a second heartbeat—steady, ancient, unyielding. As the data flowed, his mind stretched to contain what he was being shown. It wasn't just history—it was intent. Knowledge not meant for mortal understanding was being written into his neurons, line by line, like a forbidden algorithm whispered by the stars.
Beside him, Bai Ling hovered in the suspended starlight, her eyes closed, sweat trickling down her brow. Her mind, too, was being rewritten, her consciousness forged into a new kind of vessel. Neither of them spoke, yet they could feel each other's thoughts—a connection formed not through words, but through raw, unfiltered essence.
Suddenly, the flow of knowledge halted.
A singular image remained: a sigil, glowing crimson, etched into the void like a scar.
The Obsidian Directive.
Tala's voice echoed in their neural link. "Captain… I've decrypted a portion of the monolith's core records. You're not going to like this."
Li Yan snapped out of the trance, his boots touching the platform as reality returned. "Talk to me."
"The Obsidian Directive was a failsafe. A code designed by an extinct race called the Xuanari to cleanse the galaxy if the Starcore fell into enemy hands."
"Cleanse?" Bai Ling's voice was hoarse.
Tala's tone darkened. "Extinction-level. Entire planetary systems—gone. The Starcore is more than a key. It's a trigger."
Li Yan stared at the artifact, now hovering quietly in his palm, its light subdued. "So if the wrong person unlocks it…"
"They don't just gain power," Tala finished. "They start the countdown to universal reset."
Bai Ling exhaled sharply. "And now it's bonded to you."
Before Li Yan could answer, the monolith pulsed again—and a portal opened.
Unlike the previous corridor of light, this was dark, veined with red lightning and carved with glyphs that screamed of war and forgotten gods. The air around them grew heavier, as if time itself were afraid.
"This isn't an invitation," Li Yan murmured. "It's a warning."
"We don't have a choice," Bai Ling said. "If this Directive is real, others will be coming for the Starcore. We need to understand everything—now."
Together, they stepped through.
The transition was violent.
They were hurled across a river of stars, through broken realms and shattered dimensions, until they landed hard on a metallic platform suspended above an endless abyss. This place—cold, vast, humming with power—was a weapon forge.
Rows upon rows of dormant machines lined the horizon. Titans with armor made of black crystal, faces sealed beneath masks of bone and fire. At the center stood a single figure: tall, armored in layers of obsidian tech, its eyes glowing with a dying star's light.
"I am Archon-Sovereign Veyrix," it spoke, voice like stone cracking under pressure. "Bearer of the Directive. Keeper of the Flame."
Li Yan and Bai Ling stood still.
"I see the Starcore has awakened," Veyrix said, stepping forward, boots ringing on the metal. "And with it… the final protocol."
"We're not here to activate it," Li Yan replied. "We're here to stop it."
Veyrix paused, then chuckled—a cold, empty sound. "You think you can stop inevitability?"
He raised a gauntleted hand, and the dormant machines stirred.
"These are the Scourge Hosts," he continued. "The army once destined to purge the galaxy. Until the Council sealed me here. But now you've opened the gate."
Bai Ling stepped in front of Li Yan, hand on her blaster. "Then we'll close it again."
Veyrix's eyes narrowed. "You carry fire, little girl. But fire alone cannot unmake destiny."
Suddenly, the Starcore in Li Yan's hand began to glow—responding to Veyrix's presence. A pulse of energy surged between them, forming a field of static that made the air vibrate.
"The Starcore recognizes me," Veyrix said. "Because I was the first bearer. Before your ancestors learned to walk upright, I held its flame."
Li Yan's mind spun. "You were—"
"Yes," Veyrix interrupted. "I was betrayed. Locked away when I refused to follow the Council's cowardice. But now… with you here, I can reclaim what was lost."
The Scourge Hosts began to awaken fully, their eyes lighting up one by one, rows of glowing red dots piercing the shadows.
Bai Ling pulled her weapon. "We fight or run?"
Li Yan clenched the Starcore. "We ignite."
He pressed the Starcore to his chest.
A burst of pure light exploded from his body, hurling Veyrix backward and forcing the Hosts to stagger. Armor formed over Li Yan's limbs—ancient, fluid, and alive. A visor sealed over his eyes, and golden lines traced over his skin.
The Starcore had accepted him—fully.
"I am not your successor," he said. "I am your reckoning."
With a cry, he launched forward, striking Veyrix with a wave of solar energy. The dark warrior stumbled but laughed.
"Good," Veyrix growled. "Let me see if the flame still burns."
They clashed—light against shadow, old bearer against new.
Bai Ling dodged and weaved through the Scourge, taking down Host after Host with precision and fury. Around them, the forge erupted into war.
Li Yan and Veyrix exchanged blow after blow, their powers tearing through the air. But the Starcore gave Li Yan something new—clarity. With each strike, he learned. Adapted. Evolved.
Finally, Veyrix faltered, a crack forming in his chest plate.
"You're not ready," Veyrix whispered, falling to his knees.
"No," Li Yan replied. "But I will be."
With a final surge, he drove the Starcore's energy into the cracked armor.
Veyrix roared—and vanished into light.
Silence fell.
The Scourge froze, then powered down. Without their master, they were nothing.
Bai Ling limped to his side, bruised and panting. "That… was close."
Li Yan looked down at the Starcore. "He was the first. There may be more."
"Then we'll stop them. One by one."
Tala's voice broke through. "I've locked onto your signal. Ready to extract."
A portal opened behind them.
As they stepped through, the forge crumbled behind them, swallowed by the Rift.
Back aboard the ship, Li Yan collapsed into the pilot's seat, eyes heavy. The Starcore floated beside him—calm, for now.
But deep in its core, something stirred.
A whisper.
A name.
The Crimson Architect.