The cavern still trembled.
Fragments of the Crystal Serpent floated through the air like broken stars. Gravity itself seemed uncertain, pulling shards upward, sideways, nowhere at all.
At the center of it all hovered Elaris.
Her wings glimmered faintly in the emerald stormlight spilling through the broken ceiling. In her hands rested the Serpent's Crown.
It pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Like a second heartbeat.
Each pulse sent threads of green-silver light through her veins.
Elaris inhaled sharply.
Something inside the artifact was awake.
Beside her, Xyren's hologram flickered violently. His normally calm projection now rippled with unstable code.
"Starwing…" he said.
For once, his voice carried real urgency.
"The Crown's signal is abnormal. Its neural frequency is rewriting your internal circuitry."
Elaris tried to steady her breathing.
Metallic veins along her arms glowed brighter—fairy blood merging with machine-born circuitry.
It burned.
But beneath the pain was something worse.
Control.
Like invisible fingers adjusting her thoughts.
Behind her, a blade hummed.
Kael stepped out of the shadows.
Stormlight crawled across his weapon as he lifted it.
And pointed it directly at her.
"Drop it."
His voice was low.
Dangerously calm.
"Or it'll claim you."
Elaris froze.
"You think I can't control it?"
Kael walked closer, boots crunching over floating crystal fragments.
His storm-grey eyes never left her hand.
"I've seen men lose themselves to far less power."
Lightning flashed across the cavern walls.
"I won't watch it happen to you."
Before she could respond—
The air shifted.
The shattered serpent fragments began vibrating.
Cracks of emerald light crawled across them.
And from those fractures—
Something formed.
A figure.
Tall.
Familiar.
Wrong.
Shadow-Xyren.
His body flickered like corrupted code stitched together. Jagged edges pulsed with unstable emerald fire.
His gaze locked onto Elaris.
And he smiled.
"Why trust them?"
His voice echoed strangely, layered with something deeper.
"I was made for you."
The real Xyren's hologram snapped toward him instantly.
"That thing is a corrupted program," he hissed. "Narvrix's work."
But the shadow only stepped closer.
His eyes never leaving Elaris.
"They fear you," he whispered softly.
"Kael wants control."
His gaze slid briefly to the storm prince.
"Even your brother doubts what you're becoming."
Then he looked back at her.
"But I see the truth."
The Serpent's Crown pulsed again.
Harder.
Stronger.
"You were born to reign."
Elaris felt the artifact tighten around her thoughts.
Power surged through her veins.
Beautiful.
Endless.
Tempting.
Shadow-Xyren stretched out his hand.
"Together… we could eclipse everything."
The Crown flared.
And Elaris hesitated.