The clicking grew closer, taking on that new, unsettling rhythm. Eli pressed himself against the wall, Starling held ready despite its damaged state. The binding spell tightened again, sensing the approaching threat, its corruption spreading another inch up his arm.

  The first scout materialized through the wall, its obsidian edges rippling as it re-phased into solid form. Eli held perfectly still, following Marco's calculations streaming across his vision. The binding spell burned against his skin, urging him to run, to fight, to do something—but he waited.

  ?Hold position,? Marco instructed. ?Second scout emerging. Third...?

  Three scouts phased through the debris ahead, their obsidian edges rippling like heat waves in the stale tunnel air. Eli stumbled backward, his injured leg threatening to buckle. Starling's cracked core sputtered weakly in his grip, barely illuminating the corrupted veins that pulsed hungrily along the walls.

  ?Probability of survival: 9%,? Marco's hologram flickered urgently. ?Standard protocols insufficient. Emergency measures required.?

  Acid spit sizzled past Eli's ear as he activated Comet's Trail, the binding spell burning at 68% sync. Each dodge felt heavier, slower, the corruption spreading further up his arms in delicate, poisonous patterns.

  "Running out of options here, Marco!"

  ?Analyzing... Wait.? Marco's voice sharpened. ?Corrupted mana node detected in tunnel floor. Proposal: Channel binding spell's suppressed energy through Starling's core. Force overload.?

  Eli's grip on Starling tightened. "You're asking me to turn it into a bomb?"

  ?Correction: A controlled detonation. Your sentiment jeopardizes efficiency.? A scout's phase-shift blade missed Eli's throat by inches. ?Your alternatives??

  Time seemed to crystallize as Eli stared at Starling's fractured core. The river-stone that had become so much more than just a power source pulsed weakly in his hands, its cracks spreading like frozen lightning across its surface. The scouts closed in, their clicking taking on an almost triumphant tone.

  "I'm sorry," he whispered to the staff, then drove it hard into the tunnel floor.

  ?Now!? Marco commanded. ?Force all suppressed energy through the binding spell's threads. Redirect into core!?

  Eli screamed as he wrenched power through the golden threads, feeling them burn like molten metal against his skin. The binding spell's sync spiked dangerously – 70%, 75%, the corruption racing up his arms in intricate, poisonous patterns.

  But something else was happening. As the power flowed into Starling's core, the crack began to emit a different kind of light – not the familiar blue, but something warmer, almost... alive.

  ?Core overload imminent,? Marco reported. ?Structural integrity at 8%. Detonation in 3...?

  The scouts realized the danger too late. Their phase-shift forms solidified as they tried to retreat.

  ?...2...?

  The light from the crack grew brighter, and for just a moment, Eli could have sworn he heard... something. Not a voice, not yet, but a pulse, a rhythm, like the beating of wings.

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  ?...1...?

  "MOVE!" Eli threw himself backward as Starling's core detonated.

  The explosion wasn't just light and force – it was purification. A nova of gold-white energy erupted from the core, vaporizing the scouts instantly and scouring the corruption from the tunnel walls.

  The blast wave hit Eli like a physical blow, driving him to his knees. He tasted blood, felt the binding spell's threads searing into his flesh as the sync reached 78%.

  When the light faded, the air felt... different. Lighter. The corrupted veins on the walls lay dormant, cleansed. But Starling...

  Through the ringing in his ears, Eli heard it first – a soft, rhythmic humming. Rising unsteadily, he limped toward where Starling lay. The river-stone core was split by a jagged crack that ran its entire length, but deep within that fissure, something flickered. A pulse of light, subtle but steady, like a tiny heartbeat.

  "Did you... see that?" Eli whispered, reaching for the staff.

  ?Irrelevant,? Marco cut in. ?Scout debris contains viable phase-shift crystals. Priority: Salvage operation. Sentiment won't rebuild the core.?

  Eli coughed, tasting copper. The binding spell's golden threads still burned at 78% sync, leaving scorched patterns on his skin. But he couldn't look away from that light within Starling's crack. It wasn't the cold blue of before, but something warmer, almost... protective.

  ?Core integrity: 12%,? Marco announced, his hologram scanning the staff. ?However... anomalous readings detected. Mana absorption rate increased by 300%. Cause: Unknown.?

  Eli gathered the scattered scout fragments, obsidian shards that seemed to ripple even in death. His hands shook from exhaustion, from pain, from the corruption threading through his veins. But that strange, living pulse from Starling's core seemed to steady him somehow.

  "The crystals," he managed. "You think they can help stabilize the core?"

  ?For now,? Marco confirmed. ?Though long-term viability requires further testing. Your immediate priority: Rest. Workshop safety protocols remain active.?

  Later, in the workshop's dim light, Eli collapsed onto his makeshift bed. Through half-closed eyes, he watched the glow from Starling's crack paint shifting patterns on the wall – patterns that, just for a moment, looked remarkably like wings.

  Eli staggered into the workshop, his fingers trembling as he dropped a satchel of salvaged scout fragments onto the nearest workbench. The metallic clatter echoed through the dim space, mixing with the irregular hum of failing Aethel lights.

  ?Initiating triage protocols,? Marco announced, his hologram materializing instantly. ?Discard non-essential components. Phase-shift crystals only.?

  But Eli's attention was fixed on Starling, still cradled in his other arm. The core's crack pulsed with that strange, warm light, brightening subtly as he drew near. Almost like recognition. Almost like relief.

  ?Your injuries require immediate attention,? Marco's voice cut through his distraction. Argentum Sparks deployed from hidden compartments – silver filaments that glinted like liquid starlight in the workshop's failing illumination. They moved with precise, ruthless efficiency, piercing Eli's wounds.

  "Ahh!" He gasped, nearly dropping Starling as the Sparks began their work. "They feel like they're eating me!"

  ?They are,? Marco confirmed dispassionately. ?Your cells are being rewritten for efficiency. Complain post-survival.?

  The process left frost-like scars in its wake, a latticework of silver-white lines that matched the corruption's dark patterns still threading through his veins. But Marco wasn't done.

  ?Channel the binding spell,? the AI instructed. ?Focus its threads into self-repair. Vital organs first, then extremities.?

  Eli gritted his teeth, trying to direct the golden threads that had been burning his skin moments before. His hands shook with exhaustion, and the threads seemed to resist his control, twisting away from his attempts to guide them.

  Then – a flicker of something new. A hint of violet light, so faint he might have imagined it, steadied his focus. The deep gash across his ribs sealed, leaving another silver scar to join the others.

  "There's something alive in here, Marco," Eli said softly, laying Starling on the workbench. The core's glow brightened at his touch, and for just a moment, he saw... wings? A whisper brushed his mind: "Protect... grow..."

  ?Core instability at 88%,? Marco reported, completely missing or choosing to ignore Eli's words. ?Immediate stabilization required. The phase-shift crystals will anchor the decay. Probability of success: 41%.?

  "No," Eli said firmly, gathering the obsidian shards and tucking them into his pocket. "It'll crush whatever's inside."

  ?'Whatever' is irrelevant,? Marco countered coldly. ?Survival is not.?

  "I'll find another way." The core's glow warmed his palm, and Eli could have sworn he felt... gratitude?