The chamber trembled again.
But this time… it was not testing strength.
It was testing balance.
The Guardian's form shifted, expanding across the chamber like living geometry. Space bent inward, gravity reversed, and the air thickened into invisible pressure.
Not attacking.
Measuring.
"Resonance instability detected."
Kai felt it instantly.
The seal inside him shuddered.
Cracks of silver light flickered across his arms — faint, unstable, dangerous.
His breath sharpened.
"…It's reacting again."
Ryo stepped beside him.
"Then control it."
Kai's voice lowered.
"…If it breaks too far—"
Elias finished the thought calmly:
"Reality destabilizes."
Silence.
The chamber began folding inward.
Walls twisting.
Space collapsing.
The Guardian was forcing equilibrium.
Kai stepped forward.
"I'll stabilize it."
But the moment he moved—
The seal surged violently.
Light burst from his chest.
The chamber trembled harder.
Reality began fracturing around him.
Ryo grabbed his shoulder instantly.
"Stop forcing it!"
Kai's voice strained—
"…I have to."
Ryo's grip tightened.
"No. You don't."
For once, Ryo didn't speak as a rival.
He spoke as someone who understood.
"You don't carry this alone."
The chamber collapsed further.
Fragments of space tearing apart.
Gravity twisting violently.
And then—
Elias moved.
Not fast.
Not loud.
Calm.
Precise.
His eyes glowed faintly — not power, but clarity.
He saw the structure again.
The pattern beneath reality.
He raised both hands.
"…Axis alignment — stabilize."
Space stopped collapsing.
Distortion compressed inward.
Gravity corrected.
Reality held.
Perfectly.
The Guardian paused.
Observing.
Recognizing.
Elias had stabilized the chamber — not through force, but understanding.
Kai's seal stopped surging.
The silver cracks faded slowly.
He exhaled deeply.
"…Elias."
Elias replied calmly—
"You were forcing the Core. That increases instability."
Ryo smirked faintly.
"See? Brain beats power sometimes."
Elias didn't smile.
"This is not over."
The Guardian shifted once more.
Its voice entered their minds — deeper now, clearer.
"Resonance trial… complete."
Light filled the chamber.
Not blinding.
Accepting.
Recognizing.
The Guardian faced Kai.
And spoke.
"The Sealed Sovereign of Shattered Light… confirmed."
The chamber fell still.
Kai stepped forward.
"…What happens now?"
Silence.
Then—
"The Devourer has altered trajectory."
The air grew cold.
The Guardian projected the star map again.
The distant pulse — closer.
Faster.
Deliberate.
Ryo clenched his fists.
"…So it's really coming."
Elias spoke quietly—
"Yes."
Kai looked at the projection.
For the first time—
He didn't feel fear.
He felt certainty.
"…Then we prepare."
The Guardian spoke one final time.
"The Sovereign must endure until awakening is safe."
"The Flame must rise without destruction."
"The Axis must hold reality steady."
The chamber dimmed.
The trial was over.
But the war had begun.
Kai looked at Ryo.
"…Still climbing?"
Ryo smirked.
"Always."
Kai looked at Elias.
"…Still calculating?"
Elias replied calmly—
"Always."
Kai nodded once.
"…Then we're ready."