With the Guardians defeated, the Genesis Chamber flared to life. A deep, resonant voice echoed through the chamber: “Bearer of chaos and balance. Step into the Crucible. Prove your worth.”

“If I turn into some sort of monstrous bug man, I’m gonna be pissed,” Jaeden muttered as he approached.

Jaeden stepped onto the platform, the core’s light engulfing him in a blinding flash. He found himself in an endless expanse of shifting light and shadow, his doubts and fears manifesting around him.

The Orichalcum Sword spoke, its voice a seductive whisper. “Why fight it? I can give you everything. Power. Control. Freedom.”

Jaeden gritted his teeth, his grip tightening on the blade. “I don’t want freedom if it means losing myself.”

It took some time for Jaeden to emerge. Liandra grew worried about him, but then he finally stepped from the chamber, and to her eyes, he was largely unchanged.

“What happened? What did you experience?” She demanded, her concern apparent in her tone and the way she tried to appeared unworried -and failed.

“Hey, I’m okay, yeah? No weird bug eyes, or anything, just good ole’ me,” he said as he noticed the worry she wasn’t able to hide from her eyes. “The chamber -I guess it’s called a Genesis Chamber- took the unfinished blade we got from the earlier encounter, and the egg, and turned them into this.” He presented a new blade. This one bore a striking resemblance to the Orichalcum sword, but there was something about it which was -absent.

“It feels, clean. Free from the taint of your weapon,” she said as she studied the new blade.

“Yeah.” Jaeden scratched the back of his head as he considered the weapon he held. “That voice, I think it might have been the Oracle, or maybe the-” he trailed off as he made a connection he hadn’t realized before. The voices, there was a similarity to them that made him realize the kind of game he found himself in.

“Anyways, I got a fancy new sword, which I can already tell my current weapon isn’t too happy with,” he held out the Sword of Asterius, and the jealousy it emitted was palpable, so much so that even Liandra couldn’t help but notice it.

“I see what you mean. What will you do?” She asked bemused. To think that a blade could experience jealousy was not the strangest thing she’d encountered, but it was far from a usual occurrence.

“For now,” Jaeden sheathed the Orichalcum sword, and weighed the new silver veined obsidian blade, testing its balance as he looked over the runed glyphs along its length that pulsed with barely restrained power, “now I take the Umbra Lux, and see just what this beauty can do. Have to weigh my choices don’t I? Can’t make a hasty decision.” He already knew what he would decide though. Despite the demon taint, he was already bound to his first blade. It had seen him through a lot, and he wasn’t just going to toss it aside for the fancy new model. No matter how shiny and pristine it was.

“I’m not really into trading in what works for something I’m not sure of, you know? Why fix what ain’t broken.” He finished with a swipe of the sword in the air. It left a trailing edge of silver light in the space in front of him, as if he were playing with a sparkler on the fourth of July. “Neat,” he said amused.

He would be the first to admit though, not being tied to a demon possessed blade was tempting.

“It’s yours to do with as you wish,” Liandra said, her tone both admiring and cautious. “Don’t let it control you, like the other blade.”

Jaeden smirked, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll try not to. But, y’know, I’ve always been good at walking the line.” He held the Umbra Lux up, letting its energy resonate in his grip. The sword hummed softly, a harmonic counterpoint to the wild, hungry vibration of the Orichalcum blade.

The chamber dimmed, its energy retreating as if satisfied with the outcome. The floating core settled into a dull glow, its light no longer pulsating with the urgency it had displayed earlier. Jaeden slid the Umbra Lux into its makeshift sheath.

Liandra stepped beside him, her gaze lingering on the Genesis Chamber. “Do you feel it?” she asked quietly.

Jaeden raised an eyebrow. “Feel what?”

“The balance,” she replied, her voice distant. “This place -it’s still waiting. It gave you that blade, but not without purpose. Whatever comes next, the price isn’t paid in full.”

Jaeden grimaced. “I feel like I’m running a tab I didn’t sign up for.” He considered a moment before continuing. “Actually I feel more like a lab rat being run through an endless experiment and the white coats are wondering how long I’ll last before I drown.”

Liandra glanced at him, her violet eyes sharp. “You don’t run from this, Jaeden. You can’t.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” he said, surprising himself with the honesty in his voice.

The platform trembled slightly, and a new passage opened on the far side of the chamber. A faint red light flickered at its entrance, and the temperature dropped noticeably, the air growing sharp and cold.

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“Well, that looks inviting,” Jaeden muttered, rolling his shoulders. “What do you think -giant monster or really annoying puzzle?”

Liandra smirked faintly, a rare flicker of humor breaking through her stoicism. “Why not both?”

As they approached the passage, the faint growl they had heard earlier grew louder. It was low and guttural, vibrating through the walls like a distant avalanche. The sound set Jaeden’s nerves on edge, but it wasn’t fear -it was different, a confused mix of emotions. The two swords felt heavier at his sides -the Orichalcum Sword of Asterius and Umbra Lux- not with weight, but with expectation.

But the more he thought about it, the more annoyed with their current situation he got. He didn’t’ like being run around like a bull with a ring in its nose.

As they walked, Jaeden glanced at Liandra, curiosity sparking again. “Hey, about what you said earlier… your Shadow Realm. It’s all about balance, right? Twilight, equinox, your compassionate-but-pragmatic shadow king?”

Liandra nodded warily. “Yes. Why?”

Jaeden hesitated, then shrugged. “I guess I’m just trying to figure out how all this connects. Balance seems like a big theme, and you-” He gestured at her with a faint grin. “You’re kind of the poster child for it.”

Liandra raised an eyebrow. “Poster child?”

“Figure of speech,” Jaeden said quickly. “You seem pretty committed to the whole balance thing. Makes me wonder why this place doesn’t feel more… balanced. And for that matter, why does it keeps calling me the Balance or whatever. When you’d be the better candidate in my opinion.”

Liandra’s expression darkened slightly, her shadow-threads flickering. “Because you’re only partially correct. It’s not balanced. This world is chaos. It twists and distorts everything it touches.”

“Even you?” Jaeden asked, his tone quieter now.

Liandra didn’t answer immediately. When she did, her voice was softer than he expected. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

Jaeden didn’t push further, sensing the doubt in her words. He looked ahead, the red glow of the passage growing brighter. The air was colder now, each breath visible as a faint puff of mist. He tightened his grip on the hilts of the twin blades, the hum of their energy a counterpoint to the resonance he felt inside.

The growl echoed again, louder this time, as the passage opened into a vast, dimly lit chamber. At its center stood a towering figure, its form obscured by swirling mist and shadows. Violet and red light flickered along its edges, illuminating jagged spikes of armor and eyes that burned like coals.

Jaeden stopped, his breath catching as the figure stepped forward. The ground trembled beneath its weight, and the air grew thick with oppressive energy.

“Well,” Jaeden muttered, drawing the Umbra Lux. “Guess it’s time to see if this thing lives up to the hype.” He drew the Orichalcum Sword of Asterius, demon cursed or not, as well, and grinned. “You know, I’ve wanted a good dual wielding weapon for a while now. And the new sword fits my style just fine.” He cast a battle hungry look towards Liandra and she shuddered at what she saw.

Liandra’s shadow-threads coiled around her, her daggers gleaming in the faint light. “Stay focused,” she said, her voice steady. “This isn’t like the other Guardians.”

Jaeden smirked, though his pulse was racing. “Good. I was hoping for something a little more exciting.”

The figure let out a roar that shook the chamber, its voice reverberating like a tidal wave.

Not waiting for the boss to attack first, Jaeden and Liandra raced forward.

Jaeden’s twin blades were held to either side as he ran forward, doing his best impression of an anime character. While Liandra trailed a step behind, her shadow whips writhing through the air like serpents ready to strike.

Jaeden arrived first and struck hard and fast -in one motion he slid underneath the boss's legs- as it tried to grasp him. Its arms were locked up tight by Liandra's Titanoboa Dagger Whips as they impaled its shoulders, and snaked around in constricting coils of shadow energy -holding it in place, unable to retaliate.

Jaeden had dealt with the Minotaur in a similar manner, only this time he was better armed and better prepared. So he leapt up behind the boss and with one decisive strike, shoved the blades down into the grooves of the armored neck plates.

His combat bonuses stacked such, that he was able to deliver a rather overpowered sneak attack, even though he was already engaged with the boss. Because who would have thought that he’d pull something like that, when the rest of the fights had been rather straight forward, till now.

Using all of his might, and his leverage, he planted himself on the floor and activated Charge of Asterius. And like a runaway shopping cart, the boss impacted the wall, the twin blades further impaling it with the crushing force of the impact.

The strike was so powerful, Jaeden took a few moments to wrest the blades from the stone of the chamber.

“Well, that was disappointing,” Jaeden griped.

Liandra simply arched her eyebrow and gave him a half smile.

“Yes, I agree. It would have been much more… entertaining, if it had put up more of a fight.” Jaeden chose to ignore the sarcastic tone, and shrugged as he nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, that was what -5 seconds? Too fast by far. The minotaur was more satisfying. Heck, the Doppelganger had this guy beat.” Jaeden started looking over the corpse, hoping to find some rewards, despite the severe lack most of the mobs had been giving in this damned dungeon.

Nothing. He found nothing.

“Son of a bitch.” Jaeden swore. “Okay! That’s it! I’m done. I quite.” He stood up and started yelling to the ceiling.

“Jaeden? Are you-” Liandra attempted to calm him, reaching out a tentative hand. But he brushed her hand aside.

“NO. I am not okay. This is bull. Where’s the damned loot? What sort of dungeon is this place? There’s been next to no real loot to speak of, no treasure rooms, no big payoffs from the boss fights. There’s been almost nothing.” His hand tightened on the two blades he held.

“Alright, fine -there have been a few things, but nothing that really gives the endorphin rush of rewards after a big fight, you know? I like the loots, the EXP, the rewards, damnit.” He started pacing, waving his sword through the air in cutting motions to accentuate his words as he ranted.

“I mean it, I’m done. That’s it.” He looked at Liandra and hesitated a briefest moment before continuing, “we’re done! That’s it. You hear me, whoever you are -Mr mysterious voice. Pull over the ride, I’m getting off.”

Liandra was confused and frightened by his sudden outburst. He was acting more irrationally than she’d ever seen him, and she was worried that his connection to the cursed sword, and perhaps the new weapon, had finally overwhelmed him.

A new passage opened up, this one haunting -as it seemed to absorb the light of the room.

“I said no, damnit. I’m not playing anymore.” He stopped suddenly and turned to face Liandra. “Are you with me, or are you a part of this bullshit?”

Liandra was taken aback by the fire behind his eyes, an intensity she had only seen one place before. But her only answer was a nod -her jaw firmed and her eyes hardened as she met his gaze.

“Good. Then we’re out of here.” He strode off, in the opposite direction of the newly opened passage.

Without another word, she followed him.