The chamber shook like the belly of a living beast. A heavy hum rolled through the stone walls, a sound so deep it rattled in the bones of Jason, Leah, and Ghost as they stormed inside. The air was sharp, metallic, thick with the sting of raw energy, almost like standing inside a storm cloud before the lightning cracked.

Leah squinted against the blinding light filling the cavern. It wasn’t just light, it was alive. At the center of the volcanic chamber floated the Neural Nexus Core, a monstrous heart of circuits, glowing veins, and crystal shards that pulsed like arteries. It expanded with every beat, feeding on the volcanic...