Using The Key

Bob met his gaze, his expression grim. "For everything. The light, the dark, the corruption—it all flows through the one who holds the Core. It's balance, but it's also a burden."

Freya stepped back, her face a mixture of shock and anger. "So you're saying you're supposed to take this thing and... what? Become some kind of living conduit for all the chaos in the world?"

Bob stood, his grip tightening on the Core. "If that's what it takes to stop what's coming, then yes."

---

The climb out of the Wailing Crater was heavy with unspoken tension. Freya kept her distance, her usually sharp comments replaced by stony silence. Felicia walked close to Bob, her expression unreadable, while Apollo lingered at the rear, his sharp gaze scanning the horizon for threats.