ASHEN CORE

When I woke up, I was still covered in glitter.



And not like cool anime afterglow glitter.



This was shame glitter.



Sticky. Cursed. Eternal.



“System…” I croaked. “Am I dead?”



Status: You’re alive. Barely. Dignity: Deceased.



I sat up in the crater, back cracking like popcorn.



Across from me, Vex was still embedded in the metal wall. She twitched. Groaned.



Alive. Somehow.



Note to self: Rubber chickens are now S-class weapons.



I wobbled to my feet, still riding the high of a half-dead win. My Core was faintly glowing—a dull, exhausted purple like it had just run a marathon while telling knock-knock jokes.



And that’s when the sky glitched.



Literally.