Core in Collapse

The silence inside the cubicle felt denser than ever after Kai stopped crying. Lina's embrace was the only thing holding his world together, even if by a thread. Only after a long time did they slowly let go.

Kai wiped his face with the back of his hand, his palms still trembling. Lina put her arm around his shoulder, forcing a sad smile.

"Do you want to lie down a bit? I'll make tea for both of us."

Kai shook his head, unable to speak at first. The weight of the last few hours crushed every thought, every muscle.

"No need, Lina. Just… stay here with me a bit longer, okay?"

He sat with his back against the wall, pulling the blanket over his knees. Lina sat beside him, legs crossed, her gaze fixed on the rain still falling outside. For a moment, it felt like the storm would never end.

Kai tried to control his breathing, but the iridescent core wouldn't obey. Every beat was strong, irregular, as if something inside was broken. His chest ached, a strange tightness, and his head felt full of fog and mixed voices.

Lina broke the silence first.

"You're different, Kai. You have that look… I know you want to protect me, but you can't hide it anymore. I feel it when you're suffering."

Kai bit his lip, looking away. He wanted to tell her everything, but how to explain about Zero? About the shadow, the voices, the risks? It was too dangerous, even for her to know.

"I'm just tired, Lina. I haven't slept well at all, had some strange nightmares."

He tried to smile, but could only shrug. Lina didn't press, but kept glancing at him from the corner of her eye, as if she understood more than she said. The room felt smaller, the walls closing in. Kai realized he couldn't hide it much longer, but he also couldn't risk the life of the only person he had left.

The pain started suddenly, a sharp pang in the middle of his chest. The core heated up so much it felt like it was burning his skin from the inside. Kai groaned softly, putting his hand over his chest, as if trying to hold the core in place.

Lina was startled, but he signaled for her not to come closer.

"It's just tiredness, I… it'll pass."

But it didn't pass. The heat spread through his body, his hands went numb, cold sweat running down his forehead.

Zero manifested, the voice cold, almost impersonal.

"Critical instability. The core is not assimilating energy correctly. Symptoms: acute pain, memory lapses, risk of neurological collapse. Immediate adaptation recommended."

Kai closed his eyes, trying to push the voices away. He felt a strong dizziness, the room spinning, and, for a moment, he didn't know where he was. Fragments of memories cut through his mind like shards of glass—the storm, the Union agents, Lina crying, Zero muttering orders in strange languages.

When he opened his eyes again, Lina was kneeling beside him, her face white with worry.

"Kai, talk to me! What's happening to you? Please…"

He tried to smile, but could only shake his head, still dizzy.

"It's just a crisis. It'll pass."

It was a lie, and he knew it. The lapses were becoming more frequent. Sometimes, he woke up not knowing where he was. Other times, Zero's and the shadows' voices mixed with his own, and for a second, he didn't know who he really was.

When the pain lessened, Kai dragged himself to the window, looking at the still heavy sky. He knew he couldn't wait. If the core fully collapsed, he could die, go insane, or—worse—hurt Lina. The fear grew, an impossible weight to bear alone.

Zero whispered again, more urgently.

"If you reject the symbiosis, you will fail, Kai Ender. The host will not withstand the energy load. Acceptance is the only way. Refusing means extinction of consciousness."

Kai looked at his own reflection in the glass, pale face, eyes shining like liquid metal.

"And if I don't want to?"

Zero didn't answer right away, just left that threatening silence hanging in the air.

Lina approached, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"If it's an illness, we'll fix it. If it's something else, I'll stay by your side. Just don't disappear again, please."

Guilt crushed his chest. Kai wanted to tell her everything, but he couldn't. Lina was all he had, and the world out there was too cruel to expose her to the truth. So, he pretended again.

"I'll try to get some rest, okay? I think it helps."

Lina nodded, but kept looking at him as if she could see through any lie.

Time dragged on. Kai couldn't sleep, he just closed his eyes and felt the core vibrating more and more out of control. Flashes of light, distant sounds, voices whispering names he didn't know. His whole body ached, each beat of the core a threat of explosion.

When Lina finally fell asleep again, Kai got up slowly, feeling his head spin. He grabbed his jacket, stuffed the energy stones that were left into his pocket, and walked out the door, heading into the cold rain.

The street was empty, the alleys flooded by the previous night's storm. The core seemed to pull him somewhere.

Zero whispered a new command, more practical.

"Stabilization possible with additional energy collection. I recommend entering a low-risk Nexus for stone absorption. Avoid prolonged confrontation."

Kai didn't hesitate. He needed to do something, anything, to avoid losing control. He walked through the dark streets, avoiding lights and cameras, until he reached the collectors' terminal. The building was almost empty, only two men dozing by the door.

Kai blended in with a group of rookies, grabbed an expedition credential, and entered the portal to the nearest Nexus, heart pounding, the night's cold clinging to his skin.

Inside the Nexus, everything seemed smaller than he remembered. The air was dense, full of acidic smells and that blue moss growing on the walls. Kai felt the core pulsing with a will of its own, as if desperately seeking energy.

He began searching for stones, fingers trembling, his head pounding. With each stone collected, the core vibrated stronger, almost exploding.

But he wasn't alone. In the dark corridor, smaller creatures started lurking in the shadows, eyes shining in the dark. Kai felt fear rising, but also noticed something new: each time he defeated a creature, he absorbed a fragment of its energy. The core seemed to feed, and along with that, strange voices filled his mind—echoes, memories, fragments of other beings. Each absorption left an emptiness, a sharp pain, but also an impossible-to-explain sense of power.

Zero warned, mechanical.

"Absorption capacity expanded. Risk of mental overload. Limitation in consumption suggested."

Kai ignored the warning. He just wanted to stabilize the core, regain control, protect Lina. But with each step, the voices increased, buzzing in his head, distorting reality. Memories of other Nexuses, of devoured creatures, of places he had never seen, all mixed in an impossible chaos to separate. The pain tightened, his body almost gave in, but he kept moving forward.

When he left the Nexus, staggering, Kai felt his body heavier, his head spinning, the voices inside his mind almost deafening. He leaned against a wall, breathing with difficulty.

He barely noticed when someone appeared in front of him.

Zak, an orange resonant, stopped a few meters away, looking Kai up and down. His gaze was hard, suspicious.

"You look strange, Ender. The whole city is talking about you. What's going on?"

Kai tried to fake calm.

"I'm just tired. Didn't sleep."

Zak didn't buy it. He stepped closer, voice low.

"I've seen people change after spending too much time in the Nexuses, but what you're becoming… it's not normal. Take care. There are people watching you, not just humans. Other things too."

Kai felt his blood run cold. He didn't answer, just stood there, staring at Zak. The silence between them was heavy, interrupted only by the distant sound of a siren in the early morning.

Zak stayed there, firm, as if waiting for something more from Kai, and for a moment, Kai realized that encounter was far from over. His core still unstable, the voices buzzing like a swarm inside his chest, but now, beyond the fear, a sense grew that, from then on, everything could change.

There, under the light rain, at the empty intersection, Zak didn't look away. He seemed determined not to leave anytime soon, making it clear that this conversation was only just beginning.