Arthur stood alone in the tent long after the others had left, staring at the space where Lyralei's hologram had shown Marcus Chen's transformation.
The magical recording crystal lay dark on the table, but the images burned in his mind—human flesh dissolving into living shadow, reality cracking like broken glass around a hunger that couldn't be satisfied.
*Two months. Maybe less.*
His hands trembled as he picked up the crystal, feeling the void resonance pulse stronger in response. The System warnings kept flashing at the edge of his vision:
[WARNING: VOID RESONANCE DETECTED]
[EVOLUTION PROTOCOL: 15% UNSTABLE - RISING]
[RECOMMENDATION: SEEK IMMEDIATE CONTAINMENT]
"Containment," Arthur muttered. "Right. Lock myself in a cage and hope I don't eat everyone I care about."
