The descent into the roots of the Bronze Mountain felt like falling through time. The air grew thicker, smelling of ancient stone and the sharp, medicinal scent of the Jade Pack’s alchemy. Astra moved silently, her "Lunar Armor" providing the only light in the emerald gloom.
At the bottom of the stairs, the tunnel opened into a cavern that defied the laws of physics. The walls were lined with massive jade crystals, each glowing with an internal, pulsing light. In the center of the room sat a laboratory that looked more like a temple.
And there, standing over a bubbling vat of green liquid, was a man.
He was older than in the locket, his hair more white than silver, but the way he tilted his head, the focused, gentle way he moved, was unmistakable.
"Father?" Astra’s voice was a ghost of
