Xin stood over the Creator. The being was on its knees. Human. Weak. Bleeding from its nose.
"Get up."
The Creator looked at its hands. "I have been alive for ten thousand years. Now I can die."
"Yes."
"What do I do?"
"Same thing everyone else does. Live. Or don't."
---
Ren walked up. His chest was healed. His notebook was gone. Lost in the fight.
"The new source is stable," Ren said. "The crystal in the temple is the control point. Whoever touches it controls the power."
"Then no one touches it."
"What?"
Xin pointed at the temple. "Lock it. Seal it. No one goes inside."
"The power could help people. Heal wounds. Fix the damage from the war."
"The power could also be abused. Same as the old source. Same as extraction. Same as everything."
Ren was quiet for a moment. "You are
