The Alpha’s Sacrifice
Ridge’s body screamed, veins alight with molten Heartfire, frost weaving violently through every fiber of his being. The lattice trembled, threads snapping and reforming like living glass. Mountains shattered, rivers boiled, forests ignited, and the very sky fractured under the colossal entity’s assault.
The final strike hung in the air, a wave of annihilation aimed at the Heartfire core. Ridge could feel it in his bones, in his very soul: the next impact could erase not just him, but the lattice, the Core Threads, and the world itself.
Aria’s voice pierced the chaos, trembling but resolute. “Ridge! You can anchor the lattice! Extend the Core Threads beyond yourself! Don’t—don’t let it end here!”
Ridge gritted his teeth, molten energy flaring violently. Frost and
