— Chosen by the Core.
"Find all the Cores."
Kyng sprang to his feet with a jolt, fingers curled into fists, tendons taut like drawn wires. His eyes burned—not with fear, but with something far more volatile.
"We will stop the AGI-ST." His gaze swept across the room, slicing through hesitation, igniting a collective spark. "But first... we need to locate the other seven Cores."
Seven?
A sharp jolt ran through Shawn's chest, as if something ancient had stirred.
Kyng turned, eyes locking with his.
"When the nine Cores reunite, we can enter the Rift."
Nine?
The words hit like a thunderclap. A hush fell, then whispers rustled through the room like wind through dry leaves.
All eyes shifted—toward Shawn.
More precisely, to the weathered parchment he still held in both hands.
The ancient symbols glowed faintly now, as if responding to something unspoken. A low hum—barely audible—seemed to emanate from it.
Kyng's voice dropped, but its weight deepened.
"The Thunder Elemental Core—one of the nine—has already surfaced."
Shawn went still. His breath caught in his throat.
The names, the fragments, the stories—they crashed together in his mind: the Elemental Cores, the Seal, the Rift. Each a piece of something larger than he had imagined.
But one truth rose above the noise:
He was no longer just a bystander.
His hands didn't tremble—they resonated.
A current moved through him, low and insistent, like a call from something ancient and alive.
"Quinn."
A single voice anchored him.
Kyng leaned forward. His tone was calm, but something unreadable stirred beneath the surface.
The Secretary-General stood upright.
"Go to the central shrine," Kyng said. "Bring back the original Thunder Core Vessel—now."
Tension swept the chamber.
Shawn tightened his grip on the aged sheet in his hands—
No. Not a sheet.
An artifact.
And somehow, he knew:
Something was stirring on the horizon. And somehow, he had become its eye.
Quinn stepped forward, holding a finely carved a wooden box carved with ancient sigils.
Its surface shimmered subtly, as if the carvings whispered secrets from another age.
All eyes turned to the box.
With reverent care, Quinn unlatched it and lifted the lid.
Nestled in black velvet lay a circular pendant—carved from jade meteorite, a relic forged in the fires of the cosmos.
It glowed faintly green.
But what stole Shawn's breath—
was the symbol at its center:
A clean, unmistakable V, encircled by shifting archaic sigils.
He raised the artifact in his hand.
The symbols matched—perfectly.
Realization struck him—not like lightning, but like the rumble before a quake.
Kyng stepped forward and lifted the pendant without hesitation. Its glow reflected in his calm, unreadable eyes.
"This,"he said, "is the Thunder Core Vessel."
With precise movements, he fastened it around Shawn's neck.
The cold jade touched his skin—
And in that instant, energy surged through him.
A rush—half exhilaration, half dread—flooded his veins.
Something ancient stirred inside him.
Kyng met his gaze.
"From this moment," he said, "you are entrusted with finding the remaining seven Elemental Cores. The fate of both Kepra and Earth may depend on it."
The Thunder Core pressed heavy and solid against Shawn's chest.
His throat tightened.
What had he just stepped into?
What would this mean for his future?
But beneath the weight—
something stirred.
Small.
Quiet.
Unshakable.
Determination.
He gave a slow, steady nod.
There was no turning back.
Quinn stepped closer, offering a rare smile.
"Congratulations, Shawn. You're now officially a member of the Kepra Meta Origin Sect."
Shawn blinked.
Meta Origin Sect?
A memory surfaced—
M-O-S.
Quinn gave a faint nod.
"It's a spiritual lineage that has safeguarded knowledge of the Meta Soul for thousands of years. Despite relentless persecution, it survived."
A shadow crossed Quinn's expression,"On Earth, the Sect was once active. But after 1949, it was officially banned. What remains is only an academic front — the Meta-Origin Society. They hold only fragments of our old traditions."
A flicker of urgency passed through Shawn.
Had he stepped into a hidden world that had always been there—beneath the surface of history?
Quinn's voice pulled him back.
"But right now, what matters most are the Elemental Cores."
His tone dropped, steady and sure.
"Long ago, when the Meta Origin Sect was founded, Fuxi—the founder—placed nine Elemental Cores in a Nine Grid formation."
Shawn leaned forward slightly.
"Nine Grid?"
Quinn gave a small smile.
"Think of it like an ancient energy map—nine connected zones, a cosmic blueprint. The Nine Cores were designed to protect humanity's Meta Soul. If reunited, they form the Rift Bridge—a gateway to the other side, where the Meta Soul lies hidden."
Shawn felt his chest tighten.
"So… we can still reach it?"
Quinn's gaze darkened.
"In theory. But over time, humanity chose progress over preservation. To push technology forward, the Cores were sealed away."
He paused, voice dropping to a murmur.
"Only two remain known: the Thunder Core and the Central Core. The other seven… their locations were lost."
Shawn licked his lips, the pieces clicking into place.
Now he understood—why Kyng had said seven, then nine. "So… what now?"
"Twenty years ago, we sent eight images of the Elemental Cores to Earth, hoping to trace them. But we never heard back."
Shawn's brows furrowed.
"Why?"
Quinn's expression darkened.
"We believe it's tied to CP-Hub's suppression of the Earth Meta Origin Society. CP-Hub is the central authority of one of the Five Great Nations—the eastern superstate. They've tightly controlled anything linked to the Sect."
Shawn felt the jade pendant pressing harder against his chest.
No longer just an artifact—
A responsibility.
Quinn met his gaze.
"The other seven Cores—each has its own unique color and hidden animal pattern."
A shimmer of light flickered.
Before them, eight seal pendants slowly appeared.
Heaven; Earth; Thunder; Wind; Water; Fire; Mountain; Lake.
Each glowed with a distinct, otherworldly hue.
But...one was missing.
The Central Core.
Gone.
Shawn looked down at the pendant resting on his chest—the Thunder Core.
Its emerald glow shimmered faintly, like spring's first light.
And somehow, he knew:
When its power awakened,a force long dormant would stir—the one symbolized by the dragon.
Kyng's voice cut through the air—firm and resolute.
"Find the others. Only then can we enter the Rifts… and reclaim our Meta Souls."
Shawn drew a slow, steady breath.
Excitement surged.
The jade seal pressed against his chest—unfamiliar in origin, but undeniable in presence.
For a moment, the hall blurred; the voices faded.
Then—
His eyes snapped open.
The wooden desk.
The dim glow of the lamp.
The hum of late-night traffic outside.
Shawn sat up, drenched in sweat, pulse still racing—but the room was silent.
His hand moved to his chest.
It was there.
The jade pendant.
Cool. Smooth. Motionless.
No glow. No pulse.
Just a relic—
Except he'd never owned one.
His thumb traced the carved symbol.
A dream? Maybe.
But the weight said otherwise.
Kyng's eyes.
Quinn's voice.
The thunder.
They hadn't faded.
They were waiting.