Chapter 14 The Search for the Eye of Evolution

"Killian, that invitation from Valtor is a ticking time bomb. You know that, right?" Bianca stopped and looked at Killian, her eyes filled with concern.

Night in the Ash District was never truly silent, yet inside the Void Faction warehouse, the air felt far heavier than usual. Bianca Valenti could not sit still. She paced back and forth in front of a workbench now covered with cables and hardware, while Killian sat calmly with Giz asleep on his lap.

"I know," Killian replied shortly. His eyes remained closed, but his aura stayed alert.

"You can't go there with only Giz in this leopard form. Leo's Radiant Golden Lion might just be the tip of the iceberg. His father, the Great Lord of Valtor, has a collection of Platinum-tier Pets that could destroy this entire district in the blink of an eye." Bianca sighed, her voice trembling slightly.

"We need something bigger. Something that makes them think twice before trying to trap you."

Killian opened his eyes. The golden hue within his pupils glimmered in the darkness of the warehouse.

"What do you suggest?"

Bianca walked over to the table and touched the control panel. A three-dimensional holographic map appeared in the air, casting a pale blue glow across their faces. The map displayed coordinates beyond the city limits, a region marked in deep red and labeled Dead Zone.

"This is the Outer Sector, about a hundred kilometers north of here." Bianca pointed at a blinking marker. "Twenty years ago, an object from outer space crashed there. The System called it the 'Star-Fall Catastrophe,' but my family's classified records describe it as a pure evolution artifact."

Killian stood, causing Giz to wake and let out a low hiss.

"An evolution artifact?"

"Not just an energy crystal, Killian. It's a fragment of a shattered stellar core. If those records are accurate, it contains the same type of energy the System used when it first created the dimensional gates." Bianca looked at him intently.

"That place is now an ancient ruin filled with cosmic radiation. No Tamer dares enter because their Pets suffer cellular degradation within minutes."

"But Giz is different." Killian stroked Giz's black-scaled head.

"He feeds on energy. Radiation might be nothing more than a snack to him."

"Exactly." Bianca nodded quickly. "If you can obtain the Ancient Star Core from the center of those ruins, you can evolve Giz into something beyond anything those elites could imagine. It's the only way we can win at Valtor's banquet."

"How long will the journey take?"

"Two days if we use Silas's terrain-piercing vehicle. But the route is extremely dangerous, Killian. We'll be crossing territory ruled by wild monsters that have never been touched by the city's sensors."

"Prepare the vehicle, Bianca. We leave now. I don't want to waste a single second." Killian smiled coldly as the thrill of battle began to surge through his chest.

Two days later.

Concrete deserts and endless grasslands stretched as far as the eye could see. Powerful winds carried gray dust that felt rough against the skin. The tactical vehicle driven by Silas came to a stop before a massive valley that looked like the impact site of a meteor strike.

At the center of the valley stood a strange structure, a half-buried tower made of metal that appeared liquid and constantly shifting.

"Damn... the air here feels like hot metal." Silas coughed behind his gas mask. "Mr. Moretti, every sensor in this vehicle is flashing red. The radiation levels are ten times higher than the safe limit for humans."

Killian stepped out of the vehicle, his black cloak fluttering in the wind. Bianca climbed out beside him, dressed in specialized protective gear. She held an energy detection device that emitted a constant stream of noise.

"We have to go in there, Killian." Bianca pointed toward the tower's entrance, which radiated electric-blue light. "But be careful. The System Masters place automated guardians in places like this."

"Giz, protect Bianca," Killian ordered.

They stepped into the Star-Fall ruins.

The atmosphere inside the tower was eerily silent and deeply unsettling. The walls were made of an unknown material that pulsed with a rhythm resembling a heartbeat. Every time Killian took a step, his Eye of Evolution activated, revealing streams of code flowing beneath the surface of the walls.

"This place... it's not just a building," Killian muttered, his eyes glowing gold.

"What do you see?" Bianca asked while nervously watching her tablet screen.

"I see data. This place is one of the nodes the System uses to siphon energy from Earth."

Killian touched the wall, and an instant later a red notification appeared before him.

[Warning: Unauthorized Access Detected. 'Anti-Anomaly' Defense Protocol Activated]

"Killian! The floor!" Bianca shouted.

Suddenly, the metal tiles beneath them shifted aside, revealing openings that emitted pure laser beams. Killian swiftly pulled Bianca into his arms and leaped toward the nearest pillar.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The laser beams sliced through the air, destroying anything in their path. Killian scanned the surroundings with his golden eyes, searching for a pattern within the trap.

"Bianca, three steps ahead, there's a hidden circuit. Can you hack it?" Killian asked without taking his eyes off the moving lasers.

Bianca tried to steady her breathing.

"Give me ten seconds! I need to connect this tablet's signal to the tower's local frequency!"

Killian stood in front of her, using his body as a shield. Giz leaped into the air, his claws radiating purple energy as he deflected several laser beams aimed at them.

"You can see the circuit, Killian?" Bianca asked while her fingers danced rapidly across the virtual screen.

"Yes. Behind the wall layer on the right. There's a blocked energy flow there. That's the control center."

Killian pointed toward a spot that pulsed red within his vision.

"Got it!" Bianca pressed one final button. "Disabling the defense protocol in three... two... one... now!"

The humming sound of the lasers vanished instantly. Darkness reclaimed the room, leaving only the blue glow of the tower walls. Bianca collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily.

"Good work, Bianca." Killian extended a hand and helped her to her feet.

"We almost died, Killian." Bianca let out a bitter laugh. "The System really hates your existence."

"That's because they know I can see through their lies."

Killian continued deeper into the tower.

"Come on. The core is close. I can feel its energy screaming."

They passed through increasingly narrow corridors filled with environmental puzzles that required Killian to use the Eye of Evolution to identify safe energy pathways. Bianca provided constant technical support, deciphering the System's codes whenever it attempted to lock the doors ahead of them.

After an hour of navigating deadly traps, they finally reached a vast central chamber.

The room was dome-shaped, with millions of organic cables hanging from the ceiling. Every one of them connected to a gigantic sphere suspended in the center.

The sphere shone with a blinding white light, yet within it rested a dark-purple core that pulsed continuously. The core emitted such overwhelming power that the surrounding space appeared warped.

"There it is..." Bianca whispered in awe.

"The Ancient Star Core. A fragment from a civilization that existed before the System."