Lizarius voice echoed in his mind as he addressed the system.
"I'm able to create a Core now... right?"
The system responded in its cold, mechanical tone:
"Affirmative. The host has fulfilled all conditions required to create a Demonic Core."
Lizarius blinked slowly. Heat churned inside him—a blazing furnace growing hotter with every breath.
"The more Cores I consume," he thought, "the hotter it gets... it's starting to burn me from within."
His muscles trembled.
"If I don't fully absorb the Core... they'll burn my insides killing me."
The system continued, emotionless:
"Would you like to begin the process?"
"No... not yet."
Lizarius vanished, scales shimmering into nothingness as he activated his invisibility. With a powerful sweep of his wings, he took to the sky, gliding above the darkened forest. Moonlight washed over the treetops, the silver orb watching silently from the heavens.
"I need to find somewhere safe," he thought, scanning the landscape below with his glowing golden eyes.
After a long flight, he spotted a wide cave mouth nestled between jagged rocks. He dove through the trees with swift grace, landing silently on the forest floor. Lizarius crept toward the cave, senses on high alert.
"It's too open… doesn't look safe. But it's the only shelter I've found."
The heat inside him was rising, burning, searing. With each breath, it became harder to ignore.
Once inside the cave, still cloaked in invisibility, Lizarius curled into himself near the back wall. The darkness wrapped around him like a veil.
"Now," he whispered to the system. "Start creating my Core."
Immediately, the heat inside surged.
"Hotter... it's even hotter now—"
"Core creation has begun," the system announced.
A storm of spiritual energy erupted from Lizarius's body, swirling like flame-tinged mist.
His jaws clenched, fangs grinding.
"It's burning me inside..."
"Warning," the system added. "To prevent risk of movement or interference during the Core formation, the host's consciousness will enter a temporary shutdown."
"Shutdown...?" Lizarius managed to think.
His vision blurred. The fire inside him roared as his glowing eyes began to dim. Slowly, they closed. His breath slowed. Around his curled form, the spiraling energy thickened and condensed, forming a cocoon of dark flame and spiritual power.
The night was silent again, save for the subtle hum of transformation deep within the cave—where Lizarius lay, sealed away, undergoing a trial that would either forge his Demonic Core… or consume him entirely.