The desert wind whipped around Jay, yet he barely felt it. Inside him, the massive yellow core pulsed, a newly awakened sun, radiating heat that bent the very sand beneath his feet. The last four days had been an eternity of intense, agonizing compression, forging a power that now felt almost too vast for his body.

He opened his eyes, now shining with an ethereal white and yellow light, a shockwave rippling from his chest that would have flattened lesser beings. His enhanced perception flared, stretching across thousands of kilometers, mapping the land with terrifying clarity. He saw his teammates sparring, the Crimson City bustling, and even the hidden depths of Valor City.

But a dark, blind spot within the Abyss still gnawed at his senses. He floated effortlessly down to the desert floor, containing the raw power within him, a silent vow to his growing strength. The Lich King's words echoed in his mind: 'True Core awakenings all being different, and the possibility of them granting new abilities.'

Curiosity, even stronger than his fatigue, surged within him. What unique ability had this cataclysmic awakening bestowed upon him? He had one day left until his meeting with the Apex Region's Director, a negotiation that would force him into the heart of his enemy's domain. He suppressed a grin. This was exactly where he needed to be.