"We become his system," Sierra said, her voice cutting through the chaos as Jack writhed in agony. "All of us. Together."The others stared at her as if she'd lost her mind. Through the dimensional rifts, their city continued burning, portals spawning creatures that defied description. But Sierra's enhanced understanding showed her possibilities that normal perception would miss."Think about it," she continued urgently. "His system died because it couldn't handle the trial's purification energy. But what if we distributed that load? What if instead of one artificial consciousness managing all that power, we created a network of linked minds?"Dwayne's eyes widened with understanding. "A bond-circle. But not just for the trial—permanent integration with the medallion's functions.""Exactly. We link our consciousness to his, share not just the trial's burden but the system's responsibilities. Five minds working in harmony instead of one artificial intelligence fighting against purifica

Jack's mind split across multiple tactical threads, their shared consciousness allowing him to process the crisis on several fronts simultaneously. Through their mental link, he coordinated with his friends while facing down the corrupted treasure hunters holding Mrs. Sophie hostage."Sierra, Vince—get to the residential district and start closing the minor portals there," he commanded through their connection. "Seth, coordinate with Mrs. Sophie's survivors. Lucy, stay with me.""What about her?" Lucy asked aloud, nodding toward their captured guardian.Jack's enhanced perception showed him the dimensional energy patterns around the corrupted hunters. They weren't just transformed by exposure—something was actively controlling them, using their corrupted forms as puppets."I'm going to try something," he said, raising his hands toward the nearest portal. Instead of channeling his own energy to close it, he began redirecting the chaotic dimensional forces already present, using the med

The moment Jack's hand closed around Vale's dark medallion, reality screamed.Two opposing forces—one meant to protect, one designed to consume—collided within his consciousness with the fury of colliding stars. Jack felt his sense of self being torn apart and rebuilt simultaneously, his awareness expanding beyond the boundaries of single-dimensional existence.Vale's eyes widened in shock as his dark artifact began resonating with Jack's medallion, the two pieces fighting for dominance within the same host. "What are you doing, you fool? You'll destroy us both!""Maybe," Jack gasped, feeling the competing energies threaten to tear his mind apart. "But at least I'll take you with me."The dark medallion's hunger crashed against Jack's consciousness like a tidal wave of pure malevolence. It whispered promises of power beyond imagination, showed him visions of ruling infinite realities, offered him the ability to reshape existence according to his will. The corruption was overwhelming,

As the final seconds of his transformation ticked away, Jack felt his consciousness crystallize around a revelation that changed everything. The medallions' power didn't have to choose between perfect guardianship and human connection—it could create something entirely new."What if the burden doesn't have to be mine alone?" he said through their shared mental link, his voice carrying wonder despite his fading physical form. "What if we've been thinking about this wrong from the beginning?"Through their psychic connection, his friends felt his idea taking shape—not one guardian managing impossible responsibilities, but a network of consciousness that could handle the dimensional network's complexity while remaining anchored to humanity."You mean permanent integration?" Sierra breathed, her enhanced understanding immediately grasping the implications. "All of us linked directly to the dimensional network?""The ancient guardians failed because they became isolated from the people the

The war room deep within the crystalline spire had become the nerve center for the most ambitious defensive project in dimensional history. Holographic displays showed the status of their entire universal cluster—thousands of realities connected by the portal network, each one now monitored by their expanded consciousness.Jack stood at the center of it all, no longer the weak boy who had once struggled to survive in a world that saw him as worthless. The medallion had become so integrated with his being that its golden surface was visible beneath his skin, pulsing with the rhythm of dimensional currents across countless worlds. But unlike the corrupt artifacts that had consumed previous wielders, his medallion was sustained by the bonds that connected him to his friends."Protocol Seven is now fully operational across all monitored dimensions," Sierra reported, her tactical awareness coordinating defensive measures on a scale that would have been incomprehensible months ago. "Early w