Root cause of the corruption

Meanwhile, in the silence of his quarters, Xander sat bolt upright in his bed, a sheen of sweat covering his brow, his breathing heavy and erratic. The darkness of the monk's quarters seemed to press in on him, the echoes of his dream still vivid in his mind. It was then that Erik and Atheria, having noticed the light under his door, walked into the room, concern etched on their faces.

"Erik, Atheria," Xander gasped, trying to regain his composure. "I... I had a dream. It was so vivid, so real."

Atheria moved closer, her brow furrowed in worry. "You're sweating buckets. What did you dream about?"

Leaning against the doorframe, Erik added, "Yeah, mate, you look like you've just run a marathon. Must have been some dream."

Xander wiped his forehead, the images from his dream still swirling in his head. "It was more like a nightmare. I saw a giant golden statue, towering over a crowd of people. There was... there was so much tension, fear. The statue was about to fall, and everyone was pa