Jack sat on the throne of Floor Twenty-Five, the cool stone offering a final anchor to the physical world before he departed for a realm that existed beyond normal reality.
The Dark Prism Crystal rested in his palm.
It was small, roughly the size of his thumbnail.
Black as obsidian but with an internal structure that caught light in ways glass never could. Faceted surfaces that seemed to shift and realign depending on the angle, creating patterns that his eyes couldn't quite track.
The System notification had been clear about the requirement.
[Dark Prism Crystal from Umbral Lotus required inside your body for astral projection to the Warden Realm]
Jack examined the crystal for another moment, turning it between his fingers as he considered the mechanics. How exactly did one get a crystal safely inside their body?
Swallow it like a pill and hope it didn't tear something vital on the way down?
Cut himself open and insert it surgically?
