The Spire had an uneasy quiet that day.
The tension after Kaelen's abrupt departure lingered in the air like static, and every corridor seemed to echo with the hum of unseen forces. But despite the weight of it all, Luma couldn't help but crack a grin as she followed Ion through the lower halls of the Spire.
"Do you think he'll be back?" she asked, her voice bright with more curiosity than fear.
Ion glanced at her, his face serious but his eyes betraying a flicker of amusement. "Kaelen? Oh, he'll be back alright. He always is. But next time, we'll be ready."
Luma grinned. "Ready for a fight? I'm up for that. What did you say about frequencies? I might need to adjust my range."
Ion shot her a look, his expression softening. "Not the time for that. We need to focus on something more immediate. The resonance Kaelen was using is powerful, but it can't work without proper… structure. It needs a channel to flow through."
Luma raised an eyebrow. "A channel? Like a… river?"
"Exactly." Ion gave her an approving nod. "Think of it like this: You can't just throw a stone into a river and expect it to carry the stone with it. You need the right conditions. A river, a current. If the frequencies are off, they collapse into chaos. If the channel isn't right, it disrupts everything."
Luma furrowed her brow. "Like, if you wanted to throw a stone in a straight line, you'd need the water to be calm, right?"
"Exactly," Ion replied. "Physics is all about finding the right conditions."
Luma crossed her arms. "So I'm guessing that's where the fun part comes in. We get to play with chaos, right?"
Ion chuckled. "You're catching on faster than I thought. But let's take a detour first. You've been studying the basics of wave theory—now we're going deeper. Let's start with resonance frequency."
Luma stopped walking, her eyes narrowing in mock suspicion. "You're not going to throw me into a pool of water and see if I can swim, are you?"
Ion laughed, shaking his head. "I would, but we're not that cruel." He glanced around, ensuring no one was listening, before he continued. "Remember when I told you that everything has a frequency? Objects, air, even people?"
Luma nodded. "Yeah, everything vibrates. Got it. But… how do we control that?"
"Good question." Ion gestured to the large metal sphere sitting on a pedestal in the middle of the hall. "I want you to focus. This," he said with a grin, "is going to be your new best friend for the next hour. We're going to test the resonance frequency of this sphere. If you get it wrong, the whole building will shake."
Luma's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"
Ion smiled with the kind of enthusiasm only a mad scientist could have. "It's fine, Luma. Just don't break anything. That's why you've got to be precise with your calculation. Now, remember—resonance happens when a system vibrates in response to an external force. If we match the natural frequency of the sphere, it'll start vibrating with us."
Luma looked at the sphere, then back at Ion, who was already reaching into his bag. "You're sure we're not going to cause an earthquake, right?"
Ion's grin only widened. "Let's see if your calculations are good enough, eh?"
Luma got to work, her mind calculating the frequency needed to induce resonance. She could feel the energy pulsing in the air around them as she worked.
After a few attempts, she adjusted her calculations. Then, with a flick of her wrist, she activated the signal. The air hummed, and the sphere began to shake gently. It was working.
"Looks like you're getting the hang of it," Ion said, giving her a nod of approval.
But just as Luma was about to relax, something happened. The sphere started to wobble faster and faster, shaking violently in its cradle. The walls of the hallway seemed to tremble with the increasing vibrations.
Luma's eyes went wide. "Uhh… Ion?"
"Don't panic!" Ion shouted, rushing toward the pedestal. "You've matched the frequency, but you went too far! You're creating too much resonance!"
Luma quickly adjusted, but it was too late. The sphere crashed off its pedestal with a loud clang, rolling to the ground and sending a chain reaction of vibrations through the entire hall. The air filled with the sound of cracking stone and groaning metal.
Ion reached out and grabbed Luma, pulling her behind a column just as the ground trembled beneath them.
"See?" Ion said, voice tinged with humor despite the chaos. "I told you we'd shake things up a bit."
Luma let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "That… that was awesome!"
Ion raised an eyebrow. "I think it's safe to say that we've officially caused a minor seismic event. But I hope you learned something."
Luma chuckled. "Yeah, don't overdo it next time."
Ion grinned, inspecting the damage. "Not bad for a first attempt. But next time, we're going to teach you how to control the waveforms before you break everything in sight."
Later, in the Spire's study hall:
The damage was minimal, but the crew cleaning up gave Luma a long, disapproving look. But before she could do more than mutter an apology, the sound of footsteps interrupted her.
"Kira's looking for you," Ion said. "She's curious about your… resonance technique. We should go."
Luma looked at him, curious. "Kira? But I thought—"
Ion waved it off. "She's a librarian. She's always curious."
As they walked to the study hall, Luma couldn't help but feel the sense of growing anticipation. Physics was starting to become more than just lessons—it was something she could feel in her bones, in the very air. There was power in it, and she could use it.
When they reached the library, they found Kira busy reading through several books. She looked up when she saw them.
"You're doing well, Luma," Kira said with a smile. "I've seen your progress. Keep it up."
Luma smiled back, feeling more comfortable with the librarian's praise. But before she could respond, a shadow crossed the doorway.
"Miles," Ion greeted coolly. "How are things going with your project?"
Miles, standing in the doorway with his usual half-smile, gave a nonchalant shrug. "You know. Just observing." His tone was casual, but something in his eyes was different—distant, almost guarded.
Luma caught the shift in his demeanor. She had noticed it before but hadn't thought much of it. Now, though, it seemed more pronounced. She frowned slightly but said nothing.
As they continued talking, Luma felt a strange unease growing inside her. Miles had been acting odd lately—he seemed more distracted than usual. And those cryptic words—just observing—kept echoing in her mind. She didn't like the feeling.
But she shook it off for now. They were preparing for something bigger. The Masters were coming, and Luma was going to be ready.