The light from the scholar's staff faded, leaving Mark and Lyra in a vast, domed chamber. The walls shimmered with equations, their symbols flowing like rivers of light—logarithms, matrices, and strange sigils Mark had never seen. In the center, a crystal sphere pulsed, its core a swirl of numbers that seemed to whisper secrets. The Heart of Numbers.
The scholar, his robe rippling with shifting digits, stood before it. "Two Scholars," he said, voice echoing like a bell. "Mark of Numina, bearer of the negative path. Lyra, keeper of the unspoken loss. Only one may claim the Heart and wield its power to reshape logic itself."
Mark's chest tightened. He glanced at Lyra, her face a mask, but her hand hovered near her Scholar's Seal, glowing faintly. "What's he mean, 'one destiny'?" Mark asked, voice low.
Lyra's eyes didn't leave the scholar. "It means the Tower's a liar. It promises power but always takes more." Her voice cracked, just for a moment. "Like it took my brother."
The scholar raised his staff, and the Heart pulsed, projecting a problem in golden light:
Solve for x: log₂(x) = 3
Mark's mind steadied. Logarithms were new to him, but he'd overheard scholars in Numina's markets muttering about them—bases and powers. If log₂(x) = 3, then x = 2³ = 8.
"Eight," he said.
The Heart flared, and a stream of Numen—bright, electric—flowed into his Seal. It felt like fire and wind, lifting him an inch off the ground. Lyra stepped forward, her own Seal glowing. "My turn," she said, voice sharp.
The scholar nodded, and a new problem appeared:
Solve for x: log₅(25) = x
Lyra didn't hesitate. "Two," she said. "Because 5² = 25."
The Heart pulsed again, Numen surging into her Seal. The scholar's eyes gleamed. "Equal in skill. But the Heart demands more than answers. It demands choice. One of you must yield—or face the Trial of Duality."
Mark's stomach twisted. "Yield what?"
The scholar's staff tapped the floor, and the chamber shook. Two pedestals rose, each with an equation:
Mark's: x² + 2x – 8 = 0
Lyra's: 3x – 9 = 0
"Solve," the scholar said. "But know this: only one may claim the Heart. The other will lose their Seal—and their place in Numina."
Lyra's face paled. Mark's hand tightened around his chalk. He factored his quadratic: (x + 4)(x – 2) = 0, so x = -4 or x = 2. The negative path called to him again, echoing his choice in the Obsidian Arch. "Negative four," he said.
Lyra solved hers in a breath: 3x = 9, so x = 3. "Three," she said, her voice steady but her eyes locked on Mark.
The Heart blazed, and the scholar raised his staff. "Choose now. One steps forward. The other steps back."
Mark's heart pounded. Lyra's words about her brother echoed—the Tower took him. He couldn't let her lose everything. But the Heart… it was his chance to change Numina, to prove a kid from the outskirts could matter. He stepped forward.
Lyra's eyes widened. "Mark, don't—"
The chamber exploded in light.