The silence after getting rid of that Blight was intense. It wasn't like the empty quiet I knew before, but a deep, echoing stillness, like the world holding its breath after a storm. The steady hum of the Umber Chroma filled the space where that awful screeching had been. It was a low, grateful thrum you could feel in your bones.
I was still slumped against the cliff, shaking from exhaustion that felt deeper than just being tired. It was soul-deep, like fighting a war in some place I didn't even know existed. My head pounded with my heartbeat.
Lyra didn't say anything for a while. She just stood there, her purple eyes scanning the now-still scar on the mountain, and I couldn't read her expression. Finally, she knelt beside me, and held out a water skin.
Drink. Slowly, she said, her voice softer than usual.
The water was so cold and clean, washing away the gross taste of fear and sweat. I drank it down, just focusing on something simple and real.
What... what was that? I managed, my voice scratchy.
That was you using what you were born to do, Kaelen, she replied, staring right at me. Not just dealing with a curse, but making a choice. You used your neutrality like a surgeon's tool. You didn't just break rock; you got rid of what was making it sick.
I feel... empty.
Using Chroma, even to stop it, takes power. You pulled from your own reserves. You'll get it back. She put a hand on the rock near the scar. The mountain's grateful. Can you feel it?
I closed my eyes, ignoring my pounding head. I focused on feeling the vibrations under my hands. That deep, steady hum was still there, but now it felt... cleaner, stronger. It felt warm, almost like gratitude. It was more of a feeling than a sound, like the Chroma was leaving an emotional mark.
I think so, I whispered, amazed. It feels... peaceful.
That's what a Scribe really does, Lyra said, holding out a hand to help me up. My legs were shaky, but they held. Not bossing around, but listening and fixing things. Keeping things in balance. The Prime Chroma wants to force just one, loud, awful note on everything. We make sure every instrument gets to play its part right.
Her words sounded big, but actually doing it felt scary and personal. It was just me and that screaming emptiness, and me just wanting it to be quiet.
We can't stay here, Lyra said, looking at the peaks. Getting rid of a Blight, even a little one, sends out energy. Others will notice it. We need to get to the Nexus before dark.
Hearing about the Nexus made me feel excited and nervous, on top of being exhausted. That's where the world's song is strongest. It sounded both amazing and scary.
The rest of the walk was just a painful blur. We left that dangerous ledge and started down into a valley hidden among the spiky peaks. The air felt thicker, better, and everything around me seemed to buzz stronger. The Chroma wasn't just there, it was loud. I could feel the sharp, clean vibration in the air (Zephyr), the slow, deep pulse from the roots of the mountains (Umber), and a fresh, lively hum from the tough grass and twisted trees (Viridian, Lyra called it; the color of growing things).
It was too much. After always living in a quiet world, being in a place with so much raw Chroma felt like everyone was yelling at me. I cringed at how strong it was, and my head started hurting.
Breathe through it, Lyra told me, seeing I was uncomfortable. Don't try to block it out. That's how you used to do things. Just let yourself feel it. Try to figure out what it is. The hum of the Viridian from the grass. The whisper of Zephyr over that ridge. The strong Umber under you. Notice each one, then let it go. You're just listening to the music, not an instrument.
I tried. It hurt so much. I just wanted to hide, to put up those walls I'd had my whole life. To make it all go away and go back to just grey. But I remembered how I felt after getting rid of the Blight, and how grateful the mountain was. So I breathed in, and tried to just notice the feeling without getting caught up in it.
Viridian. Life. Growth. Zephyr. Change. Air. Umber. Stability. Foundation.
Slowly, the mess of sounds started to become separate. It was still loud and strong, but not just a crazy attack. It was like a complex, woven design of energy. I was starting to hear the different instruments in the music.
As the sky turned silver and dark grey, Lyra led me to a rock wall covered in thick, moss with lots of Viridian energy.
We're here, she said.
I looked at the solid rock. Here? It's just a cliff.
She almost smiled. It's about how you see things, Kaelen. You're still looking at things like a kid from Oakhaven. See it like a Scribe would.
I closed my eyes, trying to feel what was there. The Umber of the cliff was strongest, a deep song. But there was something else. A thin, tiny crack in the Chroma, where the Umber's song wasn't as strong. It felt like... a veil.
There, I said, pointing to a spot that looked just like the rest of the rock. The song is different there.
Lyra smiled bigger. Great. That's the ward. It's Violet Chroma – wanting to protect something – made to trick your eyes and your mind. She walked up to the spot and put her hand flat on the rock. Her eyes glowed purple, and the air around her hand shimmered. The vibration I felt got stronger, and then the rock itself seemed to ripple, like water.
There was no stone anymore, just a narrow, dark opening. It had really strong, old energy flowing out from the darkness; so much that the air in the valley felt thin.
This is the Nexus, Lyra said, sounding serious. The Heartstone Cavern. Come on.
She stepped through the opening, and after a second, I went after her.
The world vanished.
The cave wasn't dark. It was filled with soft, glowing light coming from the walls, the floor, and even the air. And for the first time in my life, my Stain... faded.
Color. Not the steady, protected color around Lyra, but raw, overwhelming color.
The cavern was huge, and the ceiling was lost in a glowing mist. The walls weren't grey, but a swirling, living picture of blues, reds, browns, and greens that pulsed with light. Crystals grew from the floor and ceiling, glowing with every color you could think of. There was a small, calm pool in the middle that shone with blue light. Even the air was filled with glowing bits, like friendly, colorful fireflies.
I dropped to my knees, choking back a sob. It was too much, but it didn't hurt. It was... beautiful. So beautiful and awful that it felt like my heart was breaking. I could see it. I could really see it.
Lyra stood by me, now looking like she belonged with all the colors. She wasn't just a pale island in a grey world anymore. She let me cry, understanding that something was changing inside me.
After a while, I wasn't crying anymore, just shaky. I looked around, just taking it all in. I could still feel each Chroma, but they weren't separate; they were one, amazing chord, in perfect harmony. The Umber was here, but mixed with the blue Cerulean of the pool, the green Viridian of the moss, and the red Crimson of some crystal in the wall.
It's... I couldn't say anything.
This is what the world's supposed to be like, Lyra said softly. Where the Chroma flows pure. Your power doesn't work here because it's all power. It's the source. You can't silence the choir when you're standing right in front of it.
I looked at my hands. They weren't pale and grey. They looked healthy, warm. My clothes were a soft blue. I was seeing myself, really, for the first time.
Why? I finally asked, feeling years of pain. Why was I born like this? Why did I have to live in grey if... if this is real?
Lyra looked serious. I don't know everything, Kaelen. Scribes are complicated. Some are born where there's lots of power. Others, like you, are born in quieter places, maybe for balance. Maybe you're like that because of the Prime Chroma getting stronger; like the world made you to push back. Or maybe it's just random. But you didn't hurt for no reason. You learned to hear the quiet. You know how great the song is because you had to live without it.
Her words helped, but also felt heavy. My whole life, being lonely, everything bad – was it just training? Was I just some tool made by destiny?
Now, she said, sounding like a teacher again. The real work starts. You've felt the Chroma. Now, you have to learn to do more than just hear it or stop it. You need to connect with it.
She took me to the edge of the blue pool. Sit.
I sat down, with my legs crossed, on the smooth, warm stone. The pool made blue patterns on my skin.
I want you to look at the water. Feel the Chroma here. The Cerulean of the pool – for feelings, going with the flow, and understanding things without being told. Don't push it away. Don't just listen to it. I want you to... invite it.
How? I asked, really scared. I'd always tried to keep things out.
Drop your walls, she said. You've spent your life putting up blocks against the world's song. That's why you see grey. Your power isn't something you see through; it's a shield. I want you to imagine dropping that shield. Just a little. Not to let the song in – it's already here – but to let yourself feel it.
I breathed in, shaking. On purpose letting down my guard sounded as scary as jumping off that cliff. My Stain was awful, but it was me. It was all I knew.
I closed my eyes, and tried to focus. Instead of a wall, I saw a shell. A weak, grey shell I'd been carrying since I was born. And I saw a crack forming in it, right over my heart.
It happened fast and hard.
I felt everything all at once. It wasn't just the deep hum of Umber or the clean sound of Zephyr. It was all of it. The strong emotions from the pool's Cerulean, the happy energy of the green Viridian moss, the steady pulse of the red Crimson crystal. It was happiness, sadness, patience, anger, growing, and dying. It was life, without anything taken out.
I cried out, bending over as all those feelings went through my body. It felt like I was disappearing in a sea of energy.
Focus! Lyra's voice cut through everything. You're the Scribe! You're in control! Don't let it destroy you. Guide it! Find just one thing!
Her voice helped me. I pulled myself back, looking for something to hold onto. I found the Umber - the familiar, steady foundation. I grabbed onto its deep song, and just focused on that.
The chaos died down, and the other Chromas faded. I just focused on the Umber, on how strong and steady it was. I wasn't pushing it away. I was... holding its hand. Just paying attention. Letting myself feel it.
Good, Lyra said, calmly. Now. Open your eyes.
I did. It was still a crazy amount of color. But I wasn't just watching. I could feel the connection. I looked at the red crystal in the wall, and I felt its strong, creative pulse. I looked at the green moss, and I felt its happy, determined joy.
I was part of the music. Not just listening.
Carefully, I reached my hand out to the blue pool. I only focused on the Umber, using it to stay grounded. I focused on the Cerulean Chroma of the water. I didn't try to change it. I just... felt its song. The way it flowed, the way it reflected light, the deep emotions it carried.
As I did, something amazing happened.
The water right in front of my hand rippled. Not from my hand, but because of what I wanted. The ripples pulled together, and for just a second, the blue water swirled up, making the perfect, glowing shape of a lily flower. Then, it fell back into the pool with a soft, musical sound.
I stared, unable to breathe. I did that. Not by stopping, but by connecting.
I looked at Lyra, my eyes wide.
She was watching me, looking really happy. See? You're not empty, Kaelen. You're how things connect. A Scribe doesn't just stop the song. He can start a new page, and help make the next note.
I looked back at the pool, at the fading ripples. I wasn't tired anymore, just amazed. The grey prince wasn't here anymore.
Instead, there was a Scribe, who had just written his first word.