chapter 17.Heart of Darkness

The footsteps of the watch approached, steady, measured, inexorable. Gray didn't see them. He could feel them—the vibration of boots on stone slabs, the clang of a halberd on a belt buckle, heavy, calm breathing.

He didn't have a second. There was no choice.

He stepped inside.

The magical field of the guarded perimeter did not resist. It just didn't notice him. He passed through him like a ghost through a wall. To the system, he was a void, a hole in reality, unworthy of attention.

And then he panicked.

THE SUDDEN DEAFNESS was replaced by A DEAFENING ROAR.

His gift, compressed to a point in a state of "non-existence," collapsed with triple force. The world came crashing down on him in an avalanche of sensations. He heard everything: the creak of his own muscles, the beating of his heart somewhere in his throat, the whisper of the wind three hundred meters away, and most importantly - the HUM.

A low, powerful, haunting hum emanating from the observatory building itself. It vibrated in my bones and caused a dull ache in my teeth. It wasn't magic—it was bad weather, concentrated, inside-out energy that cut through his heightened senses like glass.

He was standing on a small courtyard. Directly in front of him was a massive arched entrance leading to the main hall. That was where the sickly light and hum came from.

The patrolman's footsteps stopped just on the other side of the energy field. A muffled voice was heard:

— ...it was just a vision. There's no one there.

— I told you, it was the cats. They're always poking around.

The footsteps retreated.

Gray took a step towards the archway and peered inside. What he saw made his blood run cold.

The central hall of the observatory was unrecognizable. The giant telescope had been moved aside, and in the center, under a dome, stood a monstrous structure made of polished dark metal and deathly gray crystals. It resembled an altar, a generator, and a cage.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Several people dressed as colorists were bustling around it. However, they did not glow. Their auras were dull and drained. They were carrying boxes filled with the same "hungry" gray fragments that Lyra had found in the trash.

And at the foot of the machine, leaning over the diagram, was he.

Master Vivan.

He wasn't what his father had described him as—not a fanatical mad scientist. He looked... focused. Calm. A surgeon preparing for a delicate operation. His white-gloved hands moved smoothly, making adjustments to the blueprint. It made the situation even more terrifying.

"The source is loading steadily," he said, his voice a quiet but distinct, cutting hum. "The Oblivion Reactor is reaching its designed capacity." By morning, he would be ready for field trials.

Field trials. The phrase sounded like a death knell.

Gray retreated into the shadows, pressing himself against the cold wall. His heart was pounding so loudly that he thought it would be heard across the room. He was inside. He had seen the enemy. And he was completely alone.

At the bottom of the hill, Hugh squeezed Elina's hand so hard that the bones cracked.

"He's inside," he whispered, and there was horror in his voice. — He passed. By the gods, he passed.

Elina did not answer. She was looking at the sinister glow of the observatory, and her face was as white as chalk.

—And now what?" Her voice cracked. "Are we just going to wait?"

"We don't have a choice," Hugh hissed through gritted teeth. "If we try to approach..."

He didn't finish his sentence. From the direction of the main road leading up the hill, a new sound emerged—the rhythmic stomping and grinding of wheels. They huddled against the rock, holding their breath.

A closed carriage pulled by two powerful horses appeared on the road. It was accompanied by six guards. But not ordinary guards. Their armor was darker, and their movements were synchronized and automatic. Vivan's elite squad.

The carriage stopped at the gate, before reaching the guard field. An officer stepped out of the cab.

“Cargo for Master Vivan!” He shouted in the direction of the observatory. “Special cargo for calibration!”

Another guard, on duty, stepped out of the shadows at the gate. He nodded and made a complex gesture with his hand. The guard field in front of the carriage shimmered and dissipated, creating a temporary passage.

At that moment, the wind carried a sound to Hugh and Eline from inside the wagon. Muted. Pitiable.

A child's wail.

Their eyes met in the darkness, filled with the same bone-chilling dread. "Field testing." "Special cargo."

Vivian wasn't just building a weapon. He'd already provided the target.