Training with Kaelen in the Nexus chamber was unlike anything Tayo had ever experienced in the House of Solaris. There were no textbooks, no elegant diagrams, no refined energy flows. Here, in the heart of the wild energy, learning was about feeling, about connection.
Kaelen began not with grand movements, but with stillness. He taught Tayo to sit in the center of the chamber, close to the shimmering energy pool, and simply listen. "The Nexus sings," Kaelen would whisper, his voice rough but patient. "Not with sounds your ears can hear, but with vibrations the core of your being can understand. You must become one with its hum, allow its rhythm to become your own heartbeat."
At first, Tayo felt only the deep thrumming in the floor and the air, a physical vibration. But as days bled into nights in the hidden chamber, guided by Kaelen's silent presence and Lyra's quiet encouragement, something shifted. He started to feel the subtle currents within the energy pool, like vast rivers flowing beneath the earth. He felt the intricate, glowing lines on the walls resonate with these currents, and a vast, intricate network began to form in his mind.
Kaelen explained the consoles not as buttons to press, but as instruments to tune. "Each pattern, each symbol, is a frequency," he taught, tracing lines on the dark metal with a knowing finger. "They don't control the energy, young key. They guide it. They give it intention. Your intention."
He made Tayo practice for hours, not by moving the energy, but by thinking about moving it. Tayo would focus on a single glowing line, trying to feel its individual hum, then imagine its light brightening, dimming, or shifting color. It was exhausting work, a mental strain far beyond anything he'd known in his comfortable life. His head often ached, and sometimes he felt dizzy with the sheer power of the Nexus.
Lyra was an unexpected help during this time. While Kaelen focused solely on Tayo's connection to the Nexus, Lyra acted as his bridge to the outside world – or what was left of it. She brought them what few food supplies she could gather, careful not to draw attention. More importantly, she was an emotional anchor. When Tayo became frustrated or overwhelmed by the vastness of the energy, Lyra's quiet empathy and belief in him would bring him back.
One evening, as Tayo sat by the Nexus, focusing intently on a complex set of symbols, he felt it. A soft, clear ping, like a pure note struck on a hidden bell. It wasn't in his ears, but deep within his mind. He instinctively reached out, and a thread of his own wild energy, no longer chaotic but refined, seemed to reach back, meeting the energy of the Nexus. The symbols under his hand pulsed with a brighter, more controlled light.
Kaelen, who had been observing from a distance, slowly approached. A rare, genuine smile touched his lips. "Resonance," he murmured, his eyes gleaming. "You have found it, young key. The whispers have become clear. Now... we begin to speak to the world."
The next phase of training was more active. Kaelen had Tayo place his hands on the console, not just touching, but feeling the connection. He guided Tayo through the subtle pressure points, the mental intentions required to direct the wild energy. He spoke of the Nexus as a grand instrument, and Tayo as its conductor.
"Imagine a barren land," Kaelen instructed one day, his voice grave. "Feel the dust, the parched earth. Now, imagine life. Not just growth, but the essence of life, the vitality within the wild energy. Direct it. Speak to it."
Tayo closed his eyes. He pictured the desolate areas he'd seen beyond Aethelgard's pristine walls. He focused, channeling the immense, vital hum of the Nexus through his hands, through his intent. For a moment, nothing. Then, a single, flickering point of light appeared on one of the console's intricate patterns. It pulsed, then pulsed again, a vibrant green.
Kaelen nodded, a deep satisfaction in his eyes. "A seed of intention," he said. "A single whisper of healing directed by the key. We cannot see its effect from here, not yet. But it is felt. The world remembers the touch of balance."
Yet, even as Tayo's connection deepened, Lyra grew more restless. She still worried about the city. "How long can we stay hidden, Kaelen?" she asked one day, watching Tayo work. "They must be looking for him. If they sense even a whisper of this power..."
Kaelen's gaze hardened. "They are blind to true wildness, girl. Their 'controlled energy' makes them deaf. But you are right. Such an act as this... it will ripple. It will draw attention. Our time is limited. Soon, the living key will have to make a choice. To hide this power... or to reveal it, for all the world to see."
Tayo, feeling the immense flow of the Nexus within his hands, knew she was right. Every directed whisper, every surge of vital energy, was a gamble. He was learning to wield a power that could heal the world, but also shatter the fragile peace of Aethelgard. The whispers of the Nexus were growing louder, carrying a new kind of urgency: the time for secrets was drawing to a close.