The days following the attack and Kael's latest, most personal Bedel settled into a strained routine. Captain had made his position clear: Kael would not be cast out, but his terrifying potential and devastating cost would now be actively studied. This decision, born of grim necessity, added another layer of tension to the sanctuary's already fragile existence.
Captain dedicated a specific time each day, or every other day depending on the sanctuary's more immediate needs, to the "observations." These took place in the lower chamber that had been used for the water test – a secure, isolated space away from the fearful eyes of most survivors. Elara was always present, her role solidified as Kael's primary caretaker and the bridge between Captain's pragmatic investigation and Kael's fragmented world.
Kael still struggled with the void of physical sensation and the blankness where Captain's face should be. He would enter the observation chamber relying entirely on Elara's gentle guidance, her voice a constant anchor. Seeing Captain was still disorienting; he knew who he was, heard his voice, but the lack of visual recognition was a constant, unsettling reminder of the Bedel's power.
Captain approached these sessions with a grim, focused intensity. He wasn't looking for a quick fix or a miracle. He was looking for data, for patterns. He brought salvaged devices – meters that measured faint energy fluctuations, sensors that reacted to the pervasive grey of The Void. He combined this salvaged technology with Elara's growing knowledge of old legends and her keen observations of Kael.
"Can you feel Vispera now?" Captain would ask, his voice low, watching Kael intently.
Kael would try to focus past the voids, past the numbness. He could always feel Vispera's warmth, a faint, sad presence. He would nod, or whisper, "Warmth... here..." touching his chest.
Captain would then activate a sensor designed to react to The Void's energy. The salvaged device would hum faintly. "Can you feel that?" Captain would ask, pointing to the device. "Does Vispera react to it?"
Kael would focus again, trying to discern Vispera's reaction, trying to articulate a feeling that existed outside the sensory void. It was difficult, frustrating. He could sense Vispera subtly shift, a change in her warmth, a feeling of "Wrong... push..." when near the Void sensor. He would describe this as best he could, relying on simple words and gestures.
Elara would translate, interpret, adding her own observations. "He seems to sense the Void's energy through Vispera, Captain. It's like she reacts to it, and he feels her reaction." She would refer to her notes on the 'Balance' legend, trying to fit Kael's experience into the framework of light reacting to shadow.
Captain documented everything meticulously – Kael's responses, the device readings, the exact stimuli used. He watched for any involuntary flicker of light, any shift in Kael's Bedel symptoms during these sessions. Gus, though not allowed in the chamber, watched from a distance, his face dark with suspicion and fear.
The sessions were exhausting for Kael, leaving him drained and disoriented. The effort of focusing, of trying to articulate feelings and sensations that were partially stolen, was immense. The risk of triggering a new Bedel was ever-present. Captain pushed him, but cautiously, always aware of the fragile line he walked.
Elara stayed with Kael afterward, helping him recover, patiently repeating names and basic concepts the Bedel had stolen. Her belief in understanding, in finding a solution, was the driving force behind their participation in these tense observations.
These were the first steps in a desperate, dangerous journey. Trying to train or understand a power that consumed its wielder, in a world consumed by shadow. Kael was no longer just surviving; he was an experiment. His potential was being probed, his Bedel documented, in the desperate hope that understanding might lead to control, that the Debt of Light might one day become manageable.
The chapter ends with the formal beginning of Captain's scientific/pragmatic investigation into Kael's power and the Bedel, with Elara as the crucial link, establishing a new, dangerous routine for Kael within the sanctuary focused on understanding his abilities at great risk.