The revelation that Kael's very essence, the cost of his power, might be drawing the Void hunters intensified the race against time. Elara's research became even more desperate, a frantic search through fragmented lore for any mention of concealing oneself from such a specific, insidious form of detection. The engineers toiled, but reinforcing against the 'seeker's' corrosive ability felt like trying to catch mist with a sieve.
Elara found disturbing parallels in some texts – accounts of old world psychic abilities that could be 'tracked' across distances, and methods used to shield minds from unwanted probes. Some involved mental discipline, focusing the will. Others hinted at more esoteric practices, aligning one's internal 'resonance' with the ambient field, effectively becoming invisible to those who sought specific, strong signals.
One particular passage, barely legible, spoke of 'becoming the grey' – not through corruption, but through utter stillness of the internal landscape, a complete suppression of all strong emotional or psychic resonance. It was a dangerous concept, bordering on becoming inert, but it suggested a theoretical method of concealment from entities that hunted 'resonance'.
"Utter stillness... suppressing everything..." Elara murmured, rubbing her tired eyes. It sounded impossible, especially for an 8-year-old child whose very existence was a defiance of the grey. But the alternative was to remain a beacon.
Kael, in his guarded room, tried to understand. Captain's words echoed – his light helps them find him. The 'seeker' had felt him. "Found! Light! Here!" The feeling of 'Danger. My Light. Bad.' gnawed at him.
He held the smooth stone, trying Elara's earlier warding exercise. Focus on the stone, on Vispera's warmth. Try to "Hold. Fast. Here." But now, his focus was tinged with fear, with the desperate wish not to be seen, not to be found.
He tried focusing on the absence of feeling, inspired by Elara's mention of 'stillness' in her brief visits. He tried to make his internal world quiet, to dampen the vibrant, terrifying pulse of Vispera that seemed to scream his location to the Void.
It was incredibly difficult. His emotions were a riot of fear, helplessness, and the lingering trauma of the Bedel. Vispera was his essence, a constant internal light he couldn't simply extinguish. But he focused, trying to push everything down, to become... grey within.
He felt his sensing shift. The usual chaos of the sanctuary's emotions, the background hum of fear and resilience, seemed to fade slightly as he focused on internal stillness. But Vispera remained, a persistent, warm core. He couldn't make it grey.
Down in the lower levels, Gus felt the change in the sanctuary's 'signal'. It wasn't just thinning fear; it was something else. A new layer of anxiety, yes, but also a sharp, almost desperate focus from the command levels. And underlying it, a strange, forced stillness radiating from one specific point – Kael's location.
He didn't know the details, but he knew Kael was involved, and he sensed the Void's renewed interest. He smiled in the darkness of his cell. Good. Let them chase the child. Let their focus be divided. The more chaos, the more fear, the more opportunity for him. His own plans, subtle whispers through his dwindling sympathizers, continued. The targeted hunt for Kael, though not orchestrated by him, served his purposes perfectly.
The sanctuary's internal battle was now entwined with the external hunt. They were trying to protect their beacon by making it less visible, while the beacon itself wrestled with the terrifying paradox of its own existence.
The chapter ends with Elara's research exploring desperate concealment methods like 'becoming the grey' and Kael attempting to use his sensing/wards to suppress his presence. Gus senses Kael's attempts at stillness and the renewed Void interest, seeing it as an opportunity. The chapter highlights the escalating psychological and existential struggle related to Kael being targeted and the intertwined nature of the internal and external conflicts.