chapter 16. The first step into silence

The night enveloped the city in a thick, velvety blanket. Not a single light was on in the house. They stood in the darkness of the workshop—Gray, Hugh, and Elina—like three ghosts preparing for the irreparable.

Elina was buttoning Gray's dark, worn cloak, her fingers were cold, but her movements were precise and fast.

"You're not a hero," she said softly but firmly, looking him straight in the eye. "You're a scout. Your task is to see and come back. No heroics. Understood?

Gray nodded, swallowing hard against the lump in his throat. His body was still aching from the effects of the day's training, and a premonition was pounding in his temples.

Hugh handed him a small bag.

—Recordings,— he whispered. — That's all I could remember about Vivan's protective spells. And... this. He thrust the smooth river stone on a leather cord into Gray's hand. — Anchor. Don't forget about him. If you feel like you're losing touch... pull on it. It will bring you back.

Gray squeezed the stone in his palm. He was cold and lifeless.

They went out the back door into a narrow, smelly alley. The air was humid and cold. Drunken voices were shouting somewhere in the distance, but here, in the depths of the block, there was an oppressive silence.

It took forever to reach the hill where the old observatory stood. They moved in shadows, taking advantage of the slightest cover. Hugh led the way, his tense back a beacon for Gray. Elina brought up the rear, her gaze constantly darting around the dark doorways and windows.

Finally, they saw her. The massive, gloomy observatory building, resting its dome against the starry sky. But it wasn't dark around him. There was a faint but poisonous glow coming from him—not light, but magical. To Gray, it looked like a swirling, sickly haze that distorted the outlines of the building.

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—Security perimeter,— Hugh hissed through clenched teeth, staggering back into the shadows. "I can feel it even from here." It... it doesn't just protect, it scans. Any living thing that crosses the line will be detected immediately.

They froze in helplessness, watching the deadly field. Their plan was crumbling before it had even begun.

And then Gray felt it. It was the tension he'd felt in the workshop that afternoon. But this time it's outside. Somewhere to the right, in the bushes at the very edge of the field, life began to stir. Then there was a muffled curse and a bright but brief flash of green as one of the guards standing in ambush tried to light a magic lantern and accidentally struck a spell.

This moment of chaos lasted less than a second.

But that was enough for Gray.

— Now! — he exhaled and, without thinking, without letting fear stop him, stepped forward.

He didn't just step in. He dived in. He dived into himself, into the abyss of silence that had almost swallowed him up during the day. He gripped the anchor stone in his hand and mentally turned that imaginary dimmer.

INSTANT DEAFNESS.

The world has not disappeared. He became... flat. The sounds became muffled, as if due to thick glass. The glow of the magic field faded, became blurry and indistinct, as if it was being looked at through a dense fog. His own body had ceased to exist. He was just a floating consciousness.

He took five steps towards the observatory. His legs felt like cotton wool, and he couldn't feel the ground under his feet.

Behind him, from the world of sounds, came a muffled exclamation of surprise—his father's voice. But it almost didn't matter anymore.

Gray raised his hand and slowly, as if through thick water, extended it towards the swirling wall of energy of the protective field.

His fingers touched hers.

Nothing happened.

No alarm. Not a flash. No screams from the guards.

He was nothing to her. Invisible. Imperceptible. A ghost.

He turned around to look at his parents. And all he saw were two pale, horrified masks staring at him out of the darkness. They saw their son disappearing into the night.

And then, from around the corner of the observatory, clear, measured footsteps were heard. The watch. He was coming straight at him.

Gray didn't have time to think. He did the only thing he could. He stepped inside the shimmering field, leaving his parents and the whole world on the other side of silence.