explanation

Gray and Hugh enter the study where Hugh has been studying the different properties of color. Gray sits on a chair while Hugh stands.

"Do you remember when we read the story about the Rainbow Unicorn?", says Hugh.

"I do. You said that its mane shimmers. I don't understand what that means.", says Gray.

Hugh sighs and sits down next to him:"It means that it shines with all colors at once. It is... incredibly beautiful. "And I'm so sorry that I can't show it to you. But, son, you see something that I don't see. You see the world... for real."

"Imagine that the whole world is a huge battery. And the light that comes from it is its power. This power can be different. Just like soup can be hot or cold, salty or sweet. So can light," says Hugh.

" Hugh takes a dull, gray stone from a shelf: "This stone has almost no power. It is... asleep." Then Hugh takes a vial of bright red pigment (to Gray, just a vial of glowing substance): "And this... is like fire. A very strong and hot power. Sometimes dangerous."

"And what am I, then? I don't see this "power," Gray says.

"You're not seeing power, but... the bones of the world. Its basis. You see what everything is made of when all that bright power is gone. How do you see the frame of a house when the beautiful paneling is removed from it," says Hugh.

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"And the other people? Do they all see the power?" says Hugh.

"Most of them do. They are called Chromatics. They... Sometimes they are afraid of those who see differently. They think that if you don't see the power, then you are weak. But this is not the case.", says Hugh

Hugh goes down to the level of Gray's eyes:"There are others like you. They are called Monochromas, or Grey. They, like you, see the basis of the world. Some became hunters because they see the beast in the grass not by color, but by the movement of the shadow. Others became masters because they feel the slightest unevenness on wood or stone."

"Why aren't you like me?" says Gray.

Hugh's voice breaks:"Because my job... my life... is to study this power. I'm trying to understand it so that... so that one day..." He doesn't finish the sentence.

"And Uncle Vivan? Is he studying power too?", says Gray.

Hugh's face darkens:"Yes... but he and I see it differently. Uncle Vivan thinks 'power' is the only thing that matters. He thinks the foundation of the world should be... removed so that power can have more room. He doesn't understand that without a strong frame, the most beautiful house will collapse."

After a pause, Gray picks up his drawing:"Look, Dad. There's a crack on the trunk of the tree. And here, under the window, a mouse has dug a hole, the ground is loose. And this is not just a shadow, it is a dense crown, it is swaying in the wind."

Hugh looks at the drawing and suddenly really sees it. He sees not the lack of color, but the incredible depth of detail that he himself had never noticed.

"It's... beautiful, Gray.", says Hugh.

Hugh embraces his son:"Remember, your way of seeing the world is not a mistake. It is a gift. And it can be very, very useful. And I'll always be here to help you understand it."