The following morning, a storm hung low over the Spire.
Ion led Luma and the others to the Hall of Analysis, a subterranean vault carved beneath the Spire. This was where ancient tools were housed—where physics met philosophy and theory forged into understanding.
Kira walked beside them, arms full of scrolls. Nico clutched a half-cracked tuning fork, his latest obsession. Leo was silent, fists clenched. Miles—still calm, still watching.
"This is where you'll begin understanding what happened," Ion said, pressing his hand against a crystal panel. A hum vibrated through the corridor, and the metal doors slid open in response to the frequency.
Luma flinched slightly.
"Everything responds to frequency," Ion said. "Even these doors. Sound, light, magnetism—they're all waves. Different forms of energy… carried across space."
Inside the Hall, glowing models of waveforms floated above their heads. Coils hummed. Mirrors spun slowly in vacuum tubes. Luma's eyes widened in awe.
"Today, we talk about electromagnetic waves," Ion said.
Kira stepped forward. "Light is one. So is radio. Gamma rays. Infrared. They all travel through space, through air—even through you."
Nico raised a hand. "So… the Masters used waves to do what they did? Like sound and light mixed?"
Ion nodded. "More than that. They amplified and modulated them—likely using resonance and feedback loops. Luma, remember when your gauntlet sparked? That was interference—energy stacking."
He turned to the projection of the coliseum, recreated in 3D light. The moment of the blast shimmered like a frozen memory.
"They created a destructive resonance field. A perfect mix of vibrational patterns—like tuning forks shaking a structure until it breaks."
"But why?" Leo asked, voice low.
"Because chaos opens doors," Miles said quietly. Too quietly.
Only Luma seemed to catch it, a flicker in her eyes.
Later, Kira walked with Luma alone. They sat beneath the hanging crystal lamps of the Bridgewalk Garden, the faint buzz of energy flowing beneath them.
"Do you think they'll try again?" Luma asked.
Kira looked up. "The Masters of Entropy thrive on disruption. They want balance to break. The Bridge of Laws isn't just a structure—it's a symbol. And if that breaks…"
Luma shivered. "What is the Bridge, really?"
"It's a convergence point," Kira said. "Where theories and truth meet. Physics isn't just numbers—it's understanding. The Bridge contains models of the universe—from Newton's motion to quantum fluctuations. You'll need to master these if you want to stand against entropy."
Luma's voice hardened. "Then I will."
Back in the Hall of Analysis, Ion stood alone, staring at a faint energy signature in the display. A distortion that hadn't been there before.
A pulse—faint, rhythmic. Coming from deep beneath the Spire. The same pattern Saren once used to cloak his presence.
Ion's eyes narrowed.
The Masters weren't done.