The murmuring around the ridge continued long after the resonance stone had collapsed into powder.
Miners stood in small groups, speaking quietly among themselves while casting uncertain glances toward the ceramic platform where the stone had once rested. The fine gray dust now gathered in a small container beside Dr. Solen, who handled it with careful precision.
No one seemed entirely sure what they had just witnessed.
Darius, however, looked unimpressed.
The academy student stood with his arms folded across his chest, his gaze fixed on the empty platform.
"The stone malfunctioned," he said flatly. "It happens."
A few of the miners nodded uncertainly. That explanation seemed easier to accept than whatever had actually occurred.
Professor Halvek did not immediately respond.
Instead, he watched quietly as Dr. Solen sealed the container and placed it back inside her instrument case.
Only when the case was closed did he speak.
"Malfunction?" Halvek repeated thoughtfully.
Darius shrugged.
"It didn't spin. It didn't vibrate. It fell apart." He gestured toward the platform. "Seems pretty straightforward."
Halvek regarded the young man calmly.
"That is one interpretation."
Aria Valen stood a short distance away, her arms loosely folded behind her back. Unlike Darius, she had not taken her eyes off Kael since the stone collapsed.
"It didn't look like a malfunction," she said quietly.
Darius turned toward her.
"What else would it be?"
Aria did not answer.
Instead, she studied Kael for another moment before turning her attention back toward the professor.
Halvek brushed a final trace of dust from the ceramic cradle before standing upright.
Then he turned toward Garrick.
"May I speak with you for a moment?"
Garrick nodded immediately.
"Of course."
The two men stepped a short distance away from the others, moving toward the edge of the ridge where the wind carried the scent of crushed stone and distant mineral dust from the mining terraces.
Kael remained near the group of miners, trying his best to appear uninterested.
But the quiet whisper of the earth beneath his feet carried their voices clearly enough.
Halvek spoke first.
"Your son has an unusual resonance."
Garrick let out a short breath.
"That so?"
The professor clasped his hands behind his back as he looked across the ridge.
"I have overseen resonance testing for many years," Halvek continued. "The result we witnessed today is… irregular."
Garrick scratched his beard thoughtfully.
"He's never shown any kind of elemental control before."
"That may be," Halvek replied calmly. "But the test suggests potential."
Garrick gave a small laugh.
"Well, potential or not, the academy's not something we can afford."
Halvek glanced at him.
"Oh?"
"We're miners," Garrick said simply.
He gestured toward the surrounding ridge where the rough wooden structures of the camp clung to the rocky slope.
"Humble ones at that."
A few workers passed nearby carrying tools and drilling equipment, their boots crunching against loose gravel.
"Crystal veins keep the camp running," Garrick continued. "But they don't make anyone rich."
Halvek nodded slowly.
"I see."
Garrick looked back toward the group where Kael stood near the miners.
"My boy's grown up here," he said. "Working the tunnels since he was old enough to carry a drill."
Halvek followed his gaze.
Kael stood quietly among the workers, his dark hair stirring slightly in the wind as he watched the academy students from a distance.
Darius was speaking animatedly to one of the miners now, clearly explaining something about resonance theory with more confidence than tact.
Aria stood nearby, though her attention seemed divided between the conversation and Kael himself.
Halvek turned back to Garrick.
"In that case," the professor said calmly, "the academy will cover the cost."
Garrick blinked.
"Cover it?"
"A full scholarship."
For a moment Garrick simply stared at him.
"You're serious."
Halvek nodded.
"Completely."
Garrick rubbed the back of his neck, clearly unsure what to say.
"Why?"
Halvek smiled faintly.
"Curiosity."
Garrick gave a quiet snort.
"That's an expensive curiosity."
"Perhaps," Halvek replied. "But the academy has an interest in identifying unusual potential."
Garrick was silent for a moment.
His gaze drifted once again toward his son.
Kael stood with the miners, but he seemed slightly apart from them now.
Not fully one of them.
Not yet anything else.
"He's never even left this ridge," Garrick said quietly.
Halvek glanced toward the distant mining terraces stretching across the mountainside.
"Then perhaps it is time he did."
Garrick sighed.
"That academy of yours… what exactly does it teach?"
Halvek smiled slightly.
"Among other things," he said, "how to listen to the earth."
Garrick chuckled at that.
"Well," he said, "he'd better be good at listening. That boy's never been much for talking."
Halvek's eyes returned to Kael.
"Yes," the professor said quietly.
"I suspect he listens very well."
Garrick folded his arms.
"And if he goes?"
"Then he will train."
Halvek's voice remained calm and steady.
"He will learn control. Discipline. Understanding."
Garrick shook his head slowly.
"All that from a rock spinning test."
Halvek glanced briefly toward the sealed shaft further along the ridge, where the slabs now sat firmly wedged back into place.
"I believe the test revealed rather more than that."
Garrick exhaled through his nose.
"Well," he said finally, "that decision won't be mine to make."
Halvek raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
Garrick nodded toward the ridge where Kael stood.
"If the academy wants him, you'll have to convince him."
Halvek followed his gaze.
Across the ridge, Aria was still watching Kael.
Darius stood beside her, speaking confidently to one of the miners while gesturing toward the ridge and the sealed collapse as if already imagining future excavations.
Halvek allowed himself a small smile.
"Yes," the professor said quietly.
"I imagine that will be the interesting part."