The Annex room felt smaller, colder after the revelations in the Vault. Evan placed the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant carefully on the simple desk, its presence both a comfort and a stark reminder of the tangled web he now found himself in. Zander stood by the window, his gaze fixed on the distant spires of the Institute's main complex, his silence a deep well of support.
Evan's mind churned. Luna's accusations echoed relentlessly. Butcher of the Verdant Vale. Murderer. The words clashed violently with every memory of Yale Leaf: the gruff corrections during training, the rare, approving nod, the fierce protectiveness when bandits once threatened a nearby village. Could it all have been a facade? Or was Luna's pain twisting the truth? Zander's words offered a crucial anchor: Trust... but seek the full melody.
He needed answers. But Arcadia was weeks away, and his place at the Institute was precarious. Oliviera's hostility simmered, the scrutiny of the Council loomed, and Luna's vendetta was now a live wire crackling in the background. He couldn't leave. Not yet. His immediate path lay here, in mastering his power and navigating the Institute's treacherous currents.
A knock sounded on the door – sharp, precise. Before Evan could respond, it opened. Sharon stood there, her expression unreadable, holding a bundle of dark blue fabric.
"Evan," she stated, her voice cool and professional. "Your probationary status requires adherence to Institute regulations, including attire." She held out the bundle. "Apprentice robes. Blue trim denotes Zither Magic specialization." Her sharp eyes flickered to the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant on the desk, then back to Evan's face, assessing the lingering turmoil he couldn't fully hide. "Your schedule has been adjusted. Archmage Solan expects you in the Harmonic Resonance Laboratory in one hour for preliminary assessment of your 'Innocent Heart Core'. Do not be late."
She placed the robes on the small table near the door. "Regarding Luna Thorne," she continued, her tone hardening slightly. "Her accusations are under formal investigation by the Disciplinary Council and the Office of External Affairs. Until a verdict is reached, you are advised to avoid contact with her. Any further altercations will reflect poorly on your probation." Her gaze lingered, a silent warning. "Focus on your studies, Evan Young. The Institute offers knowledge. What you build with it... is your choice." With that, she turned and left, closing the door firmly behind her.
Evan picked up the robes. The fabric was smooth, high-quality wool, dyed a deep indigo with pale blue piping along the collar, cuffs, and hem – the mark of a Zither Magic apprentice. Donning them felt strange, like stepping into a new skin. He was no longer just Evan of the Emerald Canopy; he was Evan Young, Apprentice of the Milan Institute, a designation fraught with both opportunity and peril.
He glanced at Zander. "Will you come?"
Zander shook his head slowly. "The laboratory... wards dislike my resonance. I guard the path here." His gaze swept the small room and the quiet Annex courtyard beyond the window. "Learn. Grow strong."
Evan nodded. He strapped the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant carefully into its carrying case and headed out, the new robes feeling both constricting and empowering.
The Harmonic Resonance Laboratory was located in a newer wing dedicated to Theoretical and Experimental Magic. Unlike the ancient stones of the Starry Dome or the elemental halls, this area hummed with a different energy – the whir of intricate clockwork devices, the glow of complex crystal arrays, and the scent of ozone and charged aether. Archmage Solan awaited him in a large, circular chamber whose walls were lined with panels of shimmering crystal that pulsed with soft light. Strange instruments hummed and clicked on workbenches.
"Evan Young," Solan greeted him, his ancient eyes alight with keen interest. "Welcome. The events in the Aquamarine Hall and the Starry Dome were... unprecedented. Your 'Innocent Heart Core' presents a fascinating divergence from established magical paradigms. Today, we map its resonance." He gestured towards the center of the room, where a complex array of crystal lenses and humming copper coils focused on a central platform. "Place your instrument there. Play. The array will measure the harmonic output, the spiritual waveform, the interaction with ambient source energy."
Evan complied, setting up the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant. As his fingers touched the familiar strings, a wave of calm washed over him, pushing back the lingering anxiety about Luna and Yale Leaf. This was his anchor. This was his truth.
He began with 'Parting at Yang Guan', the melody that had first resonated within the Starry Dome. As the notes flowed, the crystal panels around the room flared to life. Instead of displaying simple mana wavelengths or elemental frequencies, they projected complex, three-dimensional patterns of interlocking light – shimmering fractals of crimson and cyan that pulsed and shifted in time with the music. Deep, resonant tones, below the range of human hearing, vibrated through the floor, causing the copper coils to hum in sympathetic harmony. The air itself seemed to thicken with palpable emotion.
Solan watched, utterly enthralled, muttering notes to an assistant who frantically scribbled on a floating crystal slate. "Fascinating... Bypasses the elemental lattice entirely... Direct interface with the Source Field... The emotional valence modulates the waveform intensity... The instrument acts as a focusing lens, not a generator..."
He had Evan play other pieces: the serene 'High Mountains, Flowing Water', the melancholic 'Autumn Moon Over the Han Palace', the driving rhythm of 'Ambush from Ten Sides'. Each melody produced unique, breathtaking light patterns and deep sonic resonances. The Crimson Rank power of the Heart Core was evident, but it was the purity and depth of the resonance, its ability to evoke and channel profound emotion directly into tangible power, that left Solan shaking his head in wonder.
"Remarkable," the Archmage breathed as Evan finished. "Your cultivation, Evan Young, is not merely unorthodox; it is a rediscovery of a primal path. A path the Founders themselves might have walked. It explains the Sigils' awakening. You resonate with the foundation of magic, not its surface manifestations." He looked at Evan with newfound respect. "The potential... for healing, for understanding, for wielding power with profound intent... is staggering. But," his expression grew serious, "it is also raw. Untamed. The power you unleashed in the Aquamarine Hall... it was uncontrolled. Dangerous."
Evan recalled the shattered dummy, the hole in the wall. "I was angry. Pressured."
"Precisely," Solan nodded. "Your power is intrinsically linked to your emotional and spiritual state. The purer and more focused your heart, the more profound and controlled the resonance. But strong negative emotions – rage, fear, hatred – could channel that same power into devastating, uncontrolled outbursts." He gestured towards the glowing crystal panels, now slowly dimming. "Mastery of the Sovereign of Strings requires not just technical skill, but mastery of the self. Your greatest strength is also your greatest vulnerability."
The words struck a deep chord. Luna's accusations, Oliviera's hostility, the shadow over Yale Leaf – they were all sources of discord, potential triggers for the volatile power Solan described. To master his art, to become worthy of the Sovereigns and the path laid before him, he needed inner peace. But how could he find peace when the foundations of his world were cracking?
As Evan left the laboratory, the weight of Solan's insight settled upon him. The path to power was inextricably linked to the path to truth. He needed to resolve the shadow of the Verdant Vale, not just for Luna, or for Yale Leaf, but for himself. For the stability of his own heart, and the control of the immense power resonating within it. The melody of his future depended on harmonizing the discordant notes of his past.