How do Spectrums work? The most intense emotions of the heart are transformed into power, opening the possibility of evolution for humanity.
More than a thousand years ago, humans were forced to awaken their Spectrums. In decisive moments, when hope had run dry, the heart still kept beating—and that alone was enough for power to erupt.
Experiences forged the deepest emotions, but it was critical moments that caused those emotions to explode with overwhelming force.
Could humans become monsters because of that? Without a doubt. When a human lost control of their Spectrum, they became just another Aberration. Many stories like that were lost to the sands of time, but someone close to Nova had lived through something related to it.
That person was about to seal their fate…
The day after Nova fell into the portal, Viktor flew all night from Lightflower to Luminaris to deliver the news to Adelaide. He rode on Maia's back, staring into the void with a somber expression.
The cold morning wind brushed against his face. An icy feeling—the sense that a part of his family had shattered—flooded his chest.
The tall buildings of the city rose with splendor; the innocents of this broken world rested there, but this time, there was no glory in the view.
He landed in front of his older sister's house and silently stared at the window, bracing himself for what was to come. He climbed down from Maia's back, pulled a key from his pocket, and, with trembling hands, opened the metal door. Shaking, he stepped toward the threshold.
He knocked twice with his knuckles. Waited a few seconds. He heard his sister's voice answering from inside. Then, the door opened.
"Viktor?"
Adelaide looked surprised by the unexpected visit, but upon seeing the empty look on her brother's face, she quickly realized something was wrong.
"What? What happened?"
Viktor clenched his fist and lowered his gaze. He wanted to tell her everything that had happened, but his mouth wouldn't move, his voice wouldn't come out. His heart slammed violently against his chest, threatening to break his ribs.
"Viktor?" she said, raising her hand toward his face.
He instinctively turned away. At last, he managed to speak.
"I'm sorry, Ada…"
The woman didn't know what to say.
After a brief pause, his voice dark and broken, Viktor continued:
"Yesterday, at 12:34 p.m., during an incursion in the city of Lightflower, a Situational Portal opened at the foothills of the Calem mountain range. At 12:35 p.m., Nova Asmodai—twenty-one years old, a recognized Seventh-Level Empath in the support branch—was thrown into the portal by an unknown force. The portal closed moments later, preventing any rescue attempt. After that, Nova Asmodai disappeared forever on the other side."
What followed was a deathly silence.
After a few seconds, Adelaide finally reacted, her expression filled with concern.
"What are you saying, Viktor?"
Like any mother in that situation, she was confused. She looked at her brother as if she believed this was some kind of cruel joke—but when she heard his trembling voice and saw his lowered gaze, heavy with guilt and sorrow, she understood this was no stupid prank.
Viktor tried to speak.
"I'm sorry, Ada. I—"
Adelaide's broken, furious voice cut him off:
"No…"
She was in disbelief. This news made no sense.
"That's not true…"
Anger surfaced.
"You're lying, Viktor…"
Her voice, fractured, continued—
"The day before yesterday, my son was here. He said goodbye to me. He went to see his friends."
"Yes. I know," Viktor said.
Desperate, he struggled to contain his helplessness as he listened to his sister's shattered voice. With that same desperation, he imagined how horrifying it must have been for Nova to be trapped in another world.
Given how weak the boy was compared to other Empaths of his level, it was most likely that he had already been killed by some Aberration.
That thought—that terrible thought—was what sealed the moment.
Still refusing to accept such a sudden tragedy, she grabbed Viktor by the shoulders and forced him to look at her.
"Then why? Why hasn't my son come back? Why didn't you bring him back?"
When Viktor finally raised his head, his throat tightened at Adelaide's expression. She had always been a trusting woman; her gentle smile—tired, broken, yet hopeful—said everything about her and her life.
That forced Viktor to look away, wishing his words were a lie, but reality was far crueler than fantasy. Ada's reaction to her brother's helplessness plunged the family into an abyss from which there seemed to be no return.
Adelaide's weary smile faded, replaced by rising fury.
"Viktor… You promised."
She raised her voice, gripping Viktor's shoulders tightly.
"You promised you would protect him!"
She shook him, demanding an answer. Those words, like painful daggers piercing the soul, drove themselves into Viktor's mind. He couldn't respond. He simply stared into nothingness.
"No…"
Adelaide's anger turned into Grief.
"My son…"
Delicate tears crumbled down Ada's face. Her hands released the man. She took a step back, resting her back against the door. Then, she fell silent as the ground and the air grew cold and lonely.
"Get out of my house…"
Her voice, barely a whisper, pierced Viktor. That whisper exploded into a scream:
"Get out of my house! Get out!"
Viktor nodded without meeting Ada's eyes. He turned his back and walked away toward his draconic companion, but from a distance, he could still hear the sobs of his older sister.
Once outside, he silently looked at Maia, then turned his gaze back to the house where his nephew had grown up. Adelaide was no longer there. The door remained literally frozen, with a faint icy vapor drifting through the air.
"Maia…"
Viktor lifted his eyes to the sky.
"Am I doomed to watch my family fall apart again and again?"
There was no answer to that tragic question—only memories of the flames and the forest that had taken two of his loved ones…