Chapter 86

The mess hall incident sent shockwaves through the sanctuary. The fragile veneer of unity was cracked, revealing the raw fear and mistrust that Gus had so effectively nurtured. Captain faced a crisis more immediate and perhaps more dangerous than any external manifestation – the fragmentation of his own people.

He addressed the sanctuary again, not with placating words, but with brutal honesty. He didn't hide the danger posed by the 'seeker' or the theory about Kael's resonance. He explained the necessity of the 'becoming the grey' training, the desperate gamble it represented. He acknowledged their fears but implored them to trust, reminding them of their shared purpose and the alternative – succumbing to fear and being consumed by the grey, from without or within.

His words were met with a mixed reaction. Some were swayed by his directness, remembering why they followed him. Others remained skeptical, their faces hard with doubt, the whispers of Gus's poison still echoing in their minds. The fault lines in the community were now openly visible.

Captain ordered increased security patrols, not just on the perimeter, but within the sanctuary itself. He knew he couldn't suppress doubt by force, but he could prevent open unrest and keep an eye on those most susceptible to Gus's influence. Finn and others known to have been manipulated by Gus were kept under closer watch.

He also had to make a decision about Kael's training. Stopping it meant leaving Kael a glaring target for the searching Void, risking a repeat of the Sector A breach, perhaps on a larger scale. Continuing it meant potentially breaking the child, alienating his people, and playing directly into Gus's hands.

"We have to continue," Captain told Elara, his voice heavy with the decision. "The external threat hasn't gone away. If anything, knowing we're trying to hide Kael might provoke the grey further. We need any advantage we can get. Just... monitor him constantly, Elara. If it's too much, tell me."

Elara nodded grimly, her own heart aching for Kael, but understanding the cold logic of survival. The training would continue, its cost potentially devastating.

Kael, sensing the lingering turmoil from the mess hall incident – waves of fear, anger, mistrust, but also pockets of weary loyalty towards Captain – felt the weight of it all. His Bedel of Helplessness shifted again. It wasn't just about his power or being a target; it was the feeling of 'Divide. Them. My Fault.' His existence, his very struggle for survival, was causing his protectors to turn on each other.

The practice of 'becoming the grey' felt heavier now, tinged with guilt. Every effort to dim his light felt like a betrayal of the people who needed it, even as it was meant to protect them from being found.

Down in the lower levels, Gus sensed the tension, the lingering fear, the clear division lines forming. Captain's direct address had blunted the immediate impact of the mess hall incident, but it hadn't healed the rift. Gus felt the subtle pockets of mistrust radiating throughout the sanctuary, confirming his poison was still active, still spreading.

The external grey's passive curiosity was a low hum in the background of Kael's sensing, a constant reminder that the hunt was merely paused, waiting. But the more immediate, painful struggle was the internal one, the battle for the sanctuary's soul, a battle Gus was winning, one whisper at a time.

The chapter ends with Captain trying to address the sanctuary's fragmentation after the mess hall incident, with limited success. He makes the difficult decision to continue Kael's risky training due to the ongoing external threat. Kael senses the internal division and feels it as 'Divide. Them. My Fault.', adding a new layer to his Bedel. Gus senses the lingering discord and confirms his influence is still active. The chapter highlights the deepening internal crisis and the heavy cost of survival strategies, setting the stage for further internal conflict alongside the external threat.