_*]:min-w-0 !gap-3.5">Alexander flipped through the book that had appeared in his personal library overnight, running his finger down a complex diagram of sound wave patterns.

  "Anyone else get new books about acoustics?" he asked, keeping his voice low even though they were still in their safe camp on the edge of Floor 13.

  Elijah nodded, holding up his own volume. "Mine's about harmonic theory and crystalline resonance. I've never seen anything like it before."

  "Same here," Lyra said, already halfway through a thick text on crystallography. "The library system must be anticipating what we'll need for the next floor."

  Riva looked up from her equipment check. "Mine's all about silent combat techniques. Not exactly subtle with its hints, is it?"

  At the edge of their camp, Valeria sat alone, methodically sharpening her knives. Since being exposed as a corporate spy, she had maintained her distance from the group discussions. She still followed them—her survival depended on it—but the easy camaraderie she'd once pretended to share was gone. Alexander noticed she had a book beside her too, but she made no effort to join their conversation.

  The team had spent the morning studying, gathered around their small camp stove as they absorbed as much information as they could before moving on. Their victory over the Amber Golem Guardian the day before had left them tired but triumphant, and the appearance of these books seemed like a timely gift.

  "We should go through the transition point before midday," Alexander said, closing his book and storing it in his inventory. "Everyone ready?"

  They packed up efficiently, their movements showing the practiced coordination of weeks spent together. Valeria followed at a distance, her face expressionless as she secured her own gear. The team approached the shimmering portal that marked the boundary between floors, stepping through together into Floor 14.

  The change was immediate and jarring.

  "Whoa," Alexander whispered, and winced as even that soft sound bounced and amplified around them.

  They stood at the entrance of what appeared to be an enormous network of narrow canyons, their walls lined entirely with amber-colored crystals that glittered in the dim light. Unlike the open excavation sites of Floor 13, these passages were tight, confining, and—most notably—incredibly sound-sensitive.

  "Don't speak," Alexander mouthed, making a cutting motion across his throat.

  He quickly pointed to his ears, then made a series of hand gestures toward their surroundings. The team nodded in understanding. They had just learned from their books that sound would be both their greatest vulnerability and potentially their greatest weapon here.

  A thin man with crystalline growths on his fingers approached them cautiously. He wore the insignia of the Crystal Schors, a group they'd read about in their books.

  "First-timers?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. When they nodded, he continued, "Rule one: sound kills here. The crystals amplify everything. Rule two: different passages have different acoustic properties. Learn them or die." He pointed to a crude map on the wall before slipping away.

  Alexander studied the map briefly, then gestured for the team to follow him to what appeared to be a small alcove nearby. Once inside, the constant resonance from the main passage dimmed noticeably.

  "Quiet pocket," he expined in a very low voice. "The books mentioned these. We can talk here, but still quietly."

  "The whispers are different here," Elijah said, his eyes slightly unfocused. "They're... harmonizing with certain crystal formations. It's like they're trying to tell me something through the resonance."

  Alexander gave his brother a concerned look but didn't press the issue. "Riva, how's your gear adjusting to this environment?"

  Riva was already modifying her boots with strips of cloth. "Everything we're wearing makes noise. Metal on crystal, leather creaking—it all gets amplified. I'm adapting." She demonstrated a new way of walking, rolling from heel to toe with minimal sound.

  "What about you, Lyra?" Alexander asked, turning to find her running her fingers lightly over a crystal formation, her eyes closed in concentration.

  "These crystals have a fundamental resonance frequency of approximately 432 hertz," she said without opening her eyes. "But they also respond to harmonics and overtones in predictable patterns. If we can map these patterns, we might be able to navigate using controlled sound rather than avoiding it entirely."

  Alexander blinked in surprise. "How do you know that?"

  Lyra opened her eyes, looking momentarily confused. "I... it's just basic acoustic theory combined with crystalline structure analysis. The way the sound bounced just now gave me the base frequency."

  Alexander and Elijah exchanged gnces. Even with their privileged education, they had only just learned about these concepts from their books that morning. Lyra's knowledge seemed far too sophisticated for someone with her background.

  "That could be useful," Alexander said finally. "But let's focus on staying quiet until we understand this pce better."

  Over the next few hours, they carefully explored the immediate area around their entry point. They discovered that sounds carried differently down different corridors, with some amplifying whispers into roars, while others strangely muffled even louder noises.

  Valeria kept to herself during the exploration, trailing the group with practiced silence. Her corporate training in stealth operations seemed to serve her well in this environment, though she shared none of her observations with the others.

  They also had their first encounter with the local entities—small, transparent beings that seemed made of vibrating air. Riva had accidentally knocked her sheath against a crystal, and within seconds, these "Sound Sprites" as Elijah dubbed them, had swarmed toward the noise, forcing the team to retreat silently.

  By evening, they had established a small base camp in one of the rger quiet pockets. Alexander had implemented a system of hand signals for basic communication, and they'd experimented with wrapping their equipment in different materials to reduce noise.

  "We need to map the acoustic properties of the main passages," Alexander said during their hushed evening meal. "Identify which are dangerous amplification zones and which might be safe for travel or even conversation."

  "I found these," Riva said, presenting several samples of crystal-like pnts. "They seem to absorb sound rather than amplify it. Might be useful for making temporary quiet zones or even as armor padding."

  "Good thinking," Alexander nodded. "Elijah, have you been able to make any sense of how the whispers are interacting with the crystals?"

  Elijah hesitated. "Not exactly. But there are patterns. Sometimes when we pass certain formations, the whispers get... organized. Almost like music instead of random voices."

  Lyra looked up from where she was drawing acoustic diagrams in her notebook. "That matches what I've been seeing. There's nothing random about this pce. The crystal arrangements create specific harmonic patterns that seem designed to—" She stopped suddenly. "Sorry, I'm just thinking out loud."

  Alexander noticed her discomfort but didn't push. Instead, he id out their pn for the next day.

  "We'll practice moving silently as a unit tomorrow, then start mapping the main corridors. Riva, you'll take point since you've adapted best to silent movement. Elijah, watch for any unusual whisper patterns that might indicate danger or opportunity. Lyra, see if you can develop some way to test acoustic properties without putting us at risk." He gnced toward Valeria. "Stay with the group, but maintain rear guard. Your stealth skills are useful here."

  Valeria gave a curt nod in acknowledgment. She didn't smile, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes—perhaps a small appreciation for still having a defined role, even if it was a diminished one.

  As they settled in for the night, the crystals around them hummed with a faint, almost imperceptible vibration. Elijah y awake longer than the others, listening to the whispers that now seemed to form chords and melodies rather than their usual chaotic murmuring.

  In the dim light, he watched Lyra scribbling equations in her notebook, her face illuminated by the gentle glow of the crystals. She worked with a certainty that seemed beyond what even their recent studying could expin.

  On the other side of their small camp, Alexander was reviewing the crude map they'd started, already pnning routes and contingencies. Riva slept with one hand on her weapon, her breathing carefully controlled even in sleep to make minimal sound.

  Valeria had positioned herself at the edge of their quiet pocket, her back against the wall, eyes half-closed but clearly alert. She maintained her isotion even in sleep, a physical reminder of the broken trust between her and the team.

  This floor would test more than their combat abilities—it would require perfect coordination, discipline, and trust. As Elijah finally drifted to sleep, the st thing he saw was his brother's determined expression in the crystal-reflected light. Whatever challenges y ahead in these resonance-filled canyons, they would face them together.