The Balance of Light
After opening the cryptex, you find a numerical key. Of course. Where there’s one locked box, there’s always a second one refusing to open without another riddle.
Umbra staggers. Her shadows are no longer a threatening swirl of dark power, but rather the pale flicker of a poorly maintained oil lamp. The fortress changes. Light breaks through cracks in the walls and reveals a floating scale so massive that even Justice herself would be envious. Its bowls are made of light and shadow, but the darkness is fading. Tinker hovers closer, chirping with the sound of a particularly satisfied teapot.
“This is the Balance of Light. Umbra used it to keep the fortress stable. If we let the light dominate, she’ll lose control for good.” Willow tilts his head. “And what exactly do we do? Just pour more light in?” Tinker beeps and projects a frantic hologram. “Not quite. The scale reacts to precise values. Too little light, and the shadows return. Too much, and the balance… explodes.”
Umbra, until now preoccupied with her fading form, straightens. Her gaze is no longer frightening, but tired in the way only beings who’ve balanced chaos for too long can be. Her voice is weak but piercing: “You think you understand balance? Light can destroy just as much as darkness. Think carefully about what you do.”
A Balancing Act
Tinker whirls around the giant scale and taps frantically on her console. “Okay, I’ve hacked the balance system! But you need to enter the right commands – otherwise the light tips everywhere – and that would be bad. Very bad.” In front of you, an old terminal flickers to life. At its center blinks an incomplete spell formula you must complete.
Willow leans skeptically against a wall. “So, if this explodes, I’m calling you Spark Jumper from now on.” Tinker beeps indignantly. “Better insert the right values, or your new name’s going to be Shadow Tripper!”
Which commands do you enter?
- The first slot requires a function that ensures light isn’t too dim or too bright. Insert the protective function that holds a value between a minimum, a maximum, and a preferred value.
- The second slot demands a calculation of light and shadow. Input the correct math function!
- The two numbers must be your light and shadow values!
Light must be at least 70 – otherwise it’s too dark!
The difference between light and shadow must never be greater than 40 – or the fortress will fall back into the shadows!
Adjust the fortress light correctly. [–> Open in a new tab]