The engine roared to life, humming with pure, harnessed energy. The first of its kind. The future, unfolding before them.
The entire lab was bathed in flickering light as the energy surged through the circuits. Callum let out a disbelieving laugh, while Lianfei stared, wide-eyed. Chen and Feng actually cheered, gripping each other's arms as they watched their creation work.
And then—
"YES!" Emery roared, his voice echoing off the stone walls, filled with pure, unrestrained triumph. He threw his arms up, chest rising and falling with heavy breaths as he stared at the roaring engine, its hum a testament to his life's work.
His mind raced through the years, the sleepless nights spent buried in theories, the countless failures, the ink-stained fingers scratching notes in dim candlelight. Every frustration, every setback, every painstaking hour of research—worth it for this one moment.
For months, he had examined Layla's engine, tearing it apart, rebuilding it, refining every flaw until it wasn't just functional—it was perfect. He had stared at those gears and pistons, memorizing their patterns, knowing that one day, he would give them life beyond fire and steam.
And now, here it was. Electricity coursed through it, a heart beating without coal or flame, a machine powered by the very force of nature itself.
Callum ran a hand through his hair, exhaling shakily. "Holy shit!"
Lianfei pressed a hand to her forehead. "Oh...my...God!!"
Chen and Feng, still gripping each other's arms, were nearly vibrating with excitement.
"We actually did it!? Like, properly!?"
Feng's voice cracked. "We—WE MADE HISTORY!"
Emery's breathing slowed, his fingers trembling as he reached out, feeling the soft vibration of the machine beneath his fingertips. This wasn't just an invention. It was revolution.
A slow grin stretched across his face. His entire body felt light, as if the weight of years of failure had been lifted in an instant.
Emery clenched his fists and punched the air, his entire body surging with exhilaration.
"YES!" he roared again, his voice bouncing off the stone walls, raw and victorious. It wasn't just celebration—it was years of struggle, failure, and relentless effort bursting free all at once.
His breath came in sharp gasps, his heart hammering in his chest. He had spent years chasing this moment. Every equation, every late night scratching theories onto parchment, every moment of doubt—it had all led here.
His hands trembled, not from exhaustion, but from pure adrenaline. He had done it.
They had done it.
Zafira, who had remained silent through much of the chaos, stepped closer. She studied Emery—this was rare. She had never seen him like this, never seen him so utterly lost in the moment. With a small smirk, she reached out and patted his head.
"Congratulations, genius."
Emery blinked, momentarily stunned, then scowled. "What the hell are you doing?"
Zafira chuckled. "What are you doing?"
"Touch the engine" Emery said without thinking, letting his intrusive thoughts take over.
Zafira raised an eyebrow and did just that—only for a sharp zap to crackle against her fingertips.
She yelped, immediately yanking her hand back. "WHAT THE—?!"
Emery smirked. "Congratulations. You're the first person in history to be electrocuted."
Callum burst into laughter, while Lianfei shook her head in disbelief.
"Of course he'd turn history into a joke."
Chen and Feng, still caught between awe and amusement, grinned.
"Can we call it Ezra's Shock Test?"
Emery, his triumph still burning in his chest, just laughed. The future was here.
That night, Zafira threw a celebration party in honour of Emery and his team. The underground lab, usually filled with the scent of burning metal and ozone, was now filled with the rich aroma of roasted meats, freshly baked bread, and the rare luxury of fine wine. Lanterns flickered with warmth instead of necessity, casting a golden glow over the tired but victorious group.
Callum, still in shock from their success, sat back with a drink in hand. "I still can't believe we actually did it. We just changed the world, and now we're eating like kings."
Lianfei smirked, raising her glass. "You can thank Commander Ezra for that."
Chen and Feng were stuffing their faces with food, both grinning ear to ear. "I'm never questioning science again" Feng mumbled through a mouthful of roasted duck.
"If this is what success tastes like, I'm gonna start worshipping Emery."
Emery rolled his eyes. "Please don't."
Just then, the doors to the lab swung open, and Haoran and Renshu stepped in, sweat still clinging to their skin from their sparring session with Jun. The two martial artists looked around in confusion at the scene of celebration.
"What's going on here?" Haoran asked, crossing his arms.
Zafira turned to him, her smirk widening. "Oh, nothing much just that Emery just harnessed electricity, reinvented energy production, and laid the groundwork for a revolution. No big deal."
Renshu blinked. "...He did what?"
Haoran, despite himself, looked genuinely impressed. "You mean to tell me that all these months of scribbling on boards and playing with metal actually led to something?"
Callum chuckled. "Oh, it led to something alright. We just created the first functioning electric engine in history."
Renshu let out a low whistle. "So that's why you all look like you've just won a war."
Emery, still basking in the moment, leaned back with a smirk. "A war against ignorance? Absolutely. And we won."
Zafira laughed, raising her drink. "To the mad genius and his team!"
The room erupted in cheers, voices overlapping as everyone toasted to their success. Callum nudged Emery with a smirk.
"This might be the first time in history that science gets celebrated with a feast instead of a lab fire."
Lianfei chuckled, sipping her drink. "Give it time. Knowing Mr Emery, we're one experiment away from disaster."
As the laughter and conversation filled the space, Seraphine's sharp eyes caught something unusual—one of the men from the crew quietly slipping out of the party, his steps too careful, his posture too stiff.
She silently followed.
Through the dimly lit corridors of the underground facility, Seraphine moved like a shadow, her breath steady. The man stopped near a secluded chamber, pulling out a small scroll. He unrolled it, scanning its contents before scribbling something down.
A spy. Siphoning information.
Seraphine didn't hesitate. Two swift movements—a blade across the throat, a dagger through the heart.
The body slumped, the scroll slipping from his fingers. She grabbed it, eyes scanning the contents.
Her stomach twisted. The Regime of Jin.
Clutching the evidence, she wiped her blade clean and moved swiftly back to the party. Spotting Zafira, she handed her the blood-stained scroll.
"We have a problem. Internal betrayal."
Zafira's expression darkened as she unrolled the note. The celebration carried on around them, but in that moment, the weight of reality crashed down again.
"So it begins" she muttered under her breath.
The celebration had long ended, the echoes of laughter and clinking glasses fading into the quiet hum of the underground base. In the dim glow of a lantern, Zafira and Emery lay in the same bed, neither asleep nor speaking, just existing in the strange, charged silence between them.
Neither of them were honest with each other—not fully. But there was an unspoken understanding that neither pushed past.
Zafira finally broke the quiet. "Someone was about to betray us today."
Emery, lying on his back, turned his head slightly. "Seraphine took care of it?"
Zafira handed him the scroll, which he unfolded with slow precision. His eyes scanned the scribbled notes, his mind piecing together the implications. Giving information to the Emperor.
"If there's one," Emery said after a moment, "there's more. Spies don't work alone."
Zafira sighed, shifting to lie on her side, facing him. "Logically, we should clear them out. If they're in deep enough, they'll know about the engine soon—if they don't already."
Emery exhaled sharply, pressing the bridge of his nose. "I know. But I don't like the idea of killing unnecessarily. There's always another way."
Zafira studied him. "Even now, after everything?"
"Especially now" he murmured.
"Because we're about to change the world, and if we start by gutting everyone who might be a threat, then we're no better than the people trying to control it."
Zafira didn't respond immediately, but after a beat, she let out a dry chuckle. "Idealist."
"Pragmatist" he shot back, smirking despite himself.
She rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. "We'll do it your way. For now."
Emery remained silent for a moment, then turned to face her, his mind already working through the problem. "If we want to root them out, we need a way to make them expose themselves. We can't just wait for another slip-up."
Zafira raised an eyebrow. "And you have a plan for that?"
A slow grin spread across Emery's face. "We leak information. Something big, something tempting enough that any remaining spies can't resist passing it along. We tell them that I'm working on something even greater—electrical motors and lightbulbs. It's still theoretical, but to them, it'll sound like another impossible breakthrough."
Zafira exhaled, considering the idea. "You want to bait them out with something too valuable to ignore."
"Exactly. If they're reporting to the Emperor or any other interested party, they'll have no choice but to make a move. And when they do—"
"We catch them" Zafira finished, nodding.
"Jun and Seraphine will watch for any movement over the next week. Anyone who takes the bait gets captured, interrogated."
Emery leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "I don't want to kill them if we don't have to. Information is more valuable than blood."
Zafira smirked. "Well, let's hope they're as careless as the last one. Otherwise, you'll be making lightbulbs with a knife in your back."