CHAPTER 27 —
Morning draped over Aetheria like a soft golden veil.
The night before had been full of celebrations. Fireworks cast shining arcs across the sky. Fairies danced in spiraling rings that glowed with pale blue light. Dark elves played flutes shaped from moonstone wood, and spirits twirled through the air like glittering petals.
But today…
Today belonged to work.
Real work.
The kind of work that determines whether Aetheria would be remembered as a miracle, or dismissed as a fantasy that crumbled after its first breath of recognition.
Inside the heart of Aetheria stood the new Engineering Hall, a massive dome-shaped structure made of shimmering stone and reinforced mana threads. The building still smelled faintly of fresh polish.
Airi stood in the center of the hall, spinning slowly as she looked up.
"This place is so pretty. Like a giant marble candy."
Haruto walked past her, carrying a stack of blueprints under one arm.
"It is an engineering facility. Not candy."
Airi nodded."Yes. Candy."
Haruto sighed.
The hall was organized into five zones:
Architecture Zone - dark elves, maps, and structural drafts.
Forging Zone - dwarves, heat, metal, redirected mana.
Energy Lab - crystals, conduits, spirit nests.
Design Floor - Haruto's territory, filled with diagrams, tables, and illusion tools.
Observation Deck - where Frost sometimes sat judging everyone.
The place looked like the heart of progress itself.
And today… everyone was gathered already.
Dwarves with soot on their faces.
Dark elves with notebooks filled with calculations.
Spirits drifting like curious children.
Airi skipping around.
Haruto preparing to reshape the world.
The Blueprint
The massive central table lit up as Haruto placed his palm on the surface. Mana surged through the crystal core underneath, activating the illusion projector.
A long glowing structure appeared above the table.
Polished.
Metallic.
Segmented.
A narrow body with reinforced sides, heavy wheels underneath, and a core engine compartment at the front.
Airi's jaw dropped.
"That looks so cool!"
Haruto did not respond.
He was in full focus mode.
He tapped the schematic, and the projection expanded, revealing inner layers, mechanical joints, lines of stabilizing runes, chambers for mana distribution, and dozens of interlocked metal pieces.
The dwarves froze.
The dark elves inhaled sharply.
Frost lifted an eyebrow.
Lyria clapped because she liked glowing things.
Haruto pointed at the wheel system."This is the first part we need to perfect. Without stable wheels and rails, the entire machine is useless."
Granik, the dwarven smithing chief, frowned."Why are the wheels so complicated? Wheels should be simple. Round. Tough. And loud."
Haruto shook his head."These wheels must channel mana while rotating. They must eliminate vibration. And they must not melt at high speed."
Granik stared at him."You want wheels that do not break, do not melt, do not shake, and also carry a load heavier than a small castle."
"Yes."
Granik slapped both hands on his head."This is madness."
Airi patted his shoulder."You can do it. I believe."
The dwarf's eyes watered."Princess… you speak like a villain who believes everything is easy."
Airi nodded proudly."Yes."
Haruto ignored the growing chaos and tapped another part of the blueprint.
"This chamber is the energy core. Without stable energy, the machine will not move."
The dark elf architect, Rytha, examined the projected engine."This is… extremely refined work. Channels for mana circulation. Pressure stabilizers. Mana filters. But no substance that can deliver mana steadily for long periods."
Haruto nodded."Which is why the next topic is energy sources."
He turned to Airi.
Airi smelled trouble and stood on her toes.
"Is this the part where I get to talk?"
"Yes."
She fist pumped.
Energy Sources
Airi placed both palms on the illusion projector, and small golden lights swirled from her fingertips. The projection shifted to an image of a glowing spirit.
Lyria fluttered above it proudly.
Airi cleared her throat dramatically.
"So… spirits are very good with mana, right. They clean it, smooth it, fix it, and whisper at it until it behaves."
Lyria nodded rapidly."Yes yes yes. Spirits stabilize mana. It is our natural talent."
Airi spun in a small circle."So if we make a spirit nest inside the engine… we get stable mana."
Haruto shook his head slightly."That solves one part. But spirits alone cannot generate enough power for long travel. They can regulate, not fuel."
Rytha folded her arms."So we need mana stones."
Granik grunted."We need high grade cores."
Haruto nodded."Yes. Specifically, compressed mana cores that burn at a constant rate."
Airi tapped her chin."Essentially… mana batteries?"
Haruto blinked.
Then he nodded slowly."…Yes."
The dwarves scribbled frantically.
Rytha began calculating mana pressure.
Lyria hummed proudly, spinning in the air.
Airi grinned."See, Onii Chan. Sometimes my brain works."
Haruto placed a hand on her head."It always works."
She brightened even more.
The First Political Resistance
Just when the excitement in the room reached a peak, a new group arrived.
Four human envoys.
They did not walk with the cheerful respect of yesterday's diplomats.
They walked with tension.
And uncertainty.
They bowed stiffly.
"Princess Airi. Prince Haruto. The Dominion Council sent us for… clarification."
Haruto closed the blueprint gently."What clarification."
The lead envoy spoke carefully."The council is concerned. You are planning something too large. Too revolutionary. Humans are afraid Aetheria might attempt global dominance with unmatched transportation."
Airi frowned deeply."What. We are building a train. Not an army."
"That is what we fear."The envoy's eyes narrowed."With such trains, you could move armies quickly. Transport weapons. Monitor borders. Complete impossible deployments."
Haruto's voice dropped, calm and cold."If we wanted to wage war, we would not need trains."
The envoys swallowed.
Airi stepped forward, and the tiny spirits around her brightened.
"You are doubting us after everything we have done. We are the ones building peace. Why would we harm the world."
The envoys hesitated.
Airi crossed her arms and leaned slightly closer.
"If you block progress… it will not be us you hurt. It will be your own world."
Silence spread through the hall.
Then Frost moved subtly, just enough to remind them who stood behind Airi.
The envoys bowed quickly.
"We… understand. We will report that Aetheria's intentions are peaceful."
Airi let out a small puff of air.
"Good. Because I am very angry when people interrupt my Onii Chan while he is being cool."
Haruto lifted an eyebrow."Was I being cool."
"Yes."
Haruto did not argue.
Airi Supporting Haruto
Chaos returned to work.
Blueprints stacked in towers.
Dwarves argued loudly.
Dark elves argued silently.
Haruto quietly drew diagrams that made both races scream inside.
Airi watched him for a while.
She loved these moments.Her brother was calm. Focused. Peaceful. Lost in creation instead of conflict. When he was like this, he looked more alive than ever.
She leaned against his shoulder."Onii Chan."
"Hm."
"You are doing something amazing."
He did not respond, but his eyes softened.
Airi continued."When we died in that plane. When we fell into that burning sky… I thought that was the end."
Haruto stopped drawing.
Airi smiled."But now… we are making a world. A real world. And you are leading it. I am proud of you."
Haruto lowered his quill, placed his hand on her head, and gently brushed her hair aside.
"I could not do this without you."
Airi leaned harder onto his shoulder.
"That is why we will do it together."
World Reactions
While Aetheria worked at insane pace, the rest of the world moved slowly.
Letters from neighboring kingdoms arrived.
Questions.
Doubts.
Some interest.
Some fear.
News spread of Aetheria trying to build something unheard of. Some scholars mocked the idea. Some nobles warned that it was too dangerous. Some commoners simply wondered whether they could one day ride a metal box that moves faster than a horse.
Airi read a letter from a kingdom.
"So they think we are insane."
Haruto continued fixing the mana channel diagram."We are. But innovation comes from madness."
Airi laughed.
The First Model Test
After twelve hours of nonstop work…
The dwarves placed a tiny metal frame on the testing track.
A miniature train body, no bigger than Airi's forearm.
Wheels polished to shine.
Small runes glowing along the sides.
A miniature mana crystal inside.
Airi held her breath."It is so cute."
Granik grinned proudly."It took everything we had. But this little thing is ready."
Haruto checked the stabilizers.
Lyria blessed the mana crystal.
Rytha tightened the conduits.
Frost stared like an intimidating father at a school play.
Airi crouched beside it."Alright little train. Do your best."
Haruto nodded."Start with the lowest power."
Granik flipped a mana switch.
The model engine hummed.
Soft at first.
Then building.
The wheels shook.
Sparks of mana danced in the air.
The tracks vibrated.
Airi leaned forward with sparkling eyes.
"It is moving…"
The tiny train jerked…
Then moved forward.
Slowly.
Gently.
Steadily.
Everyone leaned closer.
The model picked up more speed.
Faster.
Faster.
Mana trails shimmered behind it like a comet.
The hall erupted with cheers.
Airi jumped."Onii Chan, it works. It works. It works."
Lyria spun in the air."Aetheria's first machine is alive."
Granik slammed Haruto's back."We did it."
Rytha smiled for the first time that day."A perfect start."
Haruto exhaled slowly.
For the first time since morning, he actually smiled.
Not a soft smile.
Not a small smile.
A proud one.
"Airi."
"Yes."
"This is step one."
Airi grabbed his hand.
"Then let us take step two together."
The miniature train made another loop across the track.
The spark of invention had taken form.
The impossible was no longer impossible.
Aetheria had taken its first step toward rewriting the world.
And the world…had no idea what was coming next.