The reactor tower trembled. A deep humming sound echoed throughout the northern sector of the estate. Silver-blue mana surged through enormous crystal conduits connected to the central structure. Each pulse seemed stronger than the last.
Seraphina stood among the engineers, carefully observing the scene. Years of assassination work had taught her an important lesson. When entering unfamiliar territory, observe before acting.
The same principle applied here. The problem was that magical reactors weren't exactly part of her previous profession.
Chief Engineer Marlow rushed between control stations, barking orders at his staff.
"Reinforce the fourth seal!"
"Stabilize the mana output!"
"Increase containment pressure!"
The engineers scrambled to obey. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to be working. The silver cracks spreading across the reactor continued growing, like fractures forming inside glass.
Marlow wiped sweat from his brow. "This is bad."
The words were barely above a whisper. Seraphina noticed that the man was scared, not concerned or worried. That alone revealed how serious the situation had become.
"How much time do we have?"
Marlow hesitated. Then answered honestly.
"If we're lucky?" His expression darkened. "An hour."
The answer made several nearby engineers pale.
An hour.
Not much time.
Not nearly enough.
Another violent pulse erupted from the reactor.
Boom!
The ground shook beneath their feet, several workers stumbled. A nearby crystal conduit exploded, and fragments scattered across the area. One engineer barely avoided being struck. Panic spread and the situation was deteriorating faster than expected.
Seraphina narrowed her eyes.
Something wasn't right. Machines had failed, systems had malfunctioned, but this felt different. The instability seemed too sudden, like an aggressive approach.
"Has this happened before?"
Marlow shook his head. "Never."
"Not once?"
"Not in my twenty-two years of service."
The answer deepened her suspicions.
If a system had operated safely for decades, why fail now? And why so catastrophically?
The possibility of sabotage immediately entered her mind. Back on Earth, she'd seen similar situations countless times. Explosions disguised as accidents. Assassinations disguised as equipment failures.
The methods might change. But human nature won't.
Before she could investigate further, another explosion rocked the area.
Boom!
This one was stronger.
A section of the outer containment ring shattered. Blue energy erupted skyward. The gathered workers cried out, and several stumbled backward in fear.
The reactor's hum intensified. The sound became painful. Almost unbearable for everyone with the area.
Marlow looked ready to collapse. "If the third containment ring fails..."
He couldn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to. Everyone understood.
A disaster was coming upon them all.
Meanwhile, from an observation platform overlooking the sector, Celestine watched everything unfold. Her violet eyes remained fixed on Seraphina.
The reactor interested her. But Seraphina interested her more. The woman had changed in ways she couldn't imagine. And today might finally reveal why.
A noblewoman raised in luxury should be terrified right now. She should be panicked and helpless. Instead, Seraphina remained calm, like a soldier assessing a battlefield.
The discrepancy bothered Celestine, because it didn't fit her cousin's image.
Nothing fit anymore.
Back below, Seraphina approached the reactor's central control station. Dozens of screens displayed data she barely understood.
[Mana fluctuations.]
[Containment integrity.]
[Resonance frequencies.]
The terminology meant little, but numbers told stories, and stories often revealed truths. Her gaze moved across the readings. Then stopped, a pattern emerged.
The fluctuations weren't random, they repeated.
Like a hidden signal that needs coding.
Her eyes narrowed. "What's that?"
Marlow followed her gaze. The engineer frowned. "That shouldn't be there."
"What is it?"
The man leaned closer. His expression changed instantly. His face was filled with shock, confusion, and alarm.
"Impossible."
The response caught everyone's attention. Several engineers hurried over. One look at the readings made them pale. Another cursed loudly. And the third looked ready to faint.
Seraphina's suspicions intensified. "What is it?"
This time Marlow answered immediately. "Someone tampered with the regulator sequence."
The words spread through the room like wildfire.
Tampered...
The engineers erupted into chaos.
Questions flew in every direction.
Who?
How?
When?
Why?
Marlow slammed a fist onto the control panel.
"Forget that." The engineer pointed toward the reactor. "We need to stop it first."
Unfortunately, he was right. Finding the culprit wouldn't matter if everyone exploded.
Another violent tremor shook the sector. The reactor's silver cracks spread further. Blue lightning burst across its surface. The structure looked increasingly unstable, like a bomb waiting to detonate.
Marlow rapidly issued new orders. The engineers obeyed immediately. Yet despite their efforts, the situation continued worsening.
Minutes passed, but nothing improved.
The reactor's condition deteriorated relentlessly.
Finally, one engineer spoke the words everyone feared. "We can't stop it."
The engineer swallowed hard. "The damage is too severe."
Another nodded. "The core won't stabilize."
A third looked away. "We're out of options."
Despair settled over the room.
Some workers lowered their heads, others stared helplessly at the reactor. Marlow looked years older, the realization had crushed him. Decades of work, years of dedication, and now everything would end in failure.
Then, Seraphina noticed something.
A memory that was small and fragmented.
One of the original Seraphina's memories.
Unexpectedly she...
The memory involved childhood lessons. Ancient Ardent family teachings. Something about mana flow and resonance. The knowledge surfaced suddenly, and it was incomplete, but very usesful in this situation.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Marlow noticed. "My Lady?"
Seraphina looked toward the reactor.
The solution was dangerous. But it might work.
"If the resonance is being amplified..."
The engineers turned toward her.
"...then we don't need to stop it."
Confusion appeared on every face.
Marlow frowned. "What do you mean?"
Seraphina pointed toward the containment conduits. "We redirect it."
Several engineers blinked, one looked bewildered, and another looked intrigued.
Marlow stared, then slowly understood. His eyes widened. "No."
Seraphina raised an eyebrow. "No?"
The engineer looked horrified. "The energy output would pass directly through the secondary channels."
"So?"
Marlow pointed toward the reactor. "You'd have to enter the containment chamber."
There it was, a bigger and more dangerous variable. The room became silent again. The containment chamber sat directly beneath the reactor core.
The most dangerous location in the entire facility. Anyone entering would be exposed to overwhelming mana pressure, potentially fatal levels.
Several engineers looked away. Nobody volunteered and nobody wanted to. Which was entirely reasonable. Unfortunately, reasonable solutions were in short supply.
Seraphina studied the reactor.
Then the readings.
Then the containment chamber.
The calculation was simple.
Someone needed to go.
Or everyone suffered the consequences.
The choice should have been difficult.
It wasn't that... complicated.
Perhaps because she'd spent most of her previous life running toward danger.
Marlow immediately noticed her expression.
"No." The engineer shook his head. "No, absolutely not."
Seraphina almost laughed. "You haven't even heard my answer."
"I already know your answer." The man looked horrified. "You're the lady of the estate."
The statement sounded almost accusatory.
"As if that changes anything."
Apparently it did.
Judging by the reactions around them.
Before the discussion could continue, another explosion rocked the sector.
Boom!
This time, alarms erupted throughout the facility. Red warning lights flashed. Containment integrity dropped sharply.
[Twenty-eight percent.]
[Twenty-seven.]
[Twenty-six.]
The numbers continued falling, too quickly.
Panic spread once more.
The countdown had begun.
Seraphina found herself facing a problem she couldn't fight with skill or strategy alone. Because somewhere within the estate, an unseen enemy had already made their move. And unless she acted soon, the disaster they engineered would claim countless lives.
Including a certain silver-haired boy waiting anxiously back at the mansion.