Chapter 21: The Trial of the Puddle
The green access light had long faded from the Clock Tower door, replaced by the grim, unmoving red of the security lock. Lance, Opal, and Kian scrambled back down the copper staircase and emerged from the dark tower into a dazzling, terrible spectacle.
The central quad was silent, but fully illuminated. Dean Eris stood at the edge of the massive, shimmering pool of water—the testament to Lance's incredible, controlled containment. She was flanked by her copper-armored guards, and she was staring at the water with an expression of cold fury and reluctant awe.
Opal gasped, realizing they were trapped.
"We have to run," Kian hissed, ready to bolt toward the shadowy entrance of the service tunnels.
"No," Lance said, pulling his shoulders back. He was exhausted, his Stabilizer Matrix completely drained, but he had just contained a Level-4 flood. He wasn't running. "This is the moment. She knows I did it."
They walked out into the quad, crossing the dry stone around the contained pool, and stopped directly in front of the Dean.
Dean Eris didn't move. She simply stared at Lance, her eyes drilling into him like boring drills.
"An intentional, chaotic surge to disrupt the fountain's field," Dean Eris stated, her voice dangerously quiet. "Followed by a perfect ten-second stasis containment of twenty tons of water. Not a siphon, not a shield. A pure, forced cessation of motion, utilizing the highest level of stability focus."
She pointed a gauntleted hand at the massive, shimmering pool. "That, Silverwoods, is not the action of a remedial student. That is the execution of a Master Stabilizer Protocol. The Matrix did not perform that maneuver. You did."
Lance felt the weight of his lineage settle over him. She wasn't angry about the chaos; she was furious about the control.
"I stabilized the situation, Dean," Lance replied, meeting her gaze steadily. "The Master Valve was exposed. I prevented a major flood from reaching the main grid. I served the Aetherium's stability."
Dean Eris's cold expression did not break. "You exposed the Master Valve in the first place, Silverwoods. Your ancestor's bloodline dictates a talent for absolute order. That is your gift, and your curse. You are programmed to impose control, even if it means tampering with the foundational systems."
Lance stood his ground. He knew the truth now—his lineage was framed for being jailers. He had to play the part of the obsessed stabilizing student until he could prove the conspiracy.
The moment was interrupted by the sudden ringing of a primary communication crystal mounted high on the wall. Dean Eris answered, her severity instantly shifting to a strained, professional politeness.
She listened for a moment, then turned back to the trio, her eyes calculating.
"The disciplinary hearing regarding the Hydro-Mote incident is postponed," Dean Eris announced, her voice ringing across the silent quad. "This sudden instability, which I assure you, was caused by aging systems and not by student sabotage, has raised concerns among our peers."
She looked directly at Lance, a cold smile forming.
"The Aetherium has received a request from the Council of Key Masters. Due to rising magical instability in the outer regions, the Aetherium has been asked to host the inaugural Inter-Academy Keybearer Conclave—a week-long collaboration, competition, and social summit involving four of the region's premier magical schools."
Opal gasped, a thrill of excitement replacing her fear. Kian immediately started calculating the scavenging possibilities.
"The Conclave begins tomorrow," Dean Eris continued. "It is a political event, Silverwoods, designed to show stability and unity among the academies. This is your immediate punishment. You will not be detained. You will not be expelled."
She gestured toward the immense, shimmering puddle that Lance still owned.
"You will be responsible for the seamless, continuous maintenance of stability during the entire Conclave. You are assigned to the Logistics and Stabilization Team. You will be highly visible. If the Aetherium shows even the slightest sign of instability during this event—if one single light flickers, if one Mote path fails—you will face the full wrath of the Council, and I will personally ensure your expulsion is permanent."
Dean Eris walked toward the Clock Tower entrance, leaving the trio standing alone.
"The Clock Tower data will have to wait," Kian muttered, already adjusting his tunic. "We're back in the spotlight. But this is perfect. Four new schools means four new libraries, four new sets of students to distract, and four new energy systems to analyze."
Opal was practically vibrating with excitement. "A party! Other students! And we're on the Logistics Team! We're officially part of the operation!"
Lance, however, looked past them, his gaze fixed on the imposing, black stone of the Clock Tower. He had just discovered his lineage's terrible truth, and now he was being forced onto a political stage. He was the Master Stabilizer's descendant, tasked with maintaining a system built on a lie, all while being judged by the very forces that had framed his brilliant ancestor.
The real challenge was not Siphoning. It was surviving the social stability of the Conclave.