Chapter 946 — The Light of Progress
The hum of the Stellar Engine filled the heart of the Hollow. What had once been a chamber of chaos and experimentation now thrummed with a steady, harmonious rhythm. The pulsing red glow of the Engine's core had softened to a faint, golden radiance—warm and alive, like sunlight diffused through crystal.
Kael stood before the massive construct, arms crossed, eyes narrowed as Selina's voice echoed through the chamber.
"Power stabilization steady at ninety-nine percent," she reported, runes dancing across the air before her. "Flux levels are holding within safe range. The containment seals haven't fluctuated once."
Kael let out a slow breath. "Then it's time."
Selina nodded once and turned toward the main control spire. "All right, everyone. Let's see what our miracle can do."
One by one, sigils embedded in the walls of the chamber began to light. The dimly lit facility came alive—spotlights snapped on with perfect synchronization, flooding the entire space in white brilliance. Crystalline lamps suspended from the ceilings glowed to life, casting long shadows across the metallic floor. The murmur of the scholars and engineers turned into soft awe as the room brightened, as though the stars themselves had descended.
Eris stepped closer, her eyes reflecting the light. "So this is what it means to give life to a sun," she said softly.
Kael's lips twitched in faint amusement. "Not quite a sun—just a small taste of its power."
"Still," she said, almost smiling, "it's beautiful."
Selina's hands moved swiftly over the glyphs. "Initiating next phase: barrier deployment."
Runes flickered around the chamber's perimeter. The energy built quickly—lines of light weaving through the air before bursting outward in a ripple of soft gold. The glow spread beyond the laboratory's walls, washing over the Hollow like a gentle wave.
Outside, the townsfolk paused mid-step as a shimmering dome of translucent light blossomed into the sky, covering the entire settlement.
Children pointed upward. Merchants stopped to stare. The people of the Hollow felt it before they understood it—a sudden, inexplicable sense of calm. Fear seemed distant, replaced with quiet warmth, like a hand resting gently against the heart.
Inside the control room, Selina's readings confirmed it. "The barrier's effect is multi-layered. It's amplifying ambient morale and suppressing stress responses. Defensive augmentation is optimal—anyone inside its radius gains minor regenerative resilience."
Varik let out a low whistle. "You've turned the whole Hollow into a fortress."
Kael nodded, quietly proud. "No one under our banner will ever feel unsafe again."
Selina pressed forward. "Final test: weapon integration. Activating the perimeter sentries."
Outside the barrier, atop the steel walls that surrounded the Hollow, newly forged sentry turrets rotated into motion. Their barrels glowed faintly with stored energy as the Stellar Engine linked to their internal systems. For a heartbeat, the entire network synchronized—lines of golden energy tracing from the core of the Hollow out to its furthest defenses.
The sentries fired simultaneously.
Beams of light tore through the air, striking distant test dummies along the outer training fields with perfect precision. The strikes were powerful, clean, and entirely under control.
Selina stared at the readings, her normally composed face breaking into a grin. "Energy efficiency at one hundred percent. No excess discharge. The Stellar Engine is fully operational."
A rare silence fell across the chamber—a silence of awe, of triumph.
Kael turned to the others gathered there—Varik, Selene, Lyria, Eris, Zerathis, Serenya, and Selina. Each bore a different expression, but every one of them knew what this moment meant.
The Hollow had transcended its fragile beginnings. It was no longer a sanctuary struggling to survive. It had become a beacon.
Selene broke the silence first, leaning on her staff. "I never thought I'd see the day where something like this existed. Magic and science, together, in perfect harmony."
Zerathis grunted softly, folding his arms. "Let's hope that harmony lasts."
Lyria smiled faintly, her hand brushing against Kael's. "You've done it again. You've given hope form."
But Kael only nodded, his expression more measured. "Hope needs direction." He turned toward the large round table at the center of the command hall, where maps and reports were laid out. "And we have more to discuss."
The others followed him, forming the familiar circle. The glow of the Stellar Engine pulsed behind them, casting a soft amber light across their faces as Kael spoke.
"These reports," he said, tapping one of the documents, "confirm that the war between the Crimson March and Velmir Dominion is escalating. They've been fighting over border territories for nearly half a year now. Refugees are spilling into neutral lands."
Varik frowned. "Neither of them are near enough to threaten us."
"True," Kael replied. "But chaos spreads through desperation. If one collapses, the other will grow, and soon they'll look beyond their borders for resources."
Zerathis grunted. "So what do we do? Intervene?"
Kael shook his head. "No. Not yet. The Hollow remains neutral. We watch, we learn. If either kingdom comes seeking aid or passage, we'll decide then."
Lyria crossed her arms. "That's unlike you, Kael. You've never been one to sit and wait."
Kael's expression softened. "I've learned from my mistakes. The Hollow isn't a hammer to strike at every problem. It's a foundation for others to build from."
Selina spoke next, her tone calm but analytical. "If the war continues, it may offer us opportunities. Trade routes, displaced scholars, potential alliances. We can extend a hand without showing a blade."
Eris, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke—her voice thoughtful, curious. "Then peace can be a weapon too."
Everyone turned toward her.
Kael smiled faintly. "Exactly."
For the first time in months, there was no urgency—no threat pressing down on the Hollow. Just possibility.
Outside, the barrier shimmered faintly under the night sky, powered by the steady pulse of the Stellar Engine. Its golden light bathed the Hollow in warmth and promise.
And as the council's discussion carried on late into the evening—plans for infrastructure, education, diplomacy—the people below celebrated without even knowing why.
They just felt it.
That sense of safety.
Of peace.
Of something greater beginning.