The next morning smelled of rain and bread.
Eddie stretched until his shoulders popped and shuffled toward the window. The twin suns were climbing, painting the village of Loryne in gold and silver light. Down below, people were already carrying water buckets and glowing stones, their morning chatter mixing with the squeal of mana-powered carts.
"Another day, another voltage test," he muttered, grabbing his tool belt.
Lyra was already waiting outside, bouncing on her heels, a bundle of papers clutched to her chest."Morning, Mister Eddie! I drew what you said yesterday—the pipes and the water thing!"
He blinked. "You drew a wiring diagram?"
She unfolded a sheet covered in circles and squiggly lines. The proportions were off, but she'd actually labeled flow directions and "mana nodes."
Eddie laughed. "Kid, that's the most adorable circuit map I've ever seen."
Lyra puffed her cheeks. "It's a mana map!"
"Right, right. Mana map." He knelt beside her. "You see these arrows? They tell us how mana moves. If this line breaks—poof—no light."
Lyra nodded solemnly. "So, no leaks!"
"Exactly. Now, let's try something new."
The Experiment
They carried their tools to the shed behind the inn—his makeshift workshop. It still smelled faintly of oil, wood, and fried mana residue.
Eddie rummaged through salvaged scraps: cracked crystals, bent copper rings, and broken rune plates.He arranged them on the table like a puzzle.
"If mana really flows like current, then maybe I can store it… or redirect it," he said under his breath.
Lyra tilted her head. "Store it? Like in a barrel?"
"Something like that. We used to call them batteries."
He drew a simple circuit on the tabletop with chalk: crystal → rune line → copper plate → second crystal.
"Alright. Step one—charge this first crystal with mana. You said you can push a little, right?"
Lyra placed her hands over the crystal and closed her eyes. A faint blue glow spread through it.
"Good. Step two—connect the rune bridge."
He used a bent nail as a conductor and—snap!—a spark jumped between the plates.
Both of them jumped back.
"Ah! It bit me!" Lyra squeaked, shaking her hand.
Eddie grinned, heart pounding. "It worked! You made current flow!"
Lyra blinked. "It hurt!"
"That's normal. Welcome to the world of electrical testing."
The Discovery
After several tries (and several more shocks), they noticed a pattern. The mana moved faster through polished metal, slower through wood. Crystal purity affected output brightness. And when he grounded the line to the dirt floor, the flow stabilized instantly.
Eddie stared at the glowing setup, excitement bubbling in his chest.
"Grounding works here too… unbelievable."
Lyra peeked at him. "Is that… good?"
He grinned like a man who'd just rediscovered fire. "Kid, that's revolutionary."
He scribbled notes furiously.
Observation #1: Mana behaves like electrical charge.
Observation #2: Conduction efficiency depends on material.
Observation #3: Grounding equalizes unstable mana surges.
Lyra giggled at his handwriting. "You look like a scholar again."
"Engineer," he corrected, tapping the paper. "Different breed. We make things explode on purpose."
Trouble Brews
Their fun was interrupted by a loud crash outside. A young man in apprentice robes stumbled in, holding a smoking staff.
"Please! Someone said the outsider can fix things!"
Eddie sighed. "Another one? What happened?"
"I tried to amplify my spell during training, but it—uh—caught fire."
The staff's crystal core was cracked, the runes melted into ugly streaks. It hummed weakly, leaking mana like steam from a broken pipe.
Eddie grabbed a pair of pliers. "Alright, let's discharge it first before we—"
WHUMPF!
A burst of blue smoke filled the workshop. Lyra shrieked. Eddie coughed, waving the smoke away.
The staff fizzled, then went dead.
"…Okay," he said hoarsely. "New rule: never fix live equipment."
The apprentice looked mortified. "Can it be saved?"
Eddie turned the staff over in his hands, thinking. The problem wasn't just physical damage—the runes were misaligned, channeling mana unevenly. Like crossed wires.
"If I can rebuild the circuit… maybe."
He set to work, carving thin lines with a chisel, reconnecting the flow pattern just like soldering a board. When he finished, he passed it back.
"Try it."
The apprentice aimed the staff at a target dummy outside. A faint bolt of light shot out—clean, stable.
The boy's eyes widened. "It works! You're incredible!"
Eddie grinned. "Just another day on the job, kid."
A New Reputation
By sunset, the entire training yard was buzzing about the "miracle repairman." Eddie could already hear the gossip spreading through the tavern walls.
"He fixes magic without magic!" "They say he touches crystals and they light up!" "Maybe he's a wandering sage!"
Eddie slumped at his workbench, tired but smiling.
Lyra handed him a mug of that strange sweet brew. "Everyone's talking about you, Mister Eddie."
"Yeah, that's what worries me," he murmured.
He stared at the glowing experiment on his desk—a miniature mana circuit humming softly. So small, yet full of potential.
"If I can map this properly," he whispered, "I can make safer lamps… maybe even a whole lighting grid."
Lyra tilted her head. "What's a grid?"
"You'll see," he said, eyes gleaming. "It's how we'll light up the world."