The rain returned that night, tapping soft fingers against the workshop roof. Eddie stayed up long after Lyra had gone home, sketching circuit diagrams by lanternlight.Each page was a mess of lines, arrows, and half-formed notes:
If mana flow = current, then: Runes = resistors? Crystals = capacitors? Conductors = metals… maybe make standardized plates?
He leaned back and stared at the ceiling."Standardized plates. In a world with no standards. Good luck, Eddie."
But he was smiling. This was the kind of problem that kept his brain alive.
Morning Rush
By sunrise, he'd already scavenged half the village for materials.Marna the blacksmith handed him a pile of copper scraps, grumbling good-naturedly. "You owe me another forge tune-up for this."
"Put it on my tab," he said, lugging the metal away.
The shed had grown too small for his projects, so he moved operations outdoors under an awning made of tarp and bamboo poles. He strung up glowing stones for light and hammered a sign over the door:
WIRED WONDERS — FIXING MAGIC WITH A SPARK OF SCIENCE
Lyra painted little lightning bolts on the corners. "It looks official!"
Eddie grinned. "Now all we need are safety posters."
Mentoring a Mage
Late morning brought an unexpected visitor.Renn, the young mage from yesterday, stood at the entrance looking… sheepish.
"I came to see the 'nonsense' again," he said.
Eddie nodded toward the bench. "Grab a stool. Lesson one: how not to fry yourself."
Renn watched, fascinated, as Eddie demonstrated how to ground a circuit using a copper plate and obsidian base. "You're treating mana like water," the mage muttered.
"Energy flows. Doesn't matter what kind. Control the flow, control the result."
Renn frowned, testing the theory with a spark from his wand. The discharge traveled neatly down the plate and fizzled without a sound.
"…That shouldn't be possible," he whispered.
Eddie grinned. "Science, kid. It's just magic that went to school."
Village Support
By noon, the workshop was buzzing. Marna dropped by with metal. The baker brought snacks. A farmer delivered an entire crate of dried bamboo "for your contraptions."
Eddie looked around at the crowd helping him rig tables and hang tools.
"You folks are spoiling me," he said. "Back home I had to file requisitions just to get a screwdriver."
Lyra didn't know what that meant, but she laughed anyway.
When they finished, the workshop gleamed with improvised order: shelves of labeled parts, neat rune-etched copper sheets, and a large wooden board covered with notes.
Across the top, Eddie had written:THE LAWS OF SAFE MANA CIRCUITRY
Always ground before channeling.
Never cross active lines.
Respect the load capacity of your crystal.
Renn stared at the list. "You made laws?"
Eddie winked. "Every trade needs a code."
First Commission
Just before dusk, a messenger arrived—a woman from the mayor's office carrying a sealed letter.
"His honor requests your assistance with the town's east-side well," she said. "The mana regulator keeps collapsing."
Eddie exchanged a glance with Lyra and Renn. "Looks like our first official job."
He packed his tools, slung the toolbox over his shoulder, and stepped into the drizzle.
The well lay on the edge of the village, surrounded by nervous workers. The crystal core throbbed irregularly, the runes around it flickering like a dying lightbulb.
"Classic overload," Eddie murmured. "Too much mana, nowhere to go."
He pulled out his copper plates and obsidian base, anchored them to the ground, and connected everything with thick wire.
"Everyone stand back."
He touched the regulator's side. Blue light surged down the new lines, then stabilized in a calm, steady pulse.
The pump hummed, clean and strong.
Applause broke out. The mayor beamed. "Marvelous! I must report this to the Guild immediately."
Eddie smiled, half proud, half worried. "Great… attention from bureaucracy. My favorite."
Quiet Evening
Back in the shop, Lyra drew doodles of the new well system while Renn polished his wand.
Eddie leaned on the doorway, watching the rain roll down the street lamps he'd repaired earlier. They burned steady, warm, and safe.
"Improvised workshop," he said softly. "But it's starting to feel like home."
Lyra looked up. "What's next, Mister Eddie?"
He grinned. "Next? We keep improving—until this whole town never has to live in the dark again."
Thunder murmured far off in the hills. He listened to it with a craftsman's pride.