The morning light cast long shadows across the charred remains of the shop part of the workshop. Tools and materials lay scattered amidst the blackened debris, the acrid smell of burnt wood and smoke still lingering in the air. Huey stood amidst the wreckage, surveying the damage with a sigh.

He bent down to pick up pieces of broken glass and splintered wood, carefully placing them in a trash bin. The smell of ozone and burnt material was overwhelming. Charlie wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“We're never going to get rid of that smell,” Charlie complained, waving a hand in front of his face.

Huey glanced at him, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Relax. It’s going to go away eventually.”

Charlie reached onto the scattered debris, retrieving a broken guitar. The instrument was charred and splintered, yet another casualty of the previous night's experiment gone wrong.

Charlie’s voice cracked as he spoke. “My guitar... It was one of my favorite things ever.”

Huey, grumbling while picking up debris, barely glanced at him. “You've said that a dozen times already. Instead of sulking like a prince, help me bring in what's been blasted outside.”

Charlie looked around the wreckage, his expression shifting from sadness to anger. He dropped the remains of his guitar, kicking at some debris.

“This was your fault in the first place. You clean it up,” Charlie retorted. “I can’t bear so many people watching, it’s uncomfortable.”

Technically it was your rune—one processed from your Lightning magic skill using your rune imprinting skills, Huey thought but was considerate enough to keep that comment for himself. Huey sighed, standing up and brushing off his hands. “Fine, I'll handle it. Go make some tea or something.”

This didn’t seem to put Charlie in any better mood. Silently, he just shortly helped picking up some debris, then gathered the guitar’s remains which he put in a bin before retreating back to the upper part of the workshop.

While the “shop” part of the workshop suffered the most being now completely exposed to the public to just look, the upper part of it, which inclined Charlie’s room and that of Huey and the back part of it which featured the kitchen and lunch area were left unharmed by the explosion.

Huey continued cleaning, muttering under his breath about the experiment that caused the explosion. His thoughts were swirling with theories and what-ifs most of which he had to admit were utter delusion. As Huey swept up broken pottery—one that was there since his Grandpa’s days, he noticed a figure approaching through the crowd gathering around them. He didn’t struggle to recognize the stride of his sister, Fia. She was dressed as she had been the day before, though she looked a little less sootless, likely because she hadn’t been to the forge yet. However, today, she was wearing a pair of a pair of google like his. Her grandpa called them "welding goggles"—wielding being an highly advanced craft mastered by the human’s of his Grandfather’s old world. It was a craft that by Huey’s grandfather’s own words, was related to smithing, but involving a much more powerful device than a forge.

She strode up to him, her gaze hard, clearly she didn’t forget about what happened the night prior.

Huey, having also not forgotten about it, responded in kind? asking dryly, “what are you doing here?”

“I heard about... I'm here to check on Charlie, not you,” she replied, crossing her arms. “You could die for all I care.”

“Hmph,” Huey’s expression hardened, his jaw clenching at her words. He turned away from her, focusing on the mess at his feet. Casting a short glance at her, “What are you doing here then, do I look like Charlie to you?” he sarcastically remarked, tossing a piece of broken vase into the bin, that he lifted before proceeding to the shop. As he did shouted upstairs, “Charlie, someone's here to see you.”

“Who?!”

“Don’t ask me.”

“It’s me,” Fia said.

Upon hearing that voice, Charlie could be heard rushing downstairs. In less than 3 seconds, the elven fella emerged, wiping sweat and soot from his face. He

“Fia…”

“Morning Charlie.”

“Good morning. What are you doing here?”

“What else could I be here for…” she cast a glance around the room, as she did, her gaze met that of Huey. “—to check on you.” She continued closing in on him.

Shy and smitten as he was, the elf backed off at the sight of her approaching, but steeling his heart forced himself to a halt.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Are you okay? Not hurt or anything?” she asked, coming to a halt close to him, her eyes scanning him for injuries.

“The shop might be in shambles, but I’m fine,” Charlie reassured.

“For being in shamble it sure is. We heard a loud and lone thunder yesterday and the commotion it brought about. I didn’t think it came from here, it was only this morning that I heard that it came from your shop. What happened?”

Charlie scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks reddening. “We were using manacyte as an energy source for a lightning rune,” Charlie ratted out casually. “That sounds ambitious,” Fia said. “It is,” Huey chimed in. “And dangerous also.”

Fia's expression turned stern. “You should be more careful about your experiments, Charlie. This isn’t just about you; it’s about everyone around you too.”

“There’s no such thing as a discovery without risk,” Charlie said, chiming in. “Discoveries are like leveling up. It can only be done by harvesting experience, harvesting them in the heat of a battle where one's life is on the line.”

“I—” Fia started, but Huey cut her off. “Well, I suppose you can't expect someone who isn’t a Verdenkind or an elf to understand.”

“Shut up, Huey! I wasn't talking to you,” Fia snapped.

Huey ignored her and turned to Charlie. “Also, Charlie, one thing that you should truly be careful about is talking too long to that person you’re talking about. Her bigoted father might cause her trouble for being here, though I suppose that’s not really your pro—”

Huey was cut off mid-sentence as Fia threw something resting on the counter at him. “Nobody asked for your input, dumbass!”

Huey casually dodged the flying phial.

”No!” Charlie screamed, “That was my last surviving vial of my Incubi ashes collection!”

***

Some moments after Fia left, Charlie glanced at Huey, who was focused on sorting through the wreckage, his face set in a grim expression. “Did you have a fight with your sister?” Charlie asked, knowing that the answer was yes.

Huey responded coldly, without looking up, “What sister? I have no sister.”

“Fia. Your little sister by two years. Ringing any bell yet?”

“Not all for I have no sister.”

“I don’t know what you guys argued about but I—”

“I think I wasn’t being clear enough, I don’t want to talk about this,” Huey strongly asserted.

Charlie winced at the harshness in Huey's voice and decided to drop the subject. “Alright, I’ll stop mentioning her,” he said quietly.

“Good. We have better things to do,” Huey gruffly replied.

Glancing at Huey and noting the large smile he displayed, he asked. “You want to try that again?”

“Of course I do,” Huey replied, his voice full of fervor.

Charlie shook his head in disbelief. “You're crazy.”

Huey smirked confidently. “Crazy? Did you forget how ecstatic you were last night after we got blasted onto the street?”

“That was “adrenaline,” that’s what Uncle Rudy called it right? In other words, I wasn’t in my right mind,” Charlie said, scratching his head.

Huey stepped closer, his eyes intense. “No, you were. In that moment just like I did. You understood the importance of our discovery.”

“What are you talking about again?”

“You stay right there, I will show you. That will perhaps refresh your memories,” Huey said, heading to his room to retrieve something. After a couple of minutes he came back, with several notes left behind by his grandfather, blueprint he called it.

“These are the blueprints Grandfather left us. He always said they held the key to advancing humanity,” Huey said reverently.

“I remember his stories, I’m sure you remember them too,” Huey said, looking at Charlie. “And I’m sure you know by now that none of his stories were just “stories.” K.R.U.L is real, just like the existence of Otherworlders, Terra is real, just like everything he mentioned about that place.

Huey spread the blueprints out on the counter or to be exact what was left of it, the edges weighted down by various tools and trinkets. Huey pointed to each one with enthusiasm.

“Do you remember what Grandfather said was the second most important milestone for humanity?”

“The discovery of electricity.”

“Exactly.” Huey then pointed at a blueprint on the table. “Do you remember what this is?”

Charlie glanced down at the design, then replied “It's a car.”

Huey nodded eagerly. “Yes. And this?”

“A warship.”

“And this?”

“A plane.”

“Yes! This?!” He pointed at a large armor-like humanoid object.

“A mobile suit,” Charlie said, his eyes widening.

Huey’s excitement was palpable. “And this?” He pointed at a humanoid drawing.

“An android,” Charlie whispered.

Huey’s excitement was contagious, as the beginning of a smile appeared on the corner of his friend’s mouth.

Huey then retrieved the manacyte chunk which he held up triumphantly. “Grandfather said electricity was needed for these to operate. Guess what we just figured out?”

“A way to produce electricity.”

“Ah—ah—ah. Not just a way to produce electricity but a way to produce it without relying on something as fleeting as one’s MP.”.

Huey nodded, his smile broadening. They both looked at the manacyte, understanding its potential.

“This could change everything. We can bring Grandfather's vision to life,” Huey said, his eyes shining with determination. “So say you, Charlie my elven brother. Do you ride with me?”

Glancing at the mess that was the workshop, “You're crazy, for wanting to do this again after what happened yesterday,” Charlie said, nervously running a hand through his hair.

Huey gave him a challenging grin. “Yeah?”

Charlie sighed but then smiled. “And I think I'm crazy too, since I look forward to this.”

Huey laughed. “That's my beloved Charlie. Let's do this.”