ShadowBound: The Need For Power

"That," Dylan said, "is a Myst reservoir."

The words remained in the illuminated chamber for a moment, and then Dylan moved.

All the earlier sleepiness vanished from him so completely that it might never have existed. He stepped closer to the central vessel with bright, almost offended enthusiasm, stopping just short of the boundary where the floor channels thickened around its base. His eyes traveled over the reservoir in quick, hungry movements: the crystal housing set behind layers of thick transparent casing, the stabilizing bands wrapped around the vessel, the conduits climbing upward into the ceiling, the carved distribution lines spread through the floor, and the old metal-like braces keeping the entire structure locked in place.

He crouched, shifted sideways, stood again, and circled the reservoir with enough restraint not to touch it but not enough restraint to stop looking like he desperately wanted to.

"This is absurd," Dylan muttered, though the words sounded more like admiration than complaint. "Old-style containment shell, reinforced crystal housing, layered stabilizer bands—look at the spacing on those. Not decorative. They’re pressure regulators. And these floor channels are not just feed lines. They split distribution before the upward conduits, probably to keep the chamber from overloading if one route rejects flow. The output lines climb into the central structure, but those secondary grooves near the pillar bases... those may branch into district-linked circuits, unless they’re just grounding channels. No, wait, look at that notch pattern. That’s not grounding. That’s directional routing. Ugly, ancient, and brilliant."

Felix’s stylus began moving faster.

Ariana followed Dylan’s gaze with enough understanding to keep up, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully at the lines he identified. Sheila watched both of them, catching the terms that mattered but not the full technical storm. Liam understood even less of Dylan’s rambling in detail, but he understood the shape of it. The reservoir was not ornamental. It was connected. It had once powered something above them, perhaps several somethings, and Dylan’s sudden enthusiasm meant it was more valuable than the room had already suggested.

Dylan leaned toward one of the bands, hands clasped behind his back as if Edith’s earlier threat still haunted him. "The conduit design is old. Really old. Not inefficient, though. Heavy. Built like they expected irregular flow and decided to beat it into obedience through structure. The crystal housing is central, but the stabilizers do the real work of preventing surge spread. Whoever built this knew power distribution inside fortified settlements was not supposed to be pretty. It was supposed to keep working when everything else was screaming."

Ariana’s mouth curved faintly. "I told you that you would be happy once we got down here."

Dylan turned toward her with wounded sincerity. "Ariana Merdin, I owe you a formal apology. I doubted you. I was young, foolish, sleep-deprived, and betrayed by the hour. I see now that I was wrong."

"You were wrong about complaining?"

"No, complaints remain spiritually necessary. I was wrong to doubt that this hidden underground chamber would contain something worth interrupting my dreams."

Maxwell was not present to tell him to stop, so Sheila had to give him a look instead. Dylan accepted the warning with a small, theatrical bow and turned back to the reservoir, his expression still glowing with interest.

Ariana stepped closer to Sheila and Liam, her tone shifting into something simpler. "Dylan is saying this chamber was meant to store and distribute power. The crystal inside the reservoir does not create Myst from nothing. That would not make sense. More likely, it gathers ambient Myst from the surrounding area, refines it, stabilizes it, and stores it in a form the structure can use."

She pointed toward the conduits climbing into the ceiling. "Once stored, that power could be distributed upward through those lines. At minimum, it likely powered the central structure’s control chamber. The signal stones, route markers, gate indicators, lighting, and old status panels may have relied on it. If the outer distribution channels still connect as far as they appear to, it may also have supported parts of Veyrhold’s district systems."

Sheila’s gaze moved from the vessel to the ceiling. "So the control room above may not be dead. It may simply be unpowered."

"Possibly," Ariana said. "But not confirmed until we study the lines properly."

Dylan, still circling the reservoir, stopped near the front of the crystal housing. His expression lost some of its brightness. "There is the problem."

Sheila looked at him. "What problem?"

"The crystal is dead."

That quieted the chamber more effectively than his enthusiasm had filled it.

Dylan bent closer without touching the housing. "No pulse. No draw. No output. A reservoir like this should have at least a faint internal rhythm if the crystal is storing or refining Myst. Even dormant systems have residue cycling through the housing. This has none. The frame and conduits are built to distribute power, but there is nothing active inside the reservoir to distribute."

Ariana nodded slowly. "That matches what I sensed. The surrounding structure retains old pathways, but the central source is inactive."

Dylan gestured upward. "Which explains the dark control room, the dead indicators, the inactive signal stones, and probably the lack of functioning light sources inside the central structure."

Sheila absorbed that in silence.

Liam watched her translate the information into command terms. A control room without power was a map and a promise, nothing more. Signal stones that could not signal were decorations. Gate indicators without output were carved guesses. If the reservoir remained dead, then the central structure might still help through records and layout, but the true system would remain out of reach.

"So even if we understand the controls," Sheila said, "we cannot rely on them until this reservoir functions."

"Correct," Ariana said.

Liam looked toward the wall crystals still glowing around the chamber. "Then how did you light this place?"

The question turned several eyes toward him.

He kept his gaze on Ariana. "If the reservoir is dead."

Ariana did not seem surprised by the question. "Because I did not activate the reservoir. This chamber likely has a separate maintenance circuit or emergency access line. What I used earlier was a local activation point. I fed enough magic into that circuit to wake the inspection lights and reveal the chamber."

Dylan snapped his fingers once, suddenly animated again. "Yes. Exactly. That square section she used is probably a manual input plate. External Myst access. For inspections, repairs, or emergency checks when the reservoir is inactive. The lights take very little power compared to the control system above. Think of it like breathing into a lamp, not restarting the heart of the building."

Felix paused mid-writing. "That is a useful comparison."

Dylan looked pleased. "I have them sometimes."

"The control chamber," Ariana continued, "would require stable power from the reservoir itself. A little external magic through a maintenance plate will not safely run an entire coordination system."

"Unless someone wants to burn out old channels, crack a relay, and turn the central structure into a very educational failure," Dylan added.

Sheila looked from Ariana to Dylan. "Can the reservoir be restored?"

Ariana did not answer immediately. She moved closer to the crystal housing and studied the dead center through the transparent casing. The chamber lights reflected faintly in her glasses, making her eyes harder to read. Dylan also went quiet, which made the moment feel more serious than any warning could have.

"There are two possible ways," Ariana said at last. "The better long-term solution would be replacing the dead crystal with a new compatible crystal. A proper replacement would give a cleaner and more stable power source if fitted correctly."

"But?" Sheila asked.

"But that would take materials we do not know if we have, time we may not be able to spend, and experience I do not have with this specific reservoir type. Replacing the central crystal incorrectly could damage the housing or destabilize the distribution lines."

Dylan nodded, expression thoughtful. "Also, compatibility matters. You cannot just shove a pretty crystal into the heart of an old reservoir and hope Veyrhold claps politely. Wrong density, wrong refinement pattern, wrong storage behavior, and the system rejects it. Or cracks it. Or cracks itself. All terrible options."

Sheila’s face remained composed, but Liam saw the calculation behind it. The better solution was not the usable solution.

Ariana continued, "The second option is restoring or reviving the crystal already inside. That is less ideal. It may not return full output, and if the crystal is too degraded, it may only provide partial or unstable power. But it is fitted to the system. Its housing, bands, and conduits were built around it. Given our situation, that is the reasonable option."

"If it is not completely ruined," Dylan said. "Dead and destroyed are not the same. If the core lattice inside the crystal still has enough structure, restoration might work."

Sheila turned to him. "How long?"

Dylan’s mouth twisted as if he hated giving a number before touching anything. "With a capable Alchemy student helping? Maybe two to three hours for an initial restoration attempt. Maybe."

"Maybe," Sheila repeated.

"Yes, Commander, because ancient dead reservoirs do not come with polite little time labels. It depends on how damaged the crystal is, whether the housing opens safely, whether the reservoir accepts restored flow, whether the old stabilizers still behave, and whether the system decides it hates us personally."

Felix wrote quickly. "Tentative estimate: two to three hours with Alchemy support. Not guaranteed."

Dylan pointed at him. "Bless you for making me sound professional."

"You almost were," Felix said.

Ariana looked toward Sheila. "If we attempt restoration, it should be controlled. No forcing full output immediately. We would need to test whether the crystal can hold even a small charge first."

Sheila nodded, her decision forming before she spoke. The original shape of the morning had changed again. Liam could see it in the way her eyes moved from the reservoir to the conduits, then upward as if she were already placing the control chamber above this one inside a broader plan.

"Then today’s objective changes," Sheila said.

Dylan looked relieved that someone else had said it first.

Sheila continued, voice steady. "We do not push widely into the remaining districts this morning. Not blind. If restoring this reservoir takes a few hours and gives us even partial access to the central structure’s systems, it is worth delaying broader expansion. Light, route indicators, signal stones, gate status, district warnings—any one of those could prevent wasted movement or injuries."

Ariana nodded. "I agree."

"The goal is not to waste the morning," Sheila said. "The goal is to stop moving blind. We begin this immediately once we have the necessary people. The Southern District remains guarded. Scouting beyond cleared routes stays limited. The central structure becomes the priority until we know whether it can support command operations."

Felix looked down at his notes, then to Sheila. "The year will need a clear explanation when they wake. If they expected district clearing at first light, this will look like delay unless framed properly."

"It is not delay," Sheila said. "It is preparation."

"Still needs framing," Liam said.

Sheila glanced at him. "I know."

He gave a slight nod. She did.

Dylan rested his hands on his hips, eyes still fixed on the reservoir. "For once, I fully support abandoning physical labor elsewhere in favor of giving me this beautiful dead nightmare."

"Do not become too attached," Ariana said.

"Too late. I have already judged its flaws and become emotionally invested."

Sheila ignored that and looked toward the stairway. "If the academy issues tasks today, they may complicate this."

"They gave you one day to become less useless," Liam said. "Their patience probably has limits."

"That was almost comforting in its honesty," Felix murmured.

"No, it was not," Dylan said.

Sheila’s expression tightened slightly, but she did not argue. The assessment had been quiet for one day. That quiet had let them gather the year, secure part of the Southern District, and find this chamber. There was no reason to expect the academy would continue waiting until Veyrhold was convenient.

"Then we strengthen our position before the next pressure arrives," she said.

Liam’s attention shifted before anyone else reacted.

A faint vibration moved through the structure above, too patterned to be settling stone. Footsteps on the stairs. More than one person. Wing’s outside awareness brushed the edge of his mind with confirmation: movement entering the central structure from the Southern route. Familiar shapes. No threat.

"Sheila," he said.

She turned to him.

"Edith and Maxwell are returning." Liam looked toward the stairway. "Looks like they found the person."

Dylan’s expression brightened with recognition and mild dread. "Ah. The chair-library name."

Sheila gave him a look that promised future consequences if that became how he addressed the student. Then she turned toward the stairs, already adjusting to the next step.

"Good," she said. "Then it is time to meet the Forgemastery specialist whose name both of you somehow failed to remember."