Cael followed Lena down the hallway to a smaller room, away from the line of inventors waiting outside Conference Room B.
The room was spacious, with a long table in the center surrounded by cushioned chairs.
The walls were frosted glass, offering privacy, and a large screen was mounted in one corner.
The floor was covered in gray carpet, and the place smelled fresh, like the cleaning crew had just been through.
Lena closed the door behind them with a soft click and pointed to the table.
"You can set up your invention here," she said, crossing her arms. Then she sat in one of the chairs, leaning her elbows on the table and eyeing him with a mix of curiosity and skepticism. "But remember, you'll have to reassemble it for the show. This whole thing is live, Cael. You can't mess up."
Cael nodded, setting the cardboard box on the table carefully.
"Got it," he said, though his voice sounded tenser than he meant it to.
The thought of presenting to an audience still made his stomach churn, but he wasn't going to let that stop him now.
He opened the box and started pulling out cables, tools, and metal parts, arranging them neatly on the table.
The blue sphere, now free of its brown tape, he placed in the center, making sure it was steady.
Lena watched in silence for a moment, drumming her fingers on the table.
"You really think that thing's gonna work?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not doubting you, but… that's a big claim, Cael. Manipulating mana isn't just anything."
Cael glanced up, a bit annoyed by her tone.
"Just give me a second, okay? I'll show you."
He grabbed a cable and started connecting it to the sphere's base, ensuring each piece clicked into place perfectly.
His hands moved with precision, though Lena's stare boring into him made him even more nervous.
"Relax, I'm not rushing you," Lena said, though her tone suggested otherwise. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. "I just want to make sure I'm not gonna look like an idiot in front of my bosses."
Cael didn't respond, focusing on attaching the final cable.
He thought back to the previous night, when the sphere had worked for the first time—albeit at the cost of a neighborhood blackout.
This time, he was confident there'd be no issues. He'd tweaked the circuits to stabilize the energy, and the sphere was ready.
Or so he hoped.
When he finished setting up, Cael stepped back and double-checked the connections.
The blue sphere glowed softly, and the lights on the cables blinked in a steady rhythm.
"Ready," he said, shooting Lena a nervous smile. "Here goes."
He pressed a button on the base, and the sphere let out a low hum.
Lena sat up straighter, her eyes locked on the device.
For a moment, nothing happened, and Cael felt a knot in his stomach.
But then, the table under his hands began to tremble slightly.
Lena frowned, glancing around.
"What's that?" she asked, a hint of alarm in her voice.
Before Cael could answer, the chair Lena was sitting in lifted off the floor, hovering a few inches in the air.
She let out a choked gasp, grabbing the edge of the table, which was also starting to rise.
"Cael, what the hell!" she yelped, her eyes wide.
Cael couldn't help but grin.
"It's magic!" he said, throwing his hands up like he was revealing a grand trick.
The sphere glowed brighter now, casting a blue radiance that filled the room.
The table, chairs, even some loose papers in the corner floated gently, as if gravity had decided to take a break.
Lena looked around, her mouth slightly open.
'This bastard actually did it,' she thought, a mix of fear and awe swirling inside her.
The entire room seemed under the sphere's control, and she, who'd worked at ArcanTech surrounded by cutting-edge tech, had never seen anything like this.
"What is this, Cael?" she asked, trying to keep her cool though her voice shook. "Explain!"
"It's the core," Cael said, his grin unstoppable. "It manipulates mana to create effects like this. It can do way more, but this is just a test."
Lena shook her head, still clinging to the floating table.
"Okay, but if anything in this room breaks, they're docking it from you, got it? Turn it off now!"
Cael laughed, too thrilled to take her seriously.
"Hold on, check this out," he said, stepping closer to the sphere.
In front of the core, a holographic screen flickered to life in the air, displaying a menu with icons and options.
Cael swiped his fingers, selecting one, and suddenly, a sphere of water formed in the center of the room.
It was the size of a soccer ball, hovering without falling, its droplets shimmering under the blue glow.
Lena was speechless, staring at the water orb with wide eyes.
"What… what kind of trick is this?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"Magic," Cael repeated, winking at her.
He was soaking up the moment, loving how Lena, who always seemed in control, was completely thrown off.
Before he could say more, the door burst open.
A middle-aged man in a gray suit with an ArcanTech ID badge stormed in, his brow furrowed.
"What's going on here?" he barked, freezing when he saw the scene.
The floating table, papers swirling in the air, the water orb suspended in the room's center, and Cael and Lena surrounded by levitating objects. His jaw dropped, and for a second, he seemed unable to process it.
Lena reacted first.
"Close the door!" she shouted, pointing at the man.
He blinked but obeyed, slamming the door shut with a thud.
Lena, still perched on the floating table, jabbed a finger at Cael.
"Turn it off, now!" she ordered, her voice brimming with authority.
Cael nodded, a bit embarrassed for causing such a commotion.
He returned to the holographic screen and selected an option to deactivate the core.
The sphere's glow faded, and the hum stopped.
Instantly, everything floating crashed to the ground.
The table landed with a heavy thunk, papers scattered across the carpet, and the water orb collapsed, splashing the floor with a sploosh that left a large puddle.
Lena, who'd been leaning on the table, lost her balance and tumbled from the chair, banging her knee on the floor.
"Ow!" she yelped, rubbing her leg. She scrambled to her feet, face red with anger, and pointed at Cael. "Look at the mess you made! What's wrong with you? This room is for controlled tests, not for you to put on a show and wreck everything!"
Cael raised his hands, guilt washing over him.
"I'm sorry, Lena, I didn't mean… I just wanted to show you it works."
Lena crossed her arms, still fuming.
"Yeah, I saw it works, but you don't get to make a disaster like this! Look at the floor!"
She gestured at the water puddle spreading across the carpet.
"Go find a rag and clean this up now."
Cael blinked, confused.
"A rag? Where am I supposed to get one?"
Lena rolled her eyes.
"Figure it out, Cael. And hurry up—the show starts soon. We don't have time for this."
Cael nodded, a pang of sadness hitting him.
He'd been so excited to show Lena the sphere, to prove all his hard work was worth it, but now she was mad, and he felt like an idiot.
"Alright, sorry again," he mumbled, heading for the door.
Meanwhile, Lena stayed behind in the room.
She walked over to the box Cael had left on the table and stared at the blue sphere, now dim but still faintly glowing.
Her fingers brushed its surface, and for a moment, her expression shifted.
'If he'd just turned on the GPS,' she thought, her heart racing. 'This could've been mine.'