Aldric clicked his tongue.
"...Stupid bastard."
Kaelira merely smiled.
"As I said..."
"I've got no intention of ever leaving my master."
Aldric rolled his eyes dramatically.
"...Whatever."
The two continued bickering behind them.
Neither Draven nor Lyriana paid them any attention.
The corridor gradually grew quieter as they moved deeper into the airship. The sounds of the outside world faded away, leaving only the low, steady hum of the enchanted engines reverberating through the metallic walls.
Their footsteps echoed softly in the narrow passage.
After several moments, Lyriana spoke.
"Your Highness."
Draven glanced toward her.
"What is it?"
She carefully raised the metallic artifact she had been carrying.
The interlocking rings rotated slowly around a glowing core.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Soft blue mana flowed through the engraved runes like streams of liquid light.
"I've finished understanding most of its functions."
Draven looked at the artifact briefly.
"...And?"
Lyriana nodded.
"As you suspected..."
"...it's a spatial artifact."
She gently rotated one of the outer rings.
A faint ripple spread through the air in front of her before disappearing almost instantly.
"It can create portals."
Draven remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
"However..."
"...the portals do not appear to be designed for extremely long-distance travel."
"They're much better suited for connecting locations that are relatively close to one another."
Her fingers traced several glowing runes along the surface.
"But that's only part of what it does."
Draven's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Explain."
Lyriana looked thoughtfully at the rotating rings.
"The artifact can manipulate..."
"...control..."
"...and stabilize an already existing spatial formation."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"For example, if someone had already constructed a teleportation circle..."
"...this artifact could interfere with it."
"It could reinforce the formation."
"Redirect it."
"Or even alter its destination."
She lifted her eyes to meet his.
"I don't believe it was originally built for creating portals."
"It was designed to govern them."
Silence settled between them.
Draven considered her explanation for a long moment.
Then he asked,
"...If you were to create a portal yourself using the artifact..."
"...how far could it reach?"
Lyriana slowly shook her head.
"I don't know."
"I haven't discovered its limit yet."
"There hasn't been enough time to test it properly."
She glanced down at the rotating rings again.
"I'll need considerably more experimentation."
"Distance."
"Mana consumption."
"Portal stability."
"Everything still needs to be verified."
Draven gave a small nod.
"I want exact numbers."
"No estimates."
"No assumptions."
"Only confirmed limits."
Lyriana bowed her head.
"As you wish, Your Highness."
The soft clicking of the artifact continued to echo through the corridor.
Click.
Click.
Click.
From farther ahead, a calm voice spoke.
"My Lord."
Draven and Lyriana turned simultaneously.
A figure approached at an unhurried pace.
Pythia.
Her hands were folded behind her back, and her gaze settled upon the rotating artifact. A faint smile touched her lips.
"I couldn't help overhearing your discussion."
She stopped a few steps away.
"If Your Highness truly wishes to determine the artifact's limits..."
"...then we'll need to push it beyond what we currently understand."
Draven remained silent.
Pythia continued.
"We'll need proper testing."
"Not assumptions."
"Not theories."
She gestured toward the artifact.
"If we merely open portals and observe them..."
"...we'll learn very little."
Lyriana nodded slightly.
"I reached the same conclusion."
Pythia's smile deepened.
"Then we should prepare a test object."
Lyriana tilted her head.
"...A dummy?"
"Yes,"
Pythia replied.
"A construct."
"A simple wooden mannequin would be sufficient."
Her tone remained calm and practical.
"If something goes wrong..."
"...I'd rather lose a piece of wood than one of us."
A brief silence followed.
Then she added,
"I also don't believe it's possible to create two portals that occupy the exact same point in space."
"If my understanding of spatial laws is correct..."
"...the two formations would interfere with one another before either could fully stabilize."
Lyriana's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"...That makes sense."
Pythia inclined her head.
"The dummy would allow us to observe the destination safely."
She paused again.
"...Though I believe we can improve the experiment further."
Draven looked at her.
Pythia answered immediately.
"A tracker."
Silence.
"The dummy should carry one."
She clasped her hands together.
"Whether the portal remains stable or not..."
"...the tracker will allow us to determine precisely where it emerged."
"If the portal fails..."
"...we'll still know the approximate point at which the spatial connection collapsed."
Lyriana nodded slowly.
"...That would also allow us to measure maximum range."
"And portal drift."
Pythia smiled.
"Exactly."
"The more variables we eliminate..."
"...the more reliable our conclusions will be."
Draven's crimson eyes settled upon the artifact once more.
"...How long?"
Pythia considered the question for a moment.
"If the necessary materials are already aboard the airship..."
"...a prototype dummy could be assembled within a day."
"The tracker will require additional work."
"Perhaps another day."
Lyriana added calmly,
"I'll record mana consumption."
"Portal diameter."
"Stability."
"Duration."
"And any fluctuations in the spatial field."
Pythia nodded approvingly.
"Good."
"Once we've collected enough data..."
"...we'll finally know what this artifact is truly capable of."
The corridor fell quiet once more.
Click.
Click.
Click.
The metallic rings continued their slow, rhythmic rotation, casting shifting blue reflections across the walls.
Draven looked at both women.
"...Do it."
Neither hesitated.
Lyriana bowed deeply.
"As you command, Your Highness."
Pythia inclined her head.
"I'll begin immediately."
The two women turned and departed in opposite directions, already preparing for the experiment.
Behind them, the artifact continued to rotate.
Click.
Click.
Click.
And with each measured turn of its rings, the airship carried a secret capable of reshaping the very laws of space.