Sharath turned four years old the way other children turned door handles: methodically, with intent, and while carrying a notebook in one hand.
He spoke fluently now—when he needed to. But most of his communication still came through diagrams, gestures, and the occasional muttered "no, no, that curve's wrong" over dinner.
The day began with a polite family breakfast and ended in his workshop with a wheel flying off a test cart, bouncing across the hall, and nearly decapitating a ceremonial armor dummy.
"A dramatic start to a new age," he muttered, brushing soot from his cheek.
❖ A Chain of FailuresFor months, Sharath had been trying to build a self-powered push-cart—something a child could ride and operate using hand or foot pedals. The idea was simple.
Execution? Less so.
Prototype 1:Chain drive misaligned.
Pedals snapped.
Result: One bruised apprentice and a pile of kindling.
Prototype 2:Wheels too narrow.
Bearings overheated.
Result: Cart spun in circles until Dayo fainted.
Prototype 3:Load too heavy.
Frame cracked.
Result: "Why does it smell like burning oats?" (Thermo fled.)
Each failure was recorded in painful detail.
Sharath made them into lessons:
Chain tension is everything.
Heat kills bearings.
Balance isn't just for wheels—it's for expectations.
His chalkboard read:
"If it fails safely, it teaches.If it fails catastrophically, document faster."
❖ The Questioning ChildBy now, rumors had spread across the entire estate.
"Have you met the little lord?" a potter whispered."The one who asks how glaze reacts to pressure?""He asked me what trees make the least splinters," said a carpenter."Didn't he rebuild Hendrick's bellows last month?"
Every craftsman, tradesman, and gardener had at some point been cornered by a small boy with very serious eyes and a list of questions.
They started calling him:
"The Questioning Child."
Some said it reverently.
Some nervously.
But none denied his intelligence.
Sharath, of course, remained blissfully unaware that his curiosity had become a cultural phenomenon.
❖ A Circle PerfectedThe breakthrough came when Mina—now taller, sharper, and often covered in grease—accidentally dropped a carved wooden ring onto a stone floor.
It didn't bounce.
It spun.
Sharath stared at it for ten seconds.
Then shouted, "That's it!"
Everyone in the room froze.
He grabbed the ring and began scribbling:
Circular tension balanced
Edges smoothed
Inner ring carved to accept bushing insert
Slight concavity prevents lateral wobble
Within the hour, he'd carved a new wheel base using layered oak and copper trim. It spun evenly. Smoothly. Silently.
He bolted it to a test axle and turned the crank.
It moved.
It glided.
He called Mina and Dayo.
"Try it," he said.
They climbed aboard the test cart, Mina steering and Dayo pedaling.
The cart rolled.
And kept rolling.
And didn't squeal, or shake, or snap.
It just… worked.
They glided down the corridor and came to a smooth stop near the west stair.
Silence.
Then cheers.
Then, from the shelf above: meow. (Thermo approved.)
❖ The First MachineHe named it the Glidewheel Mk. I.
It used:
Two polished axle supports
A flexible pedal-chain drive system
Smooth-core wheels with layered bearings
Adjustable frame size for different riders
Sharath spent the next two weeks refining the design:
Added stabilizers for sharp turns
Enchanted runes for mild push-assist
Swappable chain gears for speed vs. torque
He even designed a safety strap system, which Lady Ishvari found both impressive and deeply suspicious.
"You made this?" she asked, as Sharath zipped past her in a prototype chair-cart.
"With help," he replied proudly.
She clutched her chest. "Varundar, our son just drifted around a marble column!"
❖ Log Entry – Chain & Circle CompleteAge: 4 years, 3 weeks
Failures: 12Confirmed near-explosions: 3Thermo-approved designs: 1
Successes:
Gear function stable
First smooth-rolling wheel complete
Apprentice skills rising
Parent panic level: mild
Next Phase:
Field test durability
Adjust enchantment-to-effort ratios
Begin draft for mass-producible version
Sharath stared at his drawing of the cart, traced one wheel, and smiled.
One step closer to motion. Real, scalable motion