With Kaelen's help, everything changed. Valerius and Elara showed him the bits of information they had gathered from the corrupted terminal. Kaelen, with his expert knowledge, was able to piece together the larger picture. He understood the new safety protocols and the small changes Corvus had made to Valerius's original designs. He saw not just how the Aetherium Regulator worked, but also its hidden weaknesses.
"He is arrogant," Kaelen explained, pointing to a diagram he had drawn on a slate. "He has added many new safety features to prevent another explosion like the one he blamed on you. But all these systems are connected to a single, primary control node. He believes this node is untouchable, protected by the best security in the city."
"But it's a machine," Valerius said, a cold smile touching his lips. "And all machines can be broken."
Their plan was now clear. The Regulator would be displayed in the center of the Grand Exhibition Hall. During Corvus's speech, all of the machine's systems would be active, including its connection to the main control node. Valerius did not need to touch the Regulator itself. He only needed to touch something connected to that central node. Kaelen identified their target: a small Aetherium power conduit located in a service tunnel directly beneath the Exhibition Hall. It was the machine's secret lifeline. If Valerius could corrupt that single conduit, the chaotic energy would travel directly to the Regulator's heart.
Kaelen provided them with the tools they would need: schematics of the service tunnels, stolen security passkeys, and two dark uniforms to help them blend in with the Expo's stage crew. Elara, using her skills, scouted the tunnels and found the exact location of the conduit. She mapped out their path, a secret route that would avoid the heavily guarded main areas.
The night before the Aetherium Expo, the three of them gathered one last time in their hidden maintenance level. The mood was tense but focused. "This will be dangerous," Kaelen warned. "Once you trigger the event, the entire Hall will go into lockdown. You will have only minutes to escape."
Valerius nodded. He looked at Elara, who gave him a determined look back. They had come so far. He thought of his old life, of the man he used to be. Then he looked at his reflection in a dark piece of glass. He saw a scarred face, hard eyes, and a man who was no longer a victim. He was a force of chaos, a ghost ready to haunt the master of the city. Tomorrow, all of Aethelburg would watch as Master Corvus presented his masterpiece. And Valerius would be there to watch it burn.