Silence. A deep, shocked silence fell over the Grand Exhibition Hall. The only sound was the faint hiss of smoke rising from the dead machine. The crowd stared, their faces a mixture of confusion, disappointment, and fear. The city's greatest triumph had become its most public failure in a matter of seconds.
Master Corvus stood frozen on the stage, his face pale. The confident visionary of a moment ago was gone, replaced by a stunned, horrified old man. "This... this is impossible," he stammered, his voice no longer booming but a weak, trembling whisper. He looked at his broken machine, then at the shocked faces of his peers on the Council. He could see his perfect reputation, his entire legacy, crumbling to dust before his very eyes.
Panic began to ripple through the crowd. People started shouting. Clockwork Sentinels, their eyes glowing red, marched into the hall to control the chaos. It was the perfect cover for an escape.
"We have to go, now!" Elara hissed, pulling on Valerius's arm.
But Valerius did not move. He stood at the edge of the maintenance catwalk, looking down at the scene. This was not enough. It was not enough for Corvus to be humiliated. He needed him to know who had done this to him. Valerius stepped out of the shadows and into the light of a single emergency lamp.
Down on the stage, amidst the chaos, Corvus looked up. His eyes scanned the catwalks, perhaps searching for a technician to blame. And then he saw him. A tall figure in a dark uniform, standing alone, looking directly at him. Even from a distance, even after all these years, he recognized the face. It was the face of the apprentice he had betrayed. The ghost he thought he had buried in the Undercity forever.
Corvus's eyes went wide with horror and disbelief. A single name escaped his lips, unheard in the noise of the panicking crowd: "Valerius..."
Valerius looked down at his old master. He did not smile. He did not make a gesture. He simply stared, letting his presence be the final, twisting knife in Corvus's heart. He let him know that his ruin had not been an accident. It had been a judgment. Then, Valerius turned, melted back into the shadows with Elara, and was gone. His revenge was complete.