Chapter 6 – Power That Shouldn't Exist
Two days.
That's how long Rion had been awake — half from excitement, half from paranoia that the glowing disk on his desk would suddenly turn into a miniature sun.
He hadn't eaten properly, but his trash bin was overflowing with instant noodle cups and burned-out wires.
Now, though… the prototype was stable.
He'd added a housing made from clear acrylic, built a simple on-off circuit, and even attached a voltage regulator.
It looked like a piece of art — simple, clean, and way too dangerous to show anyone.
But hiding it wasn't an option forever.
---
He met up with his old classmate, Leo, a freelance electronics technician who owed him a favor.
They sat in a cramped garage cluttered with parts, motors, and a disassembled drone on the table.
Leo squinted at the clear disk as Rion set it down carefully.
"What's that supposed to be?" Leo asked. "Looks like an expensive coaster."
"Something I've been working on," Rion said, trying to sound casual. "It's… kind of a wireless power unit."
Leo blinked. "Wireless? Like a charger?"
"Kind of." Rion smirked. "But not just for phones."
He hooked up an old power drill to the device — no cords, no battery pack — then flipped the switch.
The drill roared to life instantly.
No lag, no sputter, just smooth, endless power.
Leo's mouth fell open. "What the— how are you doing that?!"
"Trade secret," Rion said lightly, though his hands trembled slightly. "It's running off a stabilized field core. No cables. No battery. Just constant feed."
Leo turned off the drill, staring at it like it might bite him.
"Rion, that's… that's impossible. You could sell this tech to anyone—government, military, energy companies. You'd be set for life!"
Rion leaned back, smiling faintly. "Yeah, and probably dissected before breakfast."
Leo laughed nervously. "You're joking, right?"
Rion didn't answer.
Instead, he picked up the glowing disk and slipped it into a small metal case. "For now, let's keep it quiet. Help me refine it. If this leaks too early, we'll drown in NDAs before we even get paid."
Leo nodded, still looking dazed. "Man, you're serious about this. What's the name of your project?"
Rion paused for a second, thinking. Then he smiled.
"Parallel Dynamics."
---
That night, back in his apartment, Rion opened his notebook again.
Dozens of sketches and notes filled the pages, branching into ideas for generators, drones, and AI interfaces.
Each one could change the world — and he could build them all.
But his reflection in the window caught his attention.
For a moment, he swore his eyes flickered faint blue — like the glow from the chip.
He rubbed his face. "Lack of sleep. Great."
Still, the thought lingered:
Every time he crossed over, he came back with more than just knowledge.
He came back different.