Inverse System

Chapter 97 - Power Source

"Say what?" Xenia uttered, dumbfounded.

"Yeah. Though it's not perfect, we used Saph's telekinesis in a controlled device that keeps perpetual motion, something which was thought to be impossible until now. Amazing, ain't it?" Raxo explained as she patted Saphrilla's head.

"Do not sell yourself short Raxo. It would've been impossible to assemble without your help," Saphrilla complimented as Raxo rubbed her head in embarrassment, as usual, not knowing how to take gratitude.

"Hold on, you're telling me this thing you made can provide an infinite amount of power?" Rein intervened, looking at Saphrilla with a stern expression.

"Well, yes and no. It is in some way similar to the glow stones. Each one can provide limitless energy, but in a certain radius and at a certain speed. Its only disadvantage is that it has to be connected with the object, which the glow stones do not have to be shackled by. That is the only piece of the puzzle we are missing," Saphrilla explained as Rein stared with a worried expression.

"And what tole does it have on you? How much energy do you have to expend to just make one of these?" Rein asked, his worry growing further.

"... That is not important. What's important is my mother's dream…" She declared as she averted her gaze from him.

"Does Voron know about this? You told him about the invitation… Did you tell him about the device?" Questioned, to which she stayed silent.

There was a long pause, to which Raxo intervened by laughing nervously.

"Rein… Don't you think you're bein' a bit overprotective? What she's done is nothing short of a miracle," she approached the two, trying to calm down the situation.

Rein glanced over at her, then grit his teeth, looking away as he began to walk back to the shopping district.

"Right, we'd better head back now… We wouldn't want to be late," Raxo uttered as the rest of the group followed, Saphrilla taking one last glance at the slums before catching up, strengthening her resolve.

Before arriving at the Echo building, they walked back to the guild branch, the atmosphere around them so thick that you could cut through it with a knife. Raxo and Saphrilla wanted to change into formal attire before heading into the convention. The two went upstairs to change while the Rangers waited on the ground floor.

"Yo, Rein…" Quint uttered, getting Rein's attention.

"You think your little sis is being a little too reckless? She said this stuff tires her out, right?" He conferred with him, making Rein sigh out in worry.

"Yeah, she has been acting kind of weird lately too… Maybe it's all the fatigue getting to her…" Rein spoke, remembering the day he beat Sho, when she cried while hugging him.

"Ain't that a bad thing? Shouldn't we do something about it?" Quint questioned in a concerned voice.

"I'm thinking here man… Don't think I'm just gonna let her burn herself out…" He whispered to himself, inaudible to Quint as he stood there, confused.

Xenia listened to their conversation and began to grit her teeth, despite wanting to support the 2 girls in their endeavors.

After a moment of silence, the 2 girls emerged from the stairs in their formal dresses, Raxo wearing a velvet dress, laced with yellow ribbons that twirled around her waist. She also removed her cap and styled her long, red hair in curls.

Saphrilla wore a light blue dress and white frills on her top, made of a shiny material that glittered in the light of the room. Her long, navy-blue hair was worn in twin tails.

"Wow, you both look amazing!" Xenia instantly sprung up as they appeared, gushing over them as she got too close for comfort.

"Ahaha… What do you boys think? Do I look mature now?" She posed, to which Quint scoffed.

"Maybe to the untrained eye. Too bad I know your real personality. No elegance at all," he remarked, which earned him a hard punch in the face, which caused the 2 to start bickering.

"How does my attire look, Rein?" Saphrilla asked as she walked in front of him.

He smiled and let his worry go for a moment.

"It looks cute. Fits you like a charm," he said joyfully, making her blush slightly in happiness.

They made their way back to the Echo company building, the atmosphere beginning to lighten up. As they arrived, they found a large crowd of people occupying the outside of the skyscraper. They all seemed to be scientists and engineers talking amongst themselves, the crowd seeming to extend into the building, where large rows of chairs were set out in front of a stage, where the chosen inventions would be showcased.

The front seats were numbered, which was where all the inventors would be sitting, Saphrilla and Raxo receiving their numbers. Rein, Quint, and Xenia would have to sit in the back seats and spectate the two being called up on stage.

However, that wasn't until a later time. For now, they walked around, observing other people's inventions. They saw all sorts of different designs, but most of them made use of glow stone rocks to make them work, which put a sour taste in Saphrilla's mouth. As they continued walking around, they were suddenly stopped by a voice from behind.

"Raxo? Is that you?" A girl's voice could be heard as they turned around, seeing a short-haired blonde girl shouting out to them.

She was dressed in formal attire just like the two girls, with an elegant yellow dress.

"Becca..?" Raxo uttered as she turned around to face the girl.

"Wow! You actually came back. Did you get an invitation too?" She asked enthusiastically.

"Huh? O-oh, yeah…" Raxo replied with an intimidated look on her face.

"Well, that's a surprise. I wouldn't expect that of you," the girl arrogantly laughed, making Raxo look down at the ground with a discouraged expression.

"We have so much catching up to do though! You can tell me all about your failures back at your parent's house when you come visit!" She stated as Raxo looked up at her in confusion.

"My parent's house..?"

"Oh? You don't know yet? After your dad sent you away, he took me in as the heir to the company. You never proved your worth anyways. Well, I look forward to seeing you there," she waved, walking away from the group, Raxo with a devastated look on her face.