The copper joint made a sharp, bright crack. Its glow flared from orange to white for a heartbeat, and the glassless mill window rattled in its frame. Eri pulled the release cord.
The local barrier went dark. The current stopped before it could overload the village pylon further. At the junction, one test coil burned through with a flash and a curl of smoke. The neighboring node lights remained on.
Yan released the central feed immediately. The force dispersed through the designed channel instead of pushing back into Long Reed. His cultivated gains held; the practiced method’s internal strain strengthened him, even as the external current vanished. Qinghe checked the gauges and confirmed that the pressure had fallen on the local side without dropping at the neighboring markers.
Wei asked the formation crews to keep the lane clear while residents moved into the hall. They had prepared the route, and the villagers followed it without crowding the switch. Nobody was injured. The pressure outside remained low, and the dark barrier left the houses exposed only to ordinary weather.
Eri kept hold of the cord for a moment after the current stopped. Then she let it fall against the switch post. “I pulled because the glow changed and the mill window shook. I won’t apologize for ending it.”
