The beam shuddered under Ace's paw.
Stone dust rained down.
The miners froze.
No alarms.
No whistles.
Just the sound of something deciding whether to hold.
Ace closed his eyes.
"…Okay," he murmured.
"We're doing this."
---
Stopping the Collapse
Ace didn't give orders.
He asked, loudly.
"Who checks this support?"
A hand rose.
"When was the last time it rested?"
Silence.
"Who can stop the carts?"
A lever clanked.
The mine exhaled.
The beam steadied.
Barely.
But enough.
---
Authority Appears
Guards arrived.
Not inspectors.
Soldiers.
The foreman pointed.
"That one. He interfered."
Ace climbed down slowly.
A captain approached.
"You're disrupting sanctioned labor."
Ace looked at the cracked ceiling.
"I'm preventing a funeral."
The captain hesitated.
He'd seen funerals.
---
Elsewhere – The Cost
At the workshop—
Ravenna was taken.
Not dragged.
Invited.
"You're needed for clarification," they said.
She nodded.
"I figured."
She left the door open behind her.
---
The Choice
In the mine—
The captain lowered his voice.
"You need to leave."
Ace shook his head.
"If I go," he said,
"they'll restart."
The captain looked away.
"…Yes."
Ace exhaled.
"Then I stay."
---
The Arrest
Chains were unnecessary.
But they were used.
The miners watched.
Some angry.
Some relieved.
Some terrified.
Ace met their eyes.
"Document everything," he said.
"Especially the mistakes."
They nodded.
---
Parallel Cells
Ace sat in stone.
Ravenna sat in glass.
Two prisons.
Same intent.
Control.
---
End Beat
News spread faster than decrees.
The Architect detained.
The Workshop dissolved.
Safety protocols ignored.
But also—
Miners refusing unsafe work.
Guilds copying the mistake logs.
Cities arguing openly.
In his cell—
Ace leaned against the wall.
"…Worth it," he whispered.
Because sometimes—
to keep a system from collapsing—
you don't redesign it.
You stand under it.