The City Roars Back to Life

Greaves stares at you — just a twelve-year-old apprentice, covered in tunnel grime and breathing hard — and something in him crumbles. His hand drops from the shutoff lever. "How did you even get here?" he whispers. You don't answer. You step past him and throw the ignition sequence, exactly as Master Aldric taught you.

Steam roars back through every pipe. The Furnace blazes golden, and one by one, the lights of Cogsworth City blink on across the skyline like waking stars. The crowd outside erupts in cheers that shake the iron walls.

When the Constabulary arrives, they take Greaves quietly. Then Chief Engineer Sola turns to you and offers something you never expected: a full engineer's position — no longer an apprentice. You press your sooty hand against the warm, humming iron of the Furnace and smile. Cogsworth City is alive, and so are you.