“This isn’t magic,” she breathed, dropping her cigar in shock. “It’s geophysics . The crystal is a superconductor. It’s channeling the planet’s magnetic field, the mantle’s heat, the ocean’s pressure—all into a stable lattice. Milo, this isn’t a myth. It’s the most advanced energy system ever conceived.”

She turned the wheel. The pressure released. The volcano calmed. Atlantis shuddered—then held.

“You’d have to kill the planet,” Europa said flatly. “And even then, I’m not sure you’d win.”