Apprentices Spark and Ember are introduced in the thermal regulation tunnels beneath the town. They discover that the threat is manifesting as an active, aggressive cold rather than the conceptual fading seen elsewhere. Spark observes that the frost on the main thermal regulator valve is absorbing light, indicating a manifestation of nullity or absolute absence, possibly linked to the sealed Frostworks Annex. The established lore regarding conceptual theft seems inadequate against this thermal assault. To prevent the Northern Residential Sector from freezing, Spark decides on a highly dangerous, unsanctioned countermeasure: overloading the primary injection line with raw geothermal concept to force the cold back. Ember prepares the manual override, setting the stage for a critical, high-risk confrontation between raw heat and absolute cold.