As it poured through the mist, the morning light was mellow. Sylas lingered outside his newly restored home, having his arms at ease and feeling the cool wind. He remembered his work from the day before by the residual aroma of new wood on the walls.
Today, he had to dream larger.
Land lay out before him in stillness. Wild grass and weeds swayed gently in the breeze. Birds warbled softly in the distance, and a sporadic rabbit darted through the underbrush. This was not a village yet. It was just open land with scattered hopes. But it could be better.
It would be.
> [Quest Updated: Rebuild Haresh Village] – Objective: Clear land (0/1) – Objective: Prepare ground for first communal building (0/1) – Objective: Recruit help (0/1)
Sylas rubbed his chin. "Clear land, prepare ground, recruit help. easy," he teased.
He started with the clearing. The nearest patch of level ground would be perfect for the first building—a workshop, maybe, or a storage shed. Grasping his axe and a makeshift shovel, Sylas got to work.
The morning hours were brutal. He hacked through bushes, pulled up boulders, and smoothed out sections of rough terrain. Sweat soaked his shirt, and his arms ached, but the land started to change beneath his effort.
> [Objective Progress: Clear the land – 50%]
He took a break for water. His hands shook a little due to constant effort, but he grinned. "Halfway."
A rustling in the trees had reached his ears. He half-anticipated danger—but instead, he heard a voice he knew.
"You're out here early."
Sylas raised his eyes. Selene was standing close beside him, her basket of roots and herbs clutched in her hand. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail today, her clothes smudged with walking the trails.
"You followed me?" Sylas asked, slightly surprised.
Selene shrugged. "Not quite. I was walking by the creek and heard chopping. And then I saw you, thrashing around like a drowsy bear."
He smiled softly. "Thanks."
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to make this something," Sylas said, waving a hand at the empty but newly cleared landscape. "A village. Or. the start of one."
Selene tilted her head. "By yourself?"
"Yeah, for now. Unless you want to help out."
She paused, then set down her basket and approached him. "What do you want?"
"Help moving rocks. That's step one."
Selene rolled her sleeves up and followed him. Hand in hand, they began to clear the remaining debris. It was boring work, but it was simpler with two. They talked between tasks—small things, like the weather, and how still the town had been of late.
> [Objective Complete: Clear the land]
A soft chime echoed in Sylas's mind. He hardly noticed it this time.
> [System Notification: Creation Magic – New Option Unlocked: Basic Foundation]
"Here we go," he grumbled.
"Something wrong?" Selene asked.
"No. Just. something new."
Sylas walked to the center of the open space and placed his hands on the ground. He imagined the pattern in his head—solid beams, solid stone base, a roof that would ride out storms.
Magic flared under his hands.
The soil shook. Creases were etched in the ground, tracing the path of a building. Rocks floated up, set into place with an unseen nudge. Beam wood, drawn from stored-up logs, arched out from the earth and snapped into position.
Selene watched, awestruck. "You're doing magic?"
"Sort of," Sylas ground his teeth. "Creation magic. Just learned to do it."
The struggle on his mana was tremendous. Sweat beaded on his neck, and his breathing grew heavy. But he didn't get tired. Carefully, painstakingly, the shape of a small building emerged—only the foundation and frame, but straight and unbowed.
> [Goal Met: Establish foundation for first collaborative building]
> [Mana: 5/50 – Rest or recharge required]
Sylas dropped to one knee. "Okay. perhaps that was a bit too much at once."
Selene rushed over. "You alright?"
"I'm fine. Just exhausted." He rubbed his face. "The system depleted my mana."
Selene propped him up. "That was incredible. I've never seen anyone construct like that."
He smiled weakly. "Neither have I.".
They sat in quiet for a moment, looking at the building. It wasn't finished, but it was something. A foundation. A promise.
"This place," Selene whispered. "Do you truly believe it will be a village again?"
"I do," Sylas said. "Perhaps not tomorrow. But someday."
Selene nodded slowly. "Then you will need people."
> [Quest Update: Recruit Help – In Progress]
Sylas arched an eyebrow. "You volunteering?"
I'll help," Selene said. "But I know someone better. A carpenter's son. He's past the northern hills. He's useful and hates the city."
"That does sound promising," Sylas said. "Can you talk to him?"
"I'll try to."
Sylas stood up, his strength returning slowly. "Thanks, Selene."
She looked at him, a softening in her eyes. "You're different when you're working. More focused. Alive."
He blinked. "Uh. thanks?
"Don't freak out about it," she snapped, turning her back. "I'm leaving."
He grinned to himself, watching her depart.
> [Quest Progress: Recruit Assistance – 1 Lead Acquired]
He returned to the new building. It was crude, naked, and tiny—but upright against the bare ground. And tomorrow, he'd begin again. Build on. Make his work stronger.
This was no longer simply a space for hiding. It was the genesis of something bigger.
And it had begun.