Morning dawned softly, with golden light filtering through the trees. Sylas stood on the border of his farm plot, the wind cool on his face. Selene sat beside him, studying the blueprint they had found buried underground. The soft hum of the secret facility still lingered faintly in Sylas's bones, like the memory of a storm far away.
He cradled the Terraform Core I in his hands.
The cylindrical object was no bigger than a loaf of bread, but pulsed with a warm, steady light. Thin carvings lined its surface—runes in a language he still didn't fully understand, though his Warden class seemed to.
Selene looked up. "You're sure this is safe to use here?"
Sylas nodded. "The system said this area is linked to the Hollow Root node. If I'm right… activating the core will strengthen the land. It'll make it easier to grow crops, maybe even protect them."
He knelt down next to a clump of dirt, where he had harvested carrots before. The ground seemed exhausted—dry, pale, and cracked in some areas. Sylas dug a hole in the middle and put the Terraform Core in it.
The instant he pressed his hand against the earth, the system reacted.
> Terraform Core Detected
Activating Node: Hollow Root – Tier I
Scanning.
Soil quality: Poor
Improvement Applied: +25% Fertility / +10% Growth Rate / Pest Resistance (Basic)
The ground trembled.
Not brutally, but as if waking.
Sylas took a step back as a gentle glow radiated outward from the center, curling through the earth in intricate designs. The previously dull ground appeared to take a breath, its hue darkening to rich brown. Fresh sprouts of grass poked through in spots. Even the air smelled cleaner.
Selene gasped. "It's like magic."
He smiled weakly. "It could be something older than magic."
> Quest Update: "Return Life to the Hollow"
Progress: 1/5 Fields Revitalized
Reward for Progress: Passive Skill Unlocked – Verdant Flow
(Increases crop yields by 15% in Terraform-enhanced soil.)
Sylas sighed, relief coursing through his chest. This was no longer just about staying alive. He was changing the land itself.
The system piped up.
> Terraform Core Remaining Charges: 2
Use now? Yes / No
He nodded. "Yes."
He and Selene progressed to the next plot—where he had attempted planting snaproot beans. Once more, the core was triggered. Once more, the land gave back quietly. And once more, the system paid him back.
> Progress: 2/5 Fields Revitalized
Passive Skill Enhanced – Verdant Flow II
(Crop yields +25%, Growth Speed +10%)
By the third activation, the previously empty fields seemed remade. Not overnight magic, but the start of actual change. The kind of change that counted.
Birds returned, chirping in the tops of the trees.
Tiny insects flew from one sprout to the next.
Even the wind had a gentler pitch.
Selene stooped and stroked her fingers through the new soil. "It's warm."
"It's alive," Sylas whispered.
They sat in the shade of a nearby tree, eating a meal of roasted roots and foraged berries. Sylas checked his stats as he ate.
> [Sylas – Warden of the Hollow and The builder]
Level: 12
Strength: 24
Endurance: 16
Intelligence: 34
Spirit: 15
Skills:
– Earthsense (Passive): Sense structural changes in surrounding land
– Verdant Flow II (Passive)
– Greenthumb (Passive)
– High Roller (Passive)
– Memory Sync (Passive)
– Substructure Mapping
Equipped: Warden's Gauntlets (+2 Strength, +1 Earth Affinity)
He was maturing, not only in scope—but in purpose. It all was coming together.
"You've changed a great deal since you met me," Selene observed, elbow-bumping him gently. "You used to battle just to sow a seed. Now you're bringing the dead earth back to life like one of the gods."
Sylas laughed. "Don't let the villagers hear that. They already consider me odd."
"They'll adapt," she remarked, then broke the silence. "You need to show them."
"Show them what?
"What you've done. The land, the soil, the change. Maybe it'll help them believe in your vision."
He considered it. "You're right."
Later that day, he walked back toward the village center, stopping at each small house, asking the scattered families to follow him. Some were hesitant. Others simply confused. But eventually, a small crowd gathered at the edge of his farm.
Sylas stood before them, not with speeches or promises this time—but with proof.
He gestured towards the soil, lush and fertile. Towards the new sprouts already pushing through. Towards the humming air that bore the faint whiff of life coming back.
"This land was dying," he said quietly. "Now it's not. And it's only the beginning."
One of the older men—a fellow named Bram—came forward, kneeling to put his hand on the ground. His eyes opened wide. "This… this is not ordinary earth. What have you done?"
"I brought back what already existed. I didn't create it," Sylas answered. "But I can instruct you how to utilize it."
The villagers looked at each other.
Bram rose. "You've gained my respect, lad. If you can cause the earth to grow anew, I'll do what you tell me to do."
Slow nods came in response. It wasn't cheering. It wasn't celebration.
But it was trust.
The kind Sylas had longed for.
> Quest Complete: "Restore Three Fields"
Reward: New Village Upgrade Unlocked – Greenhouse Construction (Basic)
Bonus Skill Unlocked: Soilweaver (Active)
(Enables specific enrichment of any soil tile. 2 Mana per use.)
That night, Sylas stood beneath the stars, staring at the glowing soil plots, now dimly radiant under the moonlight. Selene sat beside him, her legs curled under her.
"You're really doing it," she whispered.
He nodded. "Yeah."