Jacob found the lumber mill a chaotic mess of sawhorses and sawdust. He spent nearly an hour haggling over the price of the planks and posts, then another twenty minutes securing the massive bolt of thatch membrane that would serve as the greenhouse roof.
His mind was racing, trying to calculate the weight distribution and the tensile strength of the ropes. He tied the first knot, a complicated fisherman's bend, and frowned, convinced it was overkill.
He had been worrying about the knot for three minutes, but then he heard a sound.
It was a voice that sliced through the dusty clatter of the mill with the effortless grace of a bird taking flight. The sound wasn't loud, but it possessed a purity that demanded attention. The complicated formulas and weight concerns that were cluttering Jacob's mind instantly faded. The faint headache he always carried from the Void Gauntlet experimentation vanished.
His frantic mental list of lumber dimensions and greenhouse calculations settled, and the solution, a perfect figure-eight knot, simply appeared in his head. His heart rate dropped, and he felt a quiet, powerful focus settle over him.
He looked up.
Sera was walking toward him from the main thoroughfare. She wore a simple dress, but her presence seemed to make the drab surroundings brighter.
"Jacob?" she asked, a slight smile on her face. "What are you building, a small house? That's a lot of wood for a farmer."
Jacob secured the final rope with the precision that had suddenly been gifted to him. "A greenhouse for the salt-grass," he said simply. "The farm needs this grass to grow for the winter, and I need a controlled environment to make the enchantment work."
Sera's eyes were sparkling with curiosity. "A greenhouse for magic grass. That sounds much more interesting than what I'm doing." She gestured vaguely down the road. "Need a hand on the ride back?"
Jacob looked at the heavy lumber, the clumsy donkey, and then at her. Her presence alone had cleared his mind and made the arduous task feel instantly lighter. He knew he needed her.
"I do," Jacob said, stepping aside to help her climb onto the wagon. "Just sit here and keep humming."
Sera laughed, the sound having the effect of a gentle chime. She settled next to the lumber and adjusted the bolt of thatch membrane. The donkey, which had been fidgeting nervously, calmed instantly under the soft humming she started.
"Tell me about this salt-grass, Jacob," Sera said as the donkey began to plod slowly back toward the Sinclair farm. "And tell me why you need a whole house just for a few plants."
Jacob looked at the road ahead. He realized he didn't feel the need to be cryptic or defensive. He was not talking to a common farmhand or a curious villager. He was talking to a Sera who could magically settle his soul.
...
The ride out of the small village of Ruvka was slow. The donkey was old, and the wagon was heavy. Jacob had calculated the load capacity carefully, but he had pushed the limit, and the wagon wheels dug ruts into the muddy trail.
Sera kept up a soft, wordless melody, a tune that had no verses but somehow told a story of warmth and progress. The song didn't physically propel the wagon, but Jacob felt an unusual wellspring of energy.
He walked beside the donkey, his hand resting on the rough planks, and found his muscles didn't ache. His concentration remained sharp, allowing him to anticipate every loose stone and every change in the road's incline.
He used the time to explain the specifics of the salt-grass. "It's resilient, easy to grow, and it can soak up the salt right out of a field with some coaxing. It doesn't need much water, but it needs consistent heat to grow fast enough to do what we need it to do on the farm. That's what the greenhouse is for: replicating an endless, mild summer."
Sera nodded thoughtfully. "So it's not about making it grow better with magic, just making it grow faster."
"Exactly," Jacob confirmed. "It's a logistics problem, not a magical one. Mostly."
As they crossed the final ridge and the farm came into view, Jacob could see movement near the familiar barn. Arthur hadn't wasted any time. He had already cleared the ground behind the woodshed, a spot that was sheltered from the worst of the winter winds but still received good sunlight.
Arthur stood there with Caleb, Ellis, and Tom, the two free farmhands. Shovels were stuck in the dirt, and the men were wearing thick, patched jackets against the damp chill of the late afternoon. They looked prepared, if a bit confused.
Jacob pulled the donkey to a stop near the prepped site. Arthur walked over, his face stern but his eyes holding a familiar warmth.
"Took you long enough," Arthur grumbled, spotting Sera on the wagon. He tipped his hat. "Miss. It's good that you could join us. Maybe your singing can cheer up this miserable lot."
Caleb, now twelve and built like a small ox, grinned at Jacob. "Ready to build your Mage Tower, little brother?"
"It's a greenhouse, Caleb," Jacob corrected, dropping the reins. He glanced at the hands that had stopped digging. "Father, I need a foundation that can hold enchantments, not just walls. It needs to be precise."
Arthur nodded, understanding the nuance instantly. "We know. I told the men it wasn't a barn. We've leveled the ground exactly where you stand. The dirt beneath has been packed down. Ellis and Tom will handle the heavy lifting, the posts, and the planking. Caleb is on trench detail for the drainage. You, boy, you just focus on where the magic needs to go. Show us the why."
Arthur pointed to a clear patch of earth near a stack of fieldstones. "We need a foundation that will hold the heat enchantment I know you're planning. The stones are there. Draw your lines. Tell us where the doors and air vents sit. We're in your hands, Jacob. Start commanding."
The men waited, shovels resting on their shoulders. Jacob stood on the packed earth, surrounded by his family, his new follower, and the farm's labor. He had the materials, the site, and the manpower. All that was missing was the magic.
Jacob knelt down and grabbed a piece of chalk, ready to draw the precise, complex circuit diagram he had designed in his head. This was the moment to prove his new path.