CHAPTER 56 — Fire, Clay, and Failure
📅 28 July, S.C. 1510
👦 Ren — Age 7
📍 Foosha Village → Ren's Workshop → Small Furnace Pit
The morning fog still hugged the village when Ren hauled a heavy basket of river stones behind the workshop.
Zemo padded beside him, sniffing at everything with curiosity.
Ren wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Today we improve the furnace."
Zemo tilted his head.
Ren pointed at the uneven clay pit he had been using for simple melting.
"It's too weak.
Heat escapes.
Clay cracks.
The iron doesn't get hot enough."
Zemo snorted as if saying: Finally you noticed.
Ren frowned.
"Hey. I'm learning."
PART 1 — COLLECTING MATERIALS
Ren had listed what he needed last night:
river stones (for heat retention)
clay (for reconstructing the furnace walls)
sand (for strengthening the mixture)
charcoal (fuel)
driftwood (kindling)
broken iron scraps from fishermen's tools
Zemo helped dig clay.
Ren struggled to carry it.
Zemo carried twice his weight like it was nothing.
Ren panted.
"You're cheating, Zemo…"
Zemo barked proudly.
PART 2 — BUILDING THE FURNACE WALL
Ren mixed clay and sand, adding water slowly until it reached a thick consistency.
He patched the cracks in the old furnace wall.
Then layered river stones around the interior —
not too many, not too few.
Zemo watched the process with the seriousness of a master craftsman.
Ren nodded.
"This should keep heat trapped and stable."
He paused.
"…I think."
Zemo sighed.
PART 3 — INVENTING A SIMPLE BELLOWS
Ren brought out a wooden contraption — a crude bellows he had assembled using:
stitched leather scraps
driftwood pieces
two hollow bamboo pipes
It looked ugly.
Very ugly.
Zemo stared.
Ren puffed his chest proudly.
"It works! Probably."
He squeezed.
Phffft.
A weak puff of air sputtered out.
Zemo blinked slowly.
Ren groaned.
"…Okay it needs improvement."
He reinforced the sides with rope.
Tightened seams.
Adjusted the bamboo angle.
He tried again.
FWOOOOOOM—
A sharp blast of air shot out, startling Zemo so hard he backflipped into a basket.
Ren panicked.
"ZEMO?! You okay?!"
Zemo crawled out, ears flattened, clearly offended.
Ren hugged him.
"Sorry! I didn't know it would work that well!"
Zemo barked angrily.
Ren took notes immediately.
Bellows Version 1 — Success
Strength: Good airflow
Weakness: Unstable. Terrifying. Might kill me someday.
PART 4 — THE FIRST MELTING ATTEMPT
Ren loaded the furnace:
Charcoal at bottom
Iron scrap pieces
Bellows attached to the side hole
He lit the fire.
Zemo sat a safe distance away, tail twitching with excitement.
Ren pumped the bellows.
The fire grew.
Hotter.
Hotter.
Sweat dripped down Ren's forehead.
"Okay… okay… almost there…"
The iron scraps glowed orange.
Then red.
Ren's eyes widened.
"It's working!"
Zemo barked.
Ren pumped harder.
And then—
CRACK!
One furnace wall split open.
Flame shot out to the side.
Ren yelped and jumped back.
Zemo tackled him to safety.
Ren coughed, covered in soot.
"…Failure."
Zemo licked his face, scolding him.
Ren muttered:
"Fine, fine… partial failure."
PART 5 — ANALYSIS OVER EMOTION
Back inside the workshop, Ren wrote:
Furnace Attempt #3 — Failed
• Clay wall cracked under heat
• Sand ratio too low
• River stones placed unevenly
• Bellows stronger than expected
Solutions:
• Add more sand for thermal strength
• Use thicker clay layer
• Rebuild inner support stones
• Test airflow in stages
Note:
Failure is progress.
Every mistake narrows the correct path.
Zemo sat beside him, cleaning his fur with long, annoyed licks.
Ren chuckled.
"You did save me though."
Zemo froze.
Then puffed out his chest with pride.
PART 6 — STARTING OVER
Ren walked back outside with Zemo.
The furnace was damaged, but not beyond repair.
He picked up his tools.
Zemo brought him clay.
Ren smiled.
"…Let's try again tomorrow."
Zemo barked softly.
Ren looked at the broken wall, the scattered stones, the soot on his hands.
There were no witnesses,
no applause,
no big breakthroughs.
Just a boy,
his wolf,
a broken furnace,
and a dream that burned hotter than fire.
Low-key.
Slow.
Steady.
But foundations were being laid.
Piece by piece.
Failure by failure.
Heat by heat.
END OF CHAPTER 56