"Stress?" Leon repeated, confused. He'd heard the term in Earth science classes, but he'd forgotten the details.
Im set down the shard, gesturing to a nearby iron rod. "Bend this." Leon grabbed the rod, bending it slightly before letting go. It snapped back straight. "That's stress—internal forces that resist deformation. When you heat materials and cool them, stress gets trapped inside. If it builds up too much, even a small tap can make them shatter."
He picked up a dried leaf from the table, which curled inward. "This leaf curled as it dried—stress from uneven moisture loss. A ripe melon splitting when you touch it? Also stress. Your glass has trapped internal stress from heating and cooling. It's like a coiled spring—one push, and it releases, shattering the glass."
Leon nodded, memories of Earth physics returning. "So I need to remove the stress. How?"
"Several ways," Im said. "The simplest: leave it alone for decades. Stress fades naturally over time."
Leon's eyes widened. "Decades? I don't have that long."
Im laughed. "Patience is a mage's virtue. But there are faster methods. Heat treatment is the most reliable—heat the glass to a specific temperature, hold it there to let stress dissipate, then cool it slowly."
He pointed to the furnace. "Your high-temperature furnace can do it. We'll use my Stress Sensing spell to monitor the internal stress. When the spell shows it's fading, we'll keep the temperature steady. Once the stress is gone, we'll cool the glass gradually—no sudden changes."
Leon leaned forward, excited. "You can sense stress?"
"I learned Stress Sensing as a curiosity," Im admitted. "Most mages don't bother—only blacksmiths and alchemists need it. I also know Stress Infusion, which adds stress to break objects easily—but that's not helpful here."
Leon grinned. "So we can fix the glass with heat treatment?"
"Probably," Im said. "We'll need to calibrate the temperature—too hot, and the glass melts again; too cold, and the stress won't dissipate. But with the spell guiding us, it's manageable." He set aside his rune circle sketches. "Let's try tomorrow. Tonight, rest—you look like you haven't slept in days."
Leon nodded, relief washing over him. He'd been ready to give up, but Im's explanation gave him hope. Glass wasn't impossible—he just needed to master the stress removal. A functional greenhouse would let them grow herbs year-round, boost the bakery's spice supply, and maybe even lead to new inventions.
As he walked back to his room, he thought of Eldrin's journal. The old healer had written about rare herbs that only grew in warm climates—with a greenhouse, Leon could grow them. It was another step toward honoring Eldrin's legacy, another way to blend Earth knowledge with Etho's magic.
That night, Leon slept soundly, dreaming of glass panes and lush herbs. The journey to usable glass had been frustrating, but he'd learned a valuable lesson—magic and science weren't opposites. They worked together, just like Im's runes and Leon's Earth formulas.
The next morning, he arrived at the workshop early, cleaning the furnace and gathering fresh materials. Im joined him, holding a small stone inscribed with runes—his Stress Sensing focus. "Ready?" Im asked.
Leon nodded, activating the furnace. "Let's make glass that doesn't explode."
As the sand, soda ash, and limestone melted into glowing liquid, Leon felt a surge of anticipation. This wasn't just about glass—it was about proving that his past-life knowledge mattered, that he could bridge two worlds. With Im's magic and his own experiments, he was one step closer to turning ideas into reality.
The furnace roared, and the liquid glass shimmered. Im held up the rune stone, its surface glowing faintly. "Stress is building," he said. "When the glow fades, we'll start the heat treatment."
Leon watched the stone, his Mage Hand tentacles hovering near the furnace, ready to adjust the temperature. For the first time in weeks, he wasn't frustrated—he was excited. Failure had led him to understanding, and understanding would lead to success.
In the quiet of the workshop, with the furnace's warmth on his face, Leon smiled. The journey was far from over, but this time, he had a clear path forward. Glass, greenhouse, herbs—one step at a time, he was building something lasting.