The morning light slanted through the broken warehouse windows as Ethan paced slowly across the dusty floor His footsteps left faint marks on the ground forming the first path of what would one day become a center of innovation Toren practiced controlled fireball heat pulses against a slab of metal while Lira attempted short summoning loops that made a small horned creature pop in and out of reality The energy in the room felt raw unfocused and yet full of potential Ethan could sense something forming a true beginning

He wrote a basic agenda on the wall for the day Problem discovery Value statement Mana cost breakdown Customer identification The two founders looked at the strange list as if it were a new category of magic Ethan explained step by step that every spell had a cost and every customer had a need The trick was matching the two in a predictable scalable way

He guided Toren to think of fireballs not as explosions but as controlled units of heat energy He taught Lira to think of her summoned creatures not as pets but as mobile labor assets with varying performance characteristics It took patience but they learned quickly even if they asked unusual questions such as whether a fireball should be priced by heat strength or by emotional satisfaction or whether summoned creatures deserved time off Ethan answered gently but he kept them focused on numbers and systems

Around mid morning a group of robed individuals walked toward the warehouse Their robes bore the deep blue crest of the Mage Guild Toren froze midsentence The summoning creature hid behind a crate Lira whispered that the Guild never visited buildings like this unless something unusual had been reported Ethan simply straightened his jacket and greeted them at the door as if meeting investors at a conference

The lead guild mage asked if Ethan was the outsider who had been teaching unlicensed magical applications Ethan clarified that he was not teaching spells He was teaching innovation systems and business structure The mages looked confused so he elaborated telling them he was showing spellcasters how to deliver value more efficiently A second mage asked if that meant he was forming an illegal school Ethan replied calmly that he was forming a place for founders to grow ideas not a magic academy

The guild members inspected the warehouse They questioned the fireball marks on the wall and the chalk charts about cost and output One of them pointed at a diagram showing a fireball unit cost equation and asked what language it was Ethan said it was the language of numbers and progress He explained that in his world such diagrams helped build industries and create millions of jobs The guild mages exchanged bewildered looks

Finally the lead mage said the Guild would allow this activity for now as long as no forbidden spells were taught and no unlicensed spell rituals were performed Ethan agreed practically this helped him far more than it helped them The mages left with uncertain expressions leaving Toren and Lira relieved but also energized If the Guild noticed them then they were doing something that mattered

After the encounter Ethan realized something important If the accelerator was going to survive he needed legitimacy The Guild held the structure of magical society and kingdoms respected it He needed allies mentors advisors people who could vouch for him and protect his founders He wrote a new goal on the wall Secure a Guild adviser by day thirty He had thirty days to convince a centuries old organization that innovation was not a threat but an opportunity

Later in the afternoon Ethan held what he called a mini demo session Toren demonstrated precision heat pulses a controlled form of fireball that could warm metal evenly without scorching it Lira demonstrated timed summon loops that created predictable delivery intervals Ethan clapped sincerely telling them both their progress exceeded expectations The two founders glowed with pride The sense of direction was something new to them something their world rarely provided

As night settled Ethan sat on a pile of crates reviewing his notes He thought of the Guilds of Silicon Valley acceleration programs early stage investors and the first founders he had ever backed He felt the same spark here The same fragile energy that could grow into something revolutionary if handled with discipline and vision He closed his eyes letting the cool night wind push against him and whispered to himself Stay the path ArcSpark will become real