If there was one thing El’rra hated the most, it was leaving her fate to complete strangers. Making matters worse, there was no way in hell she was leaving her wards to someone who looked as wild as River. Sun tribespeople are wild, crude, and closer to becoming like the beasts they hunt than any other tribe.

And yet somehow, this sun tribesgirl was way beyond more than she appeared to be. She wore her crown, the signifying student brooch over her chest, and yet the damned desperation in her eyes matched El’rra’s brother’s long ago before a freaking miracle happened. This must be the day the Great World demanded her comeuppance for the kindness that was extended to her brother years ago. And she was about to pay for it.

With a frustrated groan, she finally gave in, nodding.

The children marching forward in snappy movements until they made a half-crescent formation around the burned body that River was focusing on. Soon, her little healers joined the chanting in perfect cadence. Unlike the silly sun tribesgirl’s uncontrolled pitch plus the dull monotone voice of Me’ren’s chanting, the children had quickly adapted to the speaking words. Elevating it to a booming harmony of a single controlled chorus. With her practiced healers, the volume transformed tenfold.

The very space around them seemed to vibrate in electrifying tension, raising hairs on the backs of her arms. It was never like this. The presence they raised upped to a level of tremendous pressure, stealing breaths and putting anyone to a stunned daze. A phenomenon like this had been a lot similar to a healer’s book she read as a girl.

Denemundo Summanus.

A folklore magic lost to the notorious ancient library that had long been burned by god tribespeople when they rebelled from the Great World’s will. Its magic was the stuff healing ceremonies were made of. Prima materia. Cosmic substance.

Mist rolled in on the surface of Lumino lake and the sharp scent of a rainforest hit her. Fog formed out of her nostrils as she breathed, the temperature dropping way out of normal.

Was this dangerous?

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The kids were fresh from a healing session earlier this morning, they should be feeling the day’s exhaustion right at this moment.

Should she be stopping this?

Unbelievable.

A female form rose out of the pool. It was a woman wearing a gossamer gown with silver dots of stars mapped on her skin like freckles in wild abandon. She had a fresh smile, a rose blush and a golden vibrant glow in her eyes. Moonshine was the vibrancy of her complexion, the aura around her glittering like a night sky. Without giving any thought to it, she and along with everyone in the grotto dropped to their knees.

That’s when they heard it.

A lilting sound that stretched into a soft moan from the throat. A gentle cadence of a voice spoke about the joys of bonds and friendship through an accent El’rra has never heard before. “Sing to me, daughter.” commanded this lake woman.

What is sing?

River pulled her mouth open, emitting a frightening sound much like what some howling predators would make from above ground.

Against El’rra’s ears, the sound was grating. Almost what an animal would have sounded like if they were under some tremendous pain.

The burned body lying on ground shot up to sit. His body had mended in a dizzying way as though time had sped backwards turning his skin back little by little, resetting what had happened to him. Her kids abruptly stopped their chanting to watch the miracle play out in front of them.

But El’rra wasn’t the least bit suprised. She had seen a miracle before and it demanded an unknown price for its favor. A dry bitter aftertaste coated her tongue as she saw the miracle of a charred body returning to its full health state as though the burns were never there before. She was old enough to know that there was a price to pay in exchange for this miracle. And today will be the day where she greeted her maker, and pay her debts. Honorable as it is, she preferred not to lose what she had earned and fought for over these years.

But every gifts comes with a curse, of course. And she will accept her due. Late as it may be.

Today, the Great World had presented its price for a miracle bestowed upon her and her brother long time ago. And it was much too precious than she was ready to pay for. However, what she wanted never really mattered.

The world was full of twists and turns, deaths and miracles.

This was simply inevitable.