"Mom! Hurry! We are already late!!"
"Yes, yes! Don't be too excited, there will be enough for everyone."
"You don't understand! Don't you see all these people around us!? There might be enough, but if we are too late, it might run out! So hurryyyy!!"
The next morning, the Elders' Square, which had gone silent yesterday night, was filled with people again.
Steam rose from the long line of pots, bells rang softly as ladles dipped and clinked. The air carried that familiar smell of warmth and spice—the smell that had been missing for just one day, but one day was all it took for the people of the Heights to realize what life felt like without it.
Yes, the Divine Rations.
The Divine Food had returned.
And the news quickly pulled more and more people, especially those who hadn't eaten anything after breakfast yesterday. The Divine Food was not just a luxury to them; it had become a necessity. They were too habitual to it to return to normal food.
