Fay woke up to a sharp ache in his back. At some point, Mira had sat down beside him. She stared at the people in front of her with a distant, melancholic look, as if her mind were elsewhere.
"Did you finish?" Fay asked, wondering what was running through her small head.
"No… I just can't. But they told me not to keep going. They said to rest here and wait for you to wake up… but I still can," she replied softly.
Fay sighed. He knew he was a workaholic, mostly because he always felt the need to provide the best for his sister. But seeing her like this, he realized she wasn't so different from him in that regard.
"Let's rest, Mira. We can't get sick and start making mistakes, right? I'm sure everything will slowly… get better again. There are more helpers now—people you healed. They can do most of the work."
He lay back on the grass and gestured for Mira to do the same.
"Let's just look at the stars. We can't do more for now, Mira… just relax and think about what you want. You deserve a big reward, so think about it. A new dress? Accessories? Or something else—tell me what you want after all this is over."
Fay felt his sister's face rest gently near his shoulder as they both lay with legs stretched in opposite directions, not caring about the grass beneath them or the dim light flickering in the distance.
"I… want new fairy wings. Seeing Jiggz as a fairy makes me want mine back…"
Fay nodded at the thought. He had almost forgotten about the plastic wings that were lost in the rushing water during the storm.
"I'll try to make you some. I'm sure my teacher knows someone who can craft even better ones. Don't worry… what about a dress? Maybe a green one like Jiggz's color? I bet they can make that too."
Fay tried his best to distract the girl, to keep her from thinking about the work they still had to do, the constant coughing around them, and the many sick people. It was hard not to notice—but they could at least try.
"Yes… green like Jiggz… When will I see Mama Kueha again, Fayfay?" Mira asked quietly.
Fay clenched his teeth. Relationships were a blessing, but they also made things harder—especially when trying to explain such matters to a little girl.
"Soon… we will, soon. But for now, let's go. How about we check on Horin? Maybe she'll need one more healing before she sleeps. You still have enough aether for that, right?"
Mira nodded and began walking beside him. Together, they headed to Horin's tent, where she was supposed to be—and found her trying to read.
"Book?" Mira ran over, likely drawn by the colorful pictures of creatures on the front cover.
"Yes… a friend brought it. It's one of my old treasures. My mom gave it to me when I was small—she got it when she studied at a magic school."
Horin flipped through the pages. She couldn't read all the words, but she didn't need to. The pictures spoke for themselves—illustrations of many monsters that existed in the world. Still, she could tell this book didn't contain all of them.
Her kitten or her buzzard weren't there. Fay's hyena wasn't either. But something resembling Somni and Jolt was.
Somni appeared near the end, listed among the stronger creatures, even though Horin didn't think it looked powerful. Jolt was somewhere in the middle—not too strong, not too weak. Jiggz, as a basic slime, was shown at the very start—but his current form wasn't represented.
"So many monsters… but as you can see, not all of them are here. And not much information either—just the ones most commonly summoned."
Mira flipped through the book with excitement, her eyes wide as she studied each page. Fay leaned in as well, eager to see if there were any mind-type creatures and what they might look like. He still remembered that it was one of the energies he could manipulate—though Elaruîn hadn't wanted to give him the stone yet.
"Look, it's Jiggz! And so many more slimes! Why are there so many of them?" Mira exclaimed.
One of the pages was filled with different slime species—at least ten of them. Each one seemed tied to a different element or purpose. They were probably among the most varied species in all of magical creature kind.
The three of them continued flipping through the book, each commenting on the creatures they saw. Then, they turned to a page showing what looked like a lightning bird.
Horin trembled slightly at the sight of it.
"Is that the creature that caused… the rain?" Fay asked.
Fay looked closely at the bird. It didn't appear particularly powerful—but that was just the version depicted in the book.
"Yes… it looked like that before. Before its owner died. After that… it changed. It was a rainy day, and it began absorbing power from lightning—so much that it grew."
Mira, sensing the unease in Horin's eyes, quickly turned the page. Fay picked up the mood and pointed to a large fire dinosaur that caught his attention. It had red scales and looked like a tyrannosaurus rex.
"That one looks nice. I wish I could summon fire creatures… that would be amazing."
Horin, recognizing they were trying to cheer her up, smiled and nodded.
"I think my father said the same thing once—but his was better. I like his creature… I hope he finds enough firestones to come back even stronger."
The two nodded in agreement, and Fay quietly added it to his list of future plans.
"How about you, Horin? Do you think your kitten will get stronger?" he asked, curious about how the small creature was doing.
"I can't summon him while I'm sick… they told me not to. But I think he'll get better. I hope he grows as big as Kimya's beast—maybe even bigger someday."
They all nodded in agreement.
It was getting late, and Fay and Mira were soon told to rest—so Horin could sleep too.