Nahida leaned in, eyes bright as she peered at the eight thumb-sized pills cupped in Idris's palm. Each one shimmered with a soft, living warmth.
Idris finally allowed himself a weary smile. "You can call these Su Xin Dan—Pure-Heart Pills. I refined them by condensing the essences of Sumeru's herbs."
He lifted one between two fingers. "They steady an agitated mind, and they scour the body for lurking ailments."
Three sleepless days had yielded only eight pills, but the grind had paid off: his movements were now confident and precise—future batches would come far easier. As a proper administrator, he'd already begun sorting his notes for the Akasha, groundwork for the Pillcraft Darshan to recruit instructors.
Nahida's delight bloomed into surprise. "So this is pillcraft… distilling scattered virtues into one spirit, and the result is—this." She blinked, then remembered. "Grand Sage… will it help Eleazar?"
"Of course," Idris said. "That's why I made them. We can start trials immediately—see how patients respond."
Her joy flickered—and then concern took its place. He was swaying on his feet, steps uneven, the lines of exhaustion carved deep.
"Please rest first," she urged, small hand catching his sleeve. The gentleness in her voice washed away the last shadows of resentment; faced with the chance to heal Eleazar, she chose to worry about the man in front of her.
Idris paused, feeling just how frayed he was. He nodded. "You're right. A ruler shouldn't let his people see him… unsteady. I'll sleep a few hours."
He turned—and Nahida, lips pursed in mock annoyance, tapped a finger to his brow. A warm tide of drowsiness folded him up, steering his feet toward the bed.
"In your notice you so solemnly 'returned dreams' to the people," she murmured, half chiding, half fond. "A ruler without feelings, hm? And you hid the truth of the Akasha's dream-harvest so well that even I only learned the full reason now…"
She sighed, and her voice softened to a lullaby. "Even if I tried to hate the world… I couldn't hate you. So—dream well, Grand Sage."
The words drifted with him into sleep.
Elsewhere in Sumeru City, boots hammered the paving stones.
Tighnari sprinted through the streets with Collei on his back, her face pale as parchment.
"Hold on, Collei! The clinic's close!"
"It's… fine, Master Tighnari," she whispered. "It's Eleazar—Sumeru can't cure it yet. And this isn't a full flare. If I just… hold on a while, it'll pass."
"That's not 'fine'!" he snapped, lengthening his stride. He wasn't gambling with her life on a maybe.
They had only just returned—after escorting "Katheryne" and planning to visit friends, to petition the Grand Sage about better support for Forest Rangers. They hadn't even reached the Akademiya.
And now, Collei was burning up in his arms.
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