Chapter 12: Miracles

It felt like a dream once. A dream where Amber was soaring over the clouds, weightless and free. Not by her own power but with another, as the stars shine bright during the night, and the shattered moon hanging before her eyes.

How close they appeared to her, as though she could easily reach out and grasp them within her hand. And how happy she was when she realized it was all real. That he was real. Her hair fluttered as the crisp air blew across her face.

Below them, she could see vast lands of green. There are a few forests here and there, and mountains on the horizon. They were so above everything else, it's a wonder she hasn't suffered high altitude sickness.

Laughing so joyfully, she draws Kalis' attention. He grinned at her.

"Enjoying yourself back there," He called out to her.

"Of course I am," Amber beamed. "Seriously, is this what flying is like?! I hope so because this is the most fun I've ever had!"

Kalis chuckled at her cheerful demeanor. She has forgotten all about the altercation with Mr. Shao and her horse wanting to abandon her.

While she was giggling like a child, Kalis focused entirely on containing himself, a trait shared by all of his kind.

"Breathe steady, Kalis, you can do this," He mumbled to himself. Perceptively low so that Amber wouldn't hear.

It wasn't easy reigning in his infernal desires. It wasn't like how mortals feel for just the fleeting moment of carnal pleasures, or even animals on the verge of heat.

What his kind experience was much more, intimate and personal. Sometimes the desire led them to madness, and if they weren't able to obtain what they wanted, would have disastrous effects.

But Kalis was confident that he had it under control. Slightly.

His inhibitions may have been slipping for a while without his notice, his moral compass sliding to the edge, and he could very well be fooling himself of control.

It was hard not to give in. The press of her breast behind his back was tempting, and her thighs crossed around his waist made him lose a low growled. Breath steady breaths.

"S-Say Amber, what was your journey like," Kalis asked quickly. He needed a distraction, anything to keep a grip on his bloody impulses.

Amber shuffled slightly.

"Why the interest?" She asked, tilting her head. "I doubt my adventure is anywhere near exciting as yours."

"I'm kinda curious," Kalis shrugged casually, but his grip on her thighs tighten. If Amber had notice, she didn't say.

"I might have been to many places, but I don't stay long. What was it like traveling your world. Seeing it through your eyes, and the wonders that come with it. What was life like here, with you here? Oh, and of course the food here, how many dishes do you guys have? "

Amber snorted, caught off guard by his curiosity. Here was a being of alien origins, cradling her on his back, and has traveled to distant worlds. And yet he wishes to know her, and her world.

"I don't know where to begin," She admitted. "I haven't exactly been all over remnant y'know, and most of them I've been aren't quite exciting."

"That's alright by me," Kalis spoke, his silky voice drift through the wind like a soft caress. "Tell me all about them."

A chill went down Amber's spine. His voice was... entrancing, carrying melodious vocals musicians dream to have. His golden orbs, filled with childlike eagerness, made her involuntary gasp when he rested them on her.

He truly was a wonder.

"I… I," Amber stammered. She could hardly muster a perfect sentence. Her heart was beating fast, like the fluttering of a honey bird, wanting to burst out of its cage.

'Keep it together, Amber, you just met him. Yeah, he's extremely attractive, but don't forget he's an alien… which is also a dragon. An attractive, alien, dragon. Oh, Gods!!'

Kalis frown, concerned as Amber appeared to be in a daze. Taking a direct approach, Kalis pinch her thighs to get a rise out of her.

Amber squeak as his hands took hold of her. He loosens his hand, with fierce reluctance.

"Sorry," Kalis apologized, looking away sheepishly. "You seem distracted for a moment, had to get your attention somehow."

Amber looks at him sternly.

"Oh, thank you Kalis for the pinching… I really needed to feel the pain of your sharp claws."

Kalis gave her a cheeky grinned, satisfied. It seems that his dark desire is slowly ebbing away. Thank the ancestor for that.

"No problem, I'll gladly pinch you whenever you feel dull and simple," Kalis said, eagerness.

Amber glowered at him, apparently, he didn't catch her sarcasm. Also, did he just call her slow?

She lends closer, wrapping her arms tighter.

Kalis jolted, his wings fluttered sporadically.

"Um, Amber, your…um, arms seem tighter than usual, is there a reason for that?" Kalis asked, his voice hitched.

"Hm?" Amber uttered, squishing closer to Kalis, nestling her head on the back of his neck. "You must be imagining things, Kalis, besides, I have to hold on tight, lest I fall. You wouldn't want me to fall, would you," She cooed, as her fingers twirl a string of his hair.

Kalis brow twitch. She was really teasing him, a dragon of immense power, the gall of this woman.

And to make matters worse, his infernal desires return, stronger than ever. Within him, his blood sang, and his heart raced. Kalis bit his lower lips, straining to contain himself, and the things he wishes to do.

"Oh look!" Amber pointed to the east. "There is a village close by. Would you mind landing there, Kalis?"

Kalis took a deep breath and nodded at her request. He glances at the village far from here and-

His eyes narrowed perceptively, his nostrils flared. Kalis was too busy with other things to pay attention to his keen awareness. Too busy to reel in his taboo desires. Even as they were a thousand meters above ground, Kalis smell the sweet odor of spilled blood.

"Amber, not to alarm you or anything, but the village is being under attack!"

"What!?" Amber peered over his shoulders to gain a better view. It was impossible for her to see at such a height, but not for Kalis. The horrid creatures of Grimm were slowly taking the village over.

Kalis saw the mutilated bodies down below, sprawled across the ground, and the remaining survivors fleeing for their lives.

A lone huntsman was giving it his all, as he cleaves a beowolf with his axe in half and blasted the skull off an Ursa with his hand. His unique powers or, semblance as Amber calls them, was channeling the kinetic elements that surround him.

A powerful ability to have, but unfortunately not enough. He was quickly being overwhelmed, the Grimm had him surrounded, and Kalis could tell the huntsman was getting tired.

He will not survive.

"Hang on tight!" Kalis told Amber. It was the only warning he gave her before he flapped his wings and blasted down. Like an arrow knocked from a bow, Kalis cut through the air at a daunting speed. He oriented himself, aiming his foot at the biggest prey that he assumed to be the leader.

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Sterling blasted a thunderous beam of red energy at the maws of a giant Grimm. Its head imploded on impact as it tumbled to the ground. Panting, Sterling was beginning to recharge, hoping to get a hit on the variant Grimm that caused all this.

But he never had the chance to act, as a beowolf pounced at him. Sterling swung his axe, cleaving through its neck as it fell. The beast's head tumbles to the ground.

Sterling cursed. That momentary distraction caused him to lose focus. It takes thirty seconds to recharge for it to be considered lethal, a minute for it to be deadly.

He never once went past thirty minutes charged. Now he wished he did, maybe then, this wouldn't have turned out into a massacre.

Casualties are piling up, and the locals who still live are barricaded in the town hall. The last that still remains with these monsters were him and the little girl.

She was crying into the chest of a woman, who lay still. The woman clothes were bloody and tattered, and the little girl was oblivious to the fact that her mother is dead.

But how could she know her mother was dead? She was barely a toddler, around two or three years of age.

Sterling glared at the monster with venomous hate. It glared back, uncaring, and emotionless, as it towered over him. Standing at around fifteen feet, was a Grimm that resembled a goat, standing on hind legs, with long arms and sharp claws.

It's bone-white mask, with its red glowing eyes, regarded him as it cocked its head to the side.

Sterling shivered under its gaze. The beast was studying him, watching his every move. The variant bleated loudly, sounded like how a goat would. Except, twisted and distorted with a guttural, deeper pitch. Monstrous.

It was the most bloodcurdling thing he ever heard in his life.

The satyr Grimm strides towards him. Slow and with purpose, and the others of its foul ilk follow suit.

They encircled him, blocking all chance of escape. The goat Grimm was chortling, like it was amused by the suffering it would inflict.

Sterling took his stand, his axe raised. He was prepared to die, not much he could do to change his fate. But his main concern was the girl. She was still out there, with him, with these monsters.

The Grimm have yet to pay attention to her. She was beneath their notice.

At least there was some form of blessing in this world. The glint in their eyes showed a malign intent towards him and him alone.

"You bastards want me, huh?" Sterling snarled, channeling kinetic energy around him. Red energy coalescing on his right hand, blossoming like fire.

"Then come at me, you fucker! I'll send you all to hell with me!"

His battle cry compels them to accept his challenge. The Grimm horde bound towards him. The variant Grimm sauntered over, taking its time.

Sterling was aware that he would die; this was his fate. It was the fate of all hunters and huntresses. Those who choose the path of the hunter must always be aware that they too will be the hunted.

Sterling was close to striking, ready to cut down the nearest Grimm, but… he hesitated. In a split second, something from above caught his eye. It was only within those seconds- that the thing he saw in those spare moments- crash down on his position with a thunderous boom.

Fast as lightning itself, it took Sterling a while to process what had happened.

Sterling eyes widened, baffled at what he was seeing. The variant Grimm, which was the cause of the tragedy surrounded him, lies dead under the shoe of the new spectator.

Its body crushed, and the remaining Grimm look just as befuddled as Sterling.

"By, Freya grace," Sterling whispered, astonished by what transpired. Sterling never considered himself a religious man. But seeing the person before him killing the variant with ease, made him reconsidered his stance.

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Kalis fell upon the Grimm-which look remarkably like a satyr- and crushed it under the ball of his feet with a sickening crack.

Amber came off his back, and grab her staff, and thrust the pointed end, piercing an Ursa through the neck. The Grimm finally decided to react as they were caught off guard by their new adversary.

They charged at them with reckless abandonment. With their leader dead, their attacks were uncoordinated and wild, turning the Grimm back into simple beasts.

Kalis and Amber strike with quick sufficiency, giving the Grimm no quarter. Amber thrust and stabbed with the elegance of a dancer, and blasting fire with her hand whenever a Grimm got close. Kalis, however, rib and tear with primal brutality.

He grabs the neck of a beowolf and snap it like a twig, and kicked an Ursa from behind, sending it careening towards a broken building. Kalis dark desire was still present, but he used that same feeling to fuel his bloodlust.

His feature, masked with cold fury, as he took his time killing the Grimm. He wanted the violence to last longer, so the feeling could wash away. But the huntsman, who was already here, decided to join in the fight.

Kalis held back a growl against the Huntsman. His primal instinct was convincing him the hunter was stealing his kill, his prey. But that was far from true.

The Grimm horde thinned out quickly, leaving a handful to remain. Sterling swung his axe, and cleaving two beowolf in half, Amber burnt another to a crisp, and Kalis finish the last by grabbing both arms of an Ursa and ribbing it apart, its guts spilling on the dirt ground.

Silence descended, save for the heavy breathing of Sterling and Amber. Kalis let out an annoyed huff. It still wasn't satisfying.

"Thank you," Sterling said, drawing their notice. "If not for the two of you, I don't think we would've made it."

"You're… welcome, sir," Amber faltered. She could not look away. The bodies were strewn across the ground, their guts spilled out, as vacant eyes glazing out in horror.

She felt nauseous building up. For all her journey, for all her experience, Amber believes that she would get used to it. But she didn't. How could she, when people's lives were snuff out, slaughtered, and left to rot?

Her gaze was so fixed on the scene, that she barely noticed the hunter standing beside her. What hurts her the most were the children. Their small frame was recognizable because… the pieces. Amber could see their tiny hands clutching a toy.

"Miss!" Sterling called to her.

Amber turns to him weakly, her eyes glossy. Sterling was a man of middling age with tanned skin and long silver hair tied in a ponytail. His jade green orbs, fierce but carries kindness within them. The three scars, across his face, didn't disfigure his handsome visage.

"Are you alright, lass," Sterling asked, worry etched his voice.

Amber nodded numbly, as she held back the tears threatening to fall.

Sterling sighed, as he shook his head."No, you're not fine. Look at yourself, you're shaking like a leaf."

Amber realized that he was right. She felt cold chills, and her body trembled all over. Her willpower alone stops her from breaking down, from falling into the frightened little girl she once was.

"Come with me to the village hall, maybe something in there will help calm your nerves."

Amber nodded again, fearing her words would betray her.

As Sterling guided Amber towards the center street, he briefly glanced at the one who killed the variant Grimm. Kalis waved them off, as he comforted the girl who refuses to leave her dead mother. Sterling nodded appreciatively and led Amber to the big building that is barricaded.

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Kalis knew of death and lost. He has been a part of it for a long time. The war for eternity lasted for eons, and he watched many of his friends, his kin, taken before his eyes.

Kalis sat on the ground, cradling the little girl in his arms. Her tears wetted his velvet shirt, but he didn't mind, the least he could do for her was allowing her to cry.

He patted her golden hair tenderly, which calmed her considerably. The little girl sniffled, as she looked up at him.

"You're pretty," the girl stated, blushing.

"Thanks," Kalis chuckled. "I fancy my good looks from my mothe-" Kalis shut his mouth quickly, but the deed had already been done. Her lower lip quivers, as tears well up.

But she didn't cry. A brave little thing she was.

"W-will my mommy wake up?" the little girl asked timidly.

"Depends," Kalis responded. "What is your name, little one?"

"E-Evelyn Malik, but mommy called me Evie."

"Evelyn," Kalis said, nodding. "A lovely name. Now, then, let's discuss your mother's predicament."

Soft gray eyes look at him with anticipation, with hope.

"Will you wake my mom?" She asked softly. An innocent question for a child, though her ignorance of death is troubling. Does she not see the corpses? The child's mind is truly strange.

"I… Don't think that'll be fair," Kalis phrase.

Evelyn's brow creases.

"W-why wouldn't be fair? I need her," Evelyn pleaded.

Kalis knew not how to tell her.

"Look Evelyn when...um, people sleep," Kalis emphasizes, intermingling sleep with death. "Their essence — or souls — goes back to the great ethers."

Evelyn tilted her head, as Kalis continued.

"It is a wonderful place, where limitation is nonexistence, and freedom reigns supreme. I think that your mother is dreaming there."

Evelyn creased her brows again, thoughtful.

"Then, can you bring her back?"

"Well…" Kalis trailed off, averting his gaze.

Evelyn frowned and pointed at him accusingly.

"You said, it depends," Evelyn reminded. "That gotta mean you can. So bring momma back."

Kalis scoff at her, as he leveled a stare. The little girl was unyielding and prideful for such a young age. She will be a formidable woman when she is older.

"How demanding you are, little one, and you are correct I can do what you're asked." Kalis sits her up as he begins to stand. He crossed his arms as he regarded her.

"Tell me, Evelyn. How old are you?"

"Five," she answered. "Next month will be my birthday."

Kalis nodded, as he looked up to the sky in deep contemplation. The sky was crystal blue, the birds started to sing their melodies, and the wind became playful with his hair.

"I guess I could grant what you want, but I demand something in return," Kalis told her. "And I assured you that it would be costly."

Evelyn nodded meekly, clutching her small dress of pearly white rim with purple.

"Momma told me that nothing in life is free, so sometimes you gotta work for what ya' want in life. And if ye got a debt to pay, you gotta work off those debts to."

Evelyn cast a look over her mother, hoping she will stir awake. But she didn't. Evelyn's mother was as pale as snow, the blood-caked her clothing, drying up. And the smell.

Evelyn turned back towards Kalis in a desperate plea.

"Please, ma'am, please save momma! Please!"

Tears fell freely from her eyes, the fear of losing her mother, forever.

Kalis scratches his head sheepishly.

"Actually, I prefer to be called sir," Kalis added. Although his species are not tethered to genders, he likes the male half better.

"R-really," Evelyn sniffled. "You look too pretty to be a gross boy."

Kalis gazed at her blankly. Not certain if he should be flattered or insulted.

"I don't have anything to give you," Evelyn affirms. She held out her hand, her pinky finger stretched out for him. "But, if you bring momma back, I pinky promise to pay you back."

Kalis brow rose slightly. He wasn't going to take her seriously. After all, she was just a child. Besides, he already planned on it. Kalis' lowers himself to her level, and grasps her pinky finger with hers.

Kalis smiled gently at her innocence. If only mortals remained like this, not stuck in a child body, but with childlike kindness and curiosity.

Perhaps then, their world would be peaceful. If only they knew.

"Since we have sealed the deal, it's time I finish the end of my bargain," Kalis said.

Evelyn beamed in pure joy.

"Now watch closely," Kalis told her. He lifted one finger. Small golden lights coalesce before her. Evelyn marveled at it, as the golden light danced around her. Evelyn giggled, as the golden light ball continued to play, and she swore she heard the little light whisper to her. Several more appeared from Kalis's fingertip, prancing in the air, as the ethereal sparks whispers around them.

Soon, when Kalis was satisfied that enough of them were here, he whispered back to them. They stop their dancing and darted in every direction where the fallen lay.

Evelyn's watch, as the balls of light spring into action.

"What did you say?" Evelyn asked, curious about their changed behavior.

Kalis smiled fondly as a proud parent would.

"I simply said, 'call forth those who wish to be home.'"

Evelyn turned back around and saw the little light dance around her mother. A dome of pure energy envelops her mother, and Evelyn was certain, more than ever, that everything would be alright.

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Amber sat upon one of the benches in the village hall of accommodating size. As she looked around the dimly lit room, she could see the terrified faces of everyone here. A woman weeps for a son, whose remains are outside the building.

A burly man stared vacantly into the distance, unable to remain composed in the face of his wife's death. No one could get a response from him.

Even a child, unattended for, cries in the corner for his parent.

"A horrible thing to see," Sterling said to her right. "All these people lost their loved ones during the initial attack. I doubt they'll ever be the same."

She turns to him as he held a cup for her.

"Honey Lavender," Sterling commented, gesturing for her to take it. "One of Mistral's best said to cure stress instantly. Well, so they say."

Amber reached for it with both hands tentatively and thanked him, and took a sip. It tasted sweet but with a sour aftertaste, but it did the job. She felt less jetted than before.

Sterling took a seat beside her. He groaned in protest as he tried to settle down.

"You alright, Mr. Sterling," Amber questioned, worried.

"Y-yeah," Sterling dry-heaved, rubbing his shoulder. "Just feeling the aftermath of the encounter with the beast." He sighed tiredly.

"I guess it shows I ain't getting any younger."

He surveyed the group within the halls. A few good chunks of folks were still kicking, a couple of injuries here are there, but fine nonetheless.

However, none seem keen on venturing outside. It was hard to tell if they feared more Grimm will show or couldn't stomach seeing the bodies.

And Darwin, the burly man with shaggy brown hair, who is the leader of the community, seems lost to the world. Sterling wasn't sure if Darwin would ever snap out of it. Then again, Sterling wouldn't know how it felt. To see the love of your life, killed before your eyes, and there was nothing you could do to stop it.

Well, it does something to a man. It breaks them in ways Sterling could never fathom. It's the only reason why he never settles down, never retires from the hunt. In an unjust world, the ones you cherish most could be taken away in an instant.

Sterling allowed them to stew with their thoughts, as he focuses on the girl at his side.

"So, Lass," Sterling said, stoking up a conversation. "Is this your first-time tragedy?"

Amber shook her head. "No, but I still can't get used to it. Especially when… kids are involved."

"Understandable," Sterling remarked.

"Unfortunately, our world isn't getting any better. The Grimm are getting smarter, and our government is becoming too lax, leaving poorer folks to defend themselves. Not to mention, the white fang and brotherhood of purity are preparing a full-scale war."

The huntsmen sighed deeply, and rub his temple.

"Be prepared, Lass, more tragedy like this will come. Just you wait and see."

Amber scoffed, as she sipped her tea again.

"You're a very jaded man, Mr. Sterling," Amber retorted, looking away from him. "Not everything has to be so damn awful."

Sterling shrugs. "I'm merely a realist lass, not an uncaring monster like most hunters I know. I tell ya this for your sake. Steel your heart when it is needed, otherwise…"

Sterling glanced at Darwin. The fool has not paid attention to his son, who still wails in the corner.

" You'll end up becoming an emotionless husk, with no will to carry on. Not living for a cause or anything really."

"Than," Amber began. "How… how do you decide when to care and when not to? Do you want me to become a machine with no empathy, compassion when you're supposed to save everyone?"

"That's not what I meant, lass." Sterling chastised. "It's okay to feel the things you do, but sometimes, you just have to understand that you can't go save everyone."

His hard gaze bore into hers, steely and haunting. Those eyes tell stories of a forgotten misery, with hope dashed right in front of him. Startled, Amber shook at what she sees.

'Gods', Amber wonder. 'Just what has this man been through?'

"You can't save everyone," Sterling pointed out. "Not even the ones close to you. I'm sorry, but, it has always been like this for any hunter. For a hunter, it is a lonely profession in the end."

Amber understands what he meant. That isn't to say she agrees readily. She looked beyond those despairing eyes, trying to carry the ray of hope within her. She refuses to let it dim. Furthermore, she gazed at him, unflinching.

Soon, it was Sterling who broke away. Muttering about foolish youth optimism.

The hall doors burst, as a lean young man ran in.

"Everyone, come quick!? You all need to see this," The young man shouted.

"What is Nolan, more Grimm!?" Sterling questioned, grabbing for his ax beside him.

"No sir, it's…it is."

"Spit it out, Nolan, what's happening out there!?"

"It is the Fanus sir, she or he is-- Gods, I have never seen anything like it before!"

Sterling eyed Amber. She wasn't sure what was happening either. Sterling breathed deeply before rushing out. Amber set her tea down and followed behind.

As soon as Sterling and Amber came out, what grace their eyes, shock them to the core.

"What," Sterling began, his voice trembling. "In the name of the four Goddesses, is this."

Amber was just as in awe as Sterling. Transfixed on the scene, with their mouths agape, they bear witness to a phenomenon only witness in fiction. It was way beyond the borders of the supernatural and reality.

The people who once were lifeless corpses are up and about. They appeared sluggish as if they had awoken up from a restless sleep. Footsteps echo behind her, as soon the rest of the villagers peer out.

Gasps resonated within the halls when they saw the others alive. They burst past her and Sterling, rushing to meet their loved ones. The weeping woman snatches her child into an embrace, crying uncontrollably as she cradles him into her arms, while the boy was complaining about being smothered.

The same act played out for the rest of them, the villager from the hall grabbed hold of their family and friends and weep like babes. The others, however, look confused, as if they were unaware of their own deaths.

"How…just how?" Sterling asked, dumbfounded.

Amber couldn't give him the answer. She was as baffled as he was. But she did know of who has done the impossible.

Amber turns to where Kalis stands. Orbs of tiny light dance around him, surrounding him. The little girl from before was smiling radiantly as she embraces her mother.

Kalis was having a chat with the little girl's mother. The woman's tears flow as she was being told of what had happened. The lady grasps his hand in gratitude.

Amber couldn't believe this was real. Before she was even thinking, her own feet were leading her towards her companion. Kalis brought them back.

Amber didn't know how or why, but she didn't care. Kalis has done the unimaginable. Kalis has shown hope was real. Hope in a dreary world where tragedies like these were common place.

She strode past the folk and their happy cheers, past the burly man and son, as he reunited with his wife and the son hugging his mother.

Her focus lies solely on Kalis. The being of wonder that came into her life. She had no idea how he did what he's done. But for her, for everyone here in the village, was a miracle they never saw coming.

Kalis turns to her, noticing her presence. Just as he was about to say something, Amber jumps into his arms. Kalis almost tumbled to the ground, stunned by her sudden action. Amber buried her head upon his chest, wrapping her arms around him.

Kalis was about to question her, when he felt the shake of her shoulder, and the wet tears falling on his shirt. This will be the second time a girl in this world cried on him. He hopes it doesn't become a trend.

"Amber…" Kalis called softly.

Amber tighten her grip, as holding on to him would prevent him from disappearing.

"T-Thank you," Amber said, between sobbed. "I-I don't know… what you did o-or how you did it, but… thank you, Kalis. Thank you, for what you did."

Kalis looked at her perplexed. Even when she is this close to him, Kalis doesn't feel the dark desire rousing within. A small token of relief washed over him, as he patted her head.

"No need to thank me ~ beside, I would've done something like this regardless of anyone saying so."

He knew what he has done would be considered magical, if not downright taboo, in most Gods eyes. He wouldn't go so far as to bring every deceased person back, but Kalis couldn't stand idly by while others were being slaughtered before him.

It was a stubborn trait he picked up on his journey across the omniverse. An unfitting behavior for a dragon is to care for lesser creatures.

Amber sniffed, as she let him go and wipe away the tears.

"I still should thank you, though," Amber was adamant, unwavering in her gratitude. "What you've done… words couldn't express the miracle you've made."

Miracles? Kalis hardly believe in such things, it was his power alone that made it possible, not some divine force.

Nonetheless, Kalis nodded at her gratitude and turn toward the villagers. Some were to focus on their loved ones. While others, gaze at him with reverence. Kalis's brow creased. He hopes they wouldn't start worshiping.