Chapter 48: It’s a Miracle

Once the light died out and my eyes had time to readjust, I looked around the room to find Elise lying on the ground. I cried out her name, dropping to her side.

She groaned, cracking her eyes. "Did it work?" she asked in a weak, gravelly tone, turning her head to look at Shera. "Great..." she muttered, passing out in my arms.

Looking at Shera, it was clear the magic had worked. Calvin dropped to his knees, hugging his daughter. His loud crying filled the room. It was truly a touching sight to see.

"Thank you," he said, sniffling afterward. "You saved my baby girl." He turned toward me, snot draining from his nose. "How can I ever repay you all?"

"Don’t worry about that right now," I said, carefully sliding my arms under Elise’s legs and back. "Just take care of your daughter. We need to get Elise home so she can recover."

She felt incredibly light in my arms, her body completely drained of energy. Damara stepped up to support her neck while Katrina held the bedroom door open for us. Calvin simply nodded, still too choked up with tears to speak as he held Shera tight.

The walk back across the village felt much faster than the trip there. The mid-morning sun had already burned away the thin layer of frost, warming the dirt road beneath our boots.

A few locals stopped to stare at our group carrying an unconscious girl, but Katrina shot them a sharp glare that kept everyone at a manageable distance.

Once we reached my house, I carried Elise straight upstairs and laid her gently onto my bed. I pulled a heavy quilt up over her shoulders.

"She just needs sleep," Damara whispered from the doorway, keeping her voice incredibly low. "She completely drained her mana pool."

"Let her rest as long as she needs," I replied, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door quietly behind me. The hardest part was finally over. Now, we just had to let her rest.

I found myself greeted by Katrina and Micro-Sarah downstairs, both of their eyes gleaming at me.

"What?" I asked. "Do I have something on my face?!" I teased, rubbing at my cheeks.

They didn’t respond right away, letting me rub my cheeks red. "Seriously? Is there something on my face?"

They both burst into laughter.

"You don’t," Katrina managed, wiping a tear from her eye. "We just feel like staring, I guess," she explained. "Seeing you be all tough carrying Elise like that kinda got me going."

"I thought he looked like a magic prince," Micro-Sarah added.

I stuttered as I felt my face become flush. "Well, thank you. I’ll take both of your compliments and pay you back with..." I used my mouth to create a drumroll. "...lunch! What are you ladies in the mood for?" I asked, grabbing my phone.

"Burgers!" Micro-Sarah blurted.

"Oh, come on. We had burgers the other night. Think," I replied, grabbing pans from the cabinets next to the sink. "Are you feeling savory or sweet?"

"Sweets!" Micro-Sarah yelled, this time zooming over to meet my gaze. "I love sweets!"

"Is that alright with you, Kat?" I asked. "Damara must be upstairs still, so you get to decide."

Her tail twitched at my question before she answered with a wide grin. "Sweets it is..." she trailed off, looking puzzled as her cheeks began to flush.

I pulled out my phone and opened the Celestial Market app. Instead of buying pre-made food, I decided to make it from scratch. I tapped through the grocery section, adding a bag of flour, eggs, butter, a carton of milk, and a large glass bottle of maple syrup to my cart.

To really satisfy Sarah’s sweet tooth, I added a bag of chocolate chips right at the end. I hit confirm, and the items materialized on the kitchen counter in a series of soft, quiet flashes.

"Pancakes," I announced, grabbing a large mixing bowl.

Katrina leaned her elbows on the kitchen island, watching my hands move with focused interest while her tail swished lazily behind her. I cracked the eggs, poured in the milk, and whisked the flour together until the batter was completely smooth.

I turned on the stove and dropped a generous chunk of butter into the center of the pan. It hissed and melted immediately. Grabbing a ladle, I poured the first circle of batter and dropped a handful of chocolate chips right onto the wet surface.

The rich smell of warm butter and melting chocolate quickly filled the kitchen. Micro-Sarah flew over and hovered right above the stove, completely mesmerized by the bubbling edges of the cooking batter.

"Careful, Sarah, it’s hot," I warned, sliding the spatula under the bottom.

With a quick flick of my wrist, I flipped it over. It landed with a soft sizzle, perfectly golden brown on top.

Katrina let out a soft hum of approval, her eyes tracking my every move as I started stacking the finished pancakes onto a plate.

"Those look super fluffy and smell scrumptious, Sam. How are you so good at cooking?" Katrina asked, holding a fork in one hand and a knife in the other, waiting.

My stomach twisted softly before I gave her a gentle smile. "It was just something I enjoyed doing in my past life. My mother taught me everything I know."

"Aww. Katrina," Micro-Sarah scoffed. "You’ve made him sad," she explained, hovering next to me.

"Not really sad. It’s more like a small feeling of being homesick," I explained, placing the plate of pancakes on the table and setting the syrup next to it.

Damara stepped into the dining room, asking, "What is that divine smell?" before walking to the table. "Is that chocolate?!"

"It is indeed, Damara, inside the pancakes," I explained, gesturing with my hand while also making a goofy face. "You won’t believe what I do next," I teased, taking my seat.

I grabbed the glass bottle and popped the cap. Tipping it forward, a thick amber cascade poured over the top of the stack, pooling around the melted chocolate chips and dripping down the golden sides.

The moment I set the bottle back on the table, forks moved in a blur.

Katrina practically inhaled her first piece. Her tail swished wildly behind her chair, completely ignoring a drop of syrup that caught on her chin. Micro-Sarah dove right into a small chunk I cut off for her, getting her tiny hands instantly covered in warm chocolate. Damara ate with much more grace, cutting her pancake into perfect little squares, though the speed at which she cleared her plate completely betrayed her calm composure.

I cut a piece for myself and took a slow bite. The familiar, sweet taste of home melted on my tongue, finally washing away the last lingering stress of the morning.

"Hey, Sam," Micro-Sarah called. "After lunch, can we talk?"