Epilogue: Two Years Later, and Then...

“Come in!”

The bitter scent of moonglove tea and the clutter of books were the same as the night Damien first set foot in Leilandry’s clinic.

But this time the elf smiled.

“Damien, Sora, right on time!”

“Leili!” Sora leapt across the room like she was on fire, grabbing Leilandry around the waist.

“Oh, Sora! Look at how big you’ve gotten!” Leilandry crooned, picking the girl up and spinning her around for a moment. It had only been three months since Sora’s last checkup, but looking at the two of them it seemed like a lifetime since they’d last seen each other.

“I’m twelve now!” Sora boasted, putting her hands on her hips and cocking her head proudly. “I’m growing taller every day!”

“At the rate you’re growing you’ll be taller than me soon enough,” Leilandry laughed, patting her on the head and leading her to the examination table.

“Leili, did you know we moved, too?!” Sora asked, clearly desperate to tell Leilandry everything that had happened since they last met. “We moved to Stormstar! It’s, like, the most biggest city in the sky! And we have a house now, with two stories! Stairs, Leili, we have stairs!”

She gasped like she’d had a shot of brilliance and turned back to Damien. Her eyes were blinding. “Dami, can Leili come over sometime? Or, or… can she live with us?! We’ve got enough room, oh, pleeeaaase?”

That idea had all the makings of an outright disaster, but when Sora made a face like that saying “no” simply wasn’t an option. Luckily, Leilandry came to his rescue.

“I’d love to see your new house! But I’m afraid the big city isn’t for me. Too many people, you know? It’s kind of frightening.”

“It’s not scary at all!” Sora puffed up her cheeks in a pout. “They’re just people, Leili, don’t be such a wimp!”

Damien nearly burst out laughing and even Leilandry was suppressing the urge to smile. Sora hated crowds, but don’t tell her Leili that!

“Lay back and we’ll get started with the exam in a second,” Leilandry smiled, artfully changing the subject. “I need to go settle things with Damien first.”

“Oh, right!” Sora leaned forward and whispered something in Leilandry’s ear. The doctor nodded and walked back over to Damien.

“What was that about?” Damien asked curiously.

“She said that she’d be more comfortable if you went for a walk,” Leilandry explained, keeping her voice low.

“A walk?”

Leilandry glanced at her, then turned back to Damien. “She’s getting to be that age, you know, and taking her shirt off in front of you is-“

“Ah.”

“We should be done in about half an hour, now as for payment, still the same going rate.”

“Are you sure? You don’t need more?” 100 Wingals. It didn’t seem like nearly enough.

They had this conversation every time, and Leilandry rolled her eyes like every time. “Damien, it’s just a checkup.”

“It’s not just a checkup,” Damien said, counting out the coins. “If it wasn’t for you, I could have spent my whole life taking her for granted.” That night, Leilandry hadn’t needed to chew him out. She could have just saved Sora and been done with it. But she’d taken the time to beat into him just how much of a fool he was, and it was because of her he could smile with Sora today.

100 Wingals wasn’t nearly enough.

Leilandry beamed up at him, and cradled his cheek. “Those eyes of yours have cleared up nicely, Damien.”

“That’s-”

“100 Wingals. Not a coin more.”

Damien set the money down in her hand with a resigned sigh and turned back to the door, waving to Sora as he left. Her smile was enough to fight off the chilly winter air.

He raised a hand to shield away the sun, and he looked out at Silvalley. He smiled.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.