Chapter 62: Crystal
It wasn’t easy telling day and night apart on this world. Percy had no idea how many suns there were, as the brown clouds perpetually obscured the sky. Still, it was never dark, as the light seemed to be absorbed and then disseminated by the substance, giving it a permanent glow.
Suffice to say, he didn’t know how the natives kept track of time. But he guessed it was their equivalent of a night when he saw the old lady go to sleep on the floor, not long after he’d begun observing her. The rest of the village soon grew quieter too, as he turned around to show some common courtesy. He didn’t think she’d mind being stared at, but it felt downright creepy to do that as she rested.
Several hours later, people started waking up. What drew his attention was a young girl walking his way. She was actually the one who’d tried petting the furball when he first arrived here, only to be scolded by an adult.
She seemed to have learned her lesson too, as this time she stood some distance from him, eyeing him curiously without daring to move closer. Feeling bad for the girl, Percy patted her head, prompting her to smile brightly, two dimples forming on her cheeks.
A few minutes later, more kids arrived. This time it was a pair of boys, slightly older than the girl. Probably siblings too, as they’d come together from the same house and looked identical to one another. In fact, Percy was being conservative. He was confident they were twins, but maybe he wasn’t that good at telling the natives apart.
In any case, they joined the first girl outside the hut. Soon, the old lady also woke up, inviting them all inside. All four of them sat down on the floor, forming a circle. It was quite cramped in there – especially with the cat-creature floating just inches above their heads – but they still left enough room for one more person.
Nobody spoke as they waited for the final member to arrive. It wasn’t until half an hour later that the man from last night helped his daughter along, escorting her to the old lady’s hut once more. Only after the teenager joined the others in the circle did her father leave.
‘Is she teaching them how to become healers?’
This suited Percy just fine, as he looked forward to the lesson. After exchanging a few words with the newcomer, the old lady addressed the rest of the kids. Next, she pulled some mana from her core, forming a cyan blob in her hand.