Rayna awoke to the familiar discomfort of a makeshift bed – a thin layer of furs laid upon the hard-packed earth of a villager's spare room. The faint, lingering scent of woodsmoke and sickness clung to the air, a constant reminder of the village's plight. Unlike most mornings since her arrival, however, a strange sense of quiet lingered within her. The usual ache of exhaustion felt muted, replaced by a fragile stillness. She blinked, her gaze drifting to the small, frost-covered window. Pale sunlight filtered through the cracks, painting weak stripes across the rough wooden walls. For a fleeting moment, a vivid image flashed behind her eyelids – her mother's face, smiling, her green eyes filled with a warmth Rayna hadn't felt since the fire. The memory was so real, so tangible, that a lump formed in her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold onto the feeling, but it slipped away like smoke in the wind, leaving behind only a dull ache of loss. Shaking off the lingering tendrils of the dream, Rayna sat up, her joints protesting with a familiar stiffness. She was unaware of the celestial gaze that had followed her even into the realm of sleep, the silent blessing that had lingered around her weary form. The goddess's watchful presence remained a secret, a gentle current flowing beneath the surface of Rayna's harsh reality.
The blue panel flickered into existence as she moved, a familiar companion in her waking hours:
Rayna
Race: Sundrop Elf
Class: None (Potential: Sundrop Healer)
HP: 95/100
MP: 5/6
Status: Divine Infusion (Stable)
The slight increase in her HP and MP offered a small measure of relief. The notification from the previous night echoed in her mind: Experience gained in [Aura of Healing]. Consider resting to recover MP and integrate new understanding. She hadn't consciously felt any "integration," but perhaps the quiet stillness she felt was a result of that rest.
Pushing aside the lingering sadness of her dream, Rayna swung her legs over the side of the makeshift bed. The needs of the village were pressing, a constant weight on her conscience. The brief respites her healing offered were just that – brief. The sickness held a tenacious grip, and the villagers' hope, though flickering, was fragile. She dressed quickly in the simple, borrowed clothes, the rough fabric scratching against the still-sensitive skin beneath her silvery scars. As she moved, she focused on the faint warmth that resided within her, the nascent power of the Sundrop Healer. She could feel it, a potential waiting to be unlocked, a wellspring of energy she hadn't yet fully tapped.
Leaving the small room, she stepped out into the dimly lit common area of the dwelling, where several villagers were already stirring. Their faces, etched with worry and fatigue, turned towards her as she emerged. "Rayna," a gaunt woman named Maeve said, her voice weak but laced with a hint of gratitude. "You're awake. Little Finn took a turn for the worse during the night."
A knot of anxiety tightened in Rayna's chest. Finn was one of the youngest in the village, his small body struggling against the relentless illness. She had spent a good portion of the previous day trying to ease his labored breathing. "Take me to him," Rayna said, her voice firm despite the lingering tenderness of her dream. The image of her mother's smile faded, replaced by the urgent reality of the suffering before her. The past was a wound, but the present demanded action.
With a heavy heart, she followed Maeve to a small corner of the room where Finn lay, his face pale and his breaths shallow. The faint, rhythmic rise and fall of his chest was barely perceptible. The blue panel flickered into view again as she knelt beside him:
Rayna
Race: Sundrop Elf
Class: None (Potential: Sundrop Healer)
HP: 92/100
MP: 4/6
Status: Divine Infusion (Stable)
Aura of Healing (Level 1)
The words "Level 1" next to Aura of Healing were new. Has her rest somehow strengthened the skill? She didn't understand how it worked, this strange system that seemed to track her very being. But understanding wasn't her priority right now. Healing was. Focusing her intent, Rayna placed her hands gently on Finn's small chest. The faint golden light emanated from her skin, warming him with a gentle pulse. She concentrated, drawing upon the wellspring of energy within her, the MP counter on the blue panel ticking down slowly. The weight of dawn settled upon the village, a fragile promise of a new day in a land shrouded in sickness. For Rayna, the memory of her mother's smile was a fleeting comfort, a whisper of warmth against the cold reality of her present. Her path was clear, etched in the suffering of those around her. She would heal, she would learn, she would strive to unlock the full potential of the power that had been thrust upon her, a power born from loss and fueled by a desperate hope. The goddess might watch from her celestial prison, but Rayna was here, on the ground, her hands radiating a faint golden light, fighting for every breath, every fragile life in this forgotten corner of the world.