A day passed in the blink of an eye. Merlin spent it lying leisurely on the bed.
It wasn't that he didn't want to move around, but Crystal and Luna had forbidden him from going out. They worried that his body might still be harboring an unknown illness.
That day, the palace doctor tended to him, with Luna assisting as well. The girl had changed remarkably since they first met—she now smiled and laughed far more often than before.
Merlin was grateful; her transformation had a profoundly positive effect.
He was certain Frederin and Iris would be overjoyed to see their daughter smiling so freely.
In the afternoon, Merlin and Luna gathered in Crystal's workspace. The time had finally come for them to return.
Crystal regarded them both with gentle eyes, then bowed slightly.
"Merlin, Luna, thank you for everything," she said softly. "Without your help, the Kingdom of Avernia would have fallen long ago. I don't know how to repay your kindness."
