Nora's dreams were shattered like glass by the pounding on their door. Dawn had barely broken, the room still bathed in gray half-light when her eyes snapped open. Nora's heart hammered against her ribs as the sound registered—fists striking wood with desperate urgency. Outside, a cacophony of voices—dozens, maybe more—vibrated through the walls, the individual words indistinguishable but the collective anxiety unmistakable.

  "Nora! Sumi!" Mayor Suthan's voice cut through the din, pitched higher than yesterday, edged with barely contained panic. "I'm sorry, but you need to come now!"

  Nora exchanged a bleary glance with Sumi. Neither spoke as they hastily dressed, fingers fumbling with unfamiliar fastenings. Nora's System interface flickered in her peripheral vision, but there wasn't even time to check her progress.

  The scene downstairs stole her breath. What seemed like the entire village had converged on Suthan's house—mothers clutching feverish children against their chests, elders leaning on makeshift canes with knuckles white from effort, laborers with blood seeping through hastily wrapped bandages. The villagers packed the entryway shoulder-to-shoulder, the smell of sweat and fear thick in the air. The press of bodies radiated desperation that hit Nora's Empathic Sensing like a physical blow, a wave of pain and hope so intense she had to brace herself against the doorframe.

  As she appeared in the doorway, a hush fell over the crowd—sudden and eerie, like a held breath. Dozens of eyes locked onto her, fever-bright with hope and something dangerously close to worship.

  "There she is," someone whispered, the words carrying in the silence.

  A woman near the front pushed forward. "We've heard about Kaia—she's running circles around her mother's house already! A broken leg, healed in hours!" The murmurs swelled, the crowd swaying forward as one entity.

  "Yes!" Another person joined the discussion. "She wouldn't let her out, but that wouldn't stop the girl for too long!" Everybody laughed.

  A third person was a bit braver: "What else can you heal?"

  Nora got thoughtful for a moment: "I don't know yet. Before yesterday, it was only minor bruises and injuries. I had no experience with broken bones before that, sorry!"

  A murmur went over the crowd. "Can you heal sick people?" somebody shouted.

  "I don't know yet, sorry! I need to learn the skill better before I can tell you," Nora replied.

  Nora could feel the weight of the crowd's expectations bearing down on her as they bombarded her with questions. Their voices were loud and frantic, filled with desperation.

  "How can we find you? Where should we go to seek your help? You can't leave us without help!"

  Nora could sense their fear and panic, but she couldn't bring herself to answer their questions. Their camp was too small to accommodate large crowds. And she wasn't sure it would be safe to announce the location to everyone.

  A memory flashed through her mind—waiting three hours in an emergency room with a sprained ankle while cases were prioritized by severity. Back on Earth, healthcare had its problems, but at least there was a system in place, an order. These people had nothing but folk remedies unless someone with magical ability happened to pass by. The realization made her old corporate deadlines seem laughably trivial.

  The unease in the crowd was mounting, and it was Suthan's turn to try to calm them down. "Please, everyone, give this woman some space. She has her own matters to attend to besides our troubles."

  "But will she heal more people today?" A voice cried out from the back of the crowd, and Nora could feel the tension rising.

  "Enough!"

  The word left her lips as barely a whisper, yet it rolled through the crowd like thunder. Nora felt her mind switching modes, the crowd's chaotic energy transforming in her perception into a complex system that needed debugging. The familiar sensation of approaching code washed over her—a clarity that always came when diving into a particularly challenging program.

  In her mind's eye, lines of Python formed with elegant simplicity:

  def influence_crowd(emotional_state="calm", intensity=5, radius=room_size):

  targets = detect_beings_in_radius(radius)

  She finished mentally writing the full script and executed the function influence_crowd()

  The air between Nora and the villagers seemed to ripple, carrying her voice to every ear as clearly as if she'd shouted. Unconsciously tapping into her Emotional Influence skill, Nora felt something warm unfurl within her chest, tendrils of energy reaching outward to brush against each mind present. The crowd collectively inhaled, their eyes widening as they all turned to her with perfect synchronicity.

  At the same time, she found herself instinctively reaching for another skill. This time, the command was structured like an SQL query to establish direct connections:

  SELECT allies FROM present_beings WHERE trust_level >= 1

  ESTABLISH connection_type="telepathic" WITH encryption_level="high"

  SEND message= "Be prepared for anything"

  Sumi and Lukan flinched at the sudden intrusion but curtly nodded in understanding.

  The crowd that was on the brink of turning into a mob moments ago quieted, their eyes now fixed on Nora with a mixture of apprehension and respect. The mayor himself looked at her with a newfound sense of reverence, realizing that this woman held much higher power than she wanted to allow others to see.

  But it was Sumi who took charge, stepping forward with an air of calm reason. With a clear voice, she proposed a compromise: "Let us come to an agreement. We are grateful for the hospitality of your village and would be happy to stay for a bit longer. However, we only have time and opportunity for minor ailments and injuries. If Mayor Suthan is willing to give us a space to do the healing, we can start right away." Then, she firmly emphasized the most important part. "There would be no exceptions for serious cases."

  "And I don't want to jeopardize Kadara's business. If you only have a minor headache, go to her!" added Nora, and the crowd started laughing.

  As the tension dissipated, the previously dangerous situation slowly fizzled out into a more lighthearted atmosphere. It was like nothing had happened. The air was now filled with chatter and laughter as people began to organize themselves into a line, eagerly awaiting their turn to be attended by Nora and Sumi. Lukan stood at the entrance, his formidable presence keeping any potential troublemakers at bay. His broad shoulders and imposing stature served as a silent warning against causing any disruption.

  Yet, Nora couldn't shake off the nagging question—was the abrupt change simply due to her magical intervention, or were there other factors at play? Her moral compass trembled with uncertainty—was it ethical to influence people's emotions in such a way? She knew the code she'd envisioned wasn't merely metaphorical—it had actually been executed in this world of magic, affecting real people's emotions without their consent. These thoughts weighed heavily on Nora as she tried to enjoy the moment.

  This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

  ***

  As the sun climbed higher, the makeshift clinic in Suthan's dining room buzzed with quiet anticipation. Nora had positioned herself at one end of the sturdy maple table, Sumi at the other, while Lukan stood sentinel at the door, his imposing frame effectively managing the flow of patients with minimal words needed.

  "Next," Lukan called, his deep voice cutting through the murmurs of the waiting villagers. He gestured to an older man with gnarled hands, guiding him past with a gentle nudge. "To Nora, please, the gingerhead."

  The man approached cautiously, his weathered face a map of lines deepened by years of labor. He extended his hands toward Nora—fingers twisted into painful hooks, joints swollen to twice their natural size.

  "Farm work," he explained simply, the two words carrying decades of story behind them. "Can't hold my tools proper anymore."

  Nora nodded, taking his calloused hands between her own. She'd developed a pattern by now—first extending her Sensory Enhancement to map the damage, then channeling her Healing energy with careful precision. She closed her eyes, visualizing the inflammation in his joints as angry red clouds that needed to be soothed, the misaligned bones that yearned to return to their proper places.

  "This may feel strange," she warned him as amber light began to pulse between their joined hands.

  Halfway through the careful realignment of his thumb joint, something shifted within Nora. A strange ripple of energy surged through her fingertips, traveling up her arms like lightning seeking ground. The amber glow intensified suddenly, brightening until it illuminated the old man's face in golden light, reflecting in his widened eyes.

  "What was..." she began, but the sensation within her had already changed. Where before she'd been painstakingly directing her healing energy like a craftsman carving wood, now it flowed with intuitive precision, finding damaged tissue without conscious guidance. The connection felt alive, almost sentient—her magic understanding of what needed repair before her mind could even process it.

  Something had shifted within Nora. Something major.

  The arthritis in the man's hands melted away in moments rather than the careful minutes previous healings had required. Cartilage regrew, inflammation vanished, and decades-old bone malformations realigned themselves with a series of tiny pops that made the old farmer gasp in wonder.

  When Nora released his hands, they looked twenty years younger—straight-fingered and flexible. The man stared at them in disbelief, curling and uncurling his fingers without a wince of pain.

  "By the gods," he whispered, tears welling in his eyes as he made a fist—something he likely hadn't done without agony in years.

  Nora felt her throat tighten, watching his wonder. She thought of her grandfather's arthritis, how he'd shuffled between specialists for years with marginal improvements. Surgery, physical therapy, medication—months of treatment with no guarantees. Here, with just minutes of concentration, she'd restored what decades of hard labor had stolen from him. The immediacy of it was staggering.

  Between patients, Nora quickly checked her System interface:

  === Updated Skills ===

  Healing: 10.37% (+2.45%)

  That's what it was. She'd crossed the 10% threshold. The implications sent a thrill through her—this wasn't just numerical progress but a fundamental evolution in how her magic functioned.

  Across the room, Sumi worked with similar dedication, though her approach differed slightly. Where Nora's healing manifested as structured amber energy, Sumi's silver-blue light seemed to dance between her fingers like playful spirits, weaving through her patients with a joyful quality that somehow made the healing itself less intimidating. Children giggled as her magic tickled their skin, mending scrapes and sniffles.

  "Keep the line orderly," Lukan reminded a group of newcomers, his voice firm but not unkind. His ears twitched at every sound, constantly scanning for potential trouble. When an impatient young man tried to push forward, claiming his need was greater, Lukan simply placed a broad paw on his chest—not forceful, but immovable. "Everyone waits their turn," he said quietly. "No exceptions."

  ***

  By midday, Nora had treated seventeen patients, each healing flowing more effortlessly than the last. Across the room, she heard Sumi's soft gasp—a sound distinct from her usual healing focus. A pulse of silver-blue light suddenly radiated from her hands, washing over her patient—a child with a persistent cough—and clearing his airways in seconds rather than the gradual improvement of her previous attempts.

  Her golden eyes met Nora's across the room, wide with wonder and silent understanding passing between them. Whatever threshold Nora had crossed earlier, Sumi had just crossed it, too.

  When they counted thirty-seven patients and countless minor healings, Nora checked her progress again:

  === Updated Skills ===

  Healing: 14.89% (+4.52%)

  Dream Manipulation: 9.78% (+2.26%)

  Sensory Enhancement: 9.89% (+1.48%)

  Her skills were growing at a remarkable rate, especially Healing. She could only guess that Sumi's progress should be similar. The other two of her skills were approaching their own thresholds, vibrating with potential just beneath her skin.

  The last patient before their much-needed break—a carpenter with splinters embedded so deeply they'd become infected—departed with profuse thanks just as the shadow of the sundial in Suthan's courtyard marked midday. Nora's stomach growled, reminding her they'd been working since dawn without pause. She rolled her shoulders, working out the stiffness from hours of focused healing. The room felt suddenly quiet after the constant stream of ailments and gratitude.

  Lukan appeared with three steaming mugs of herbal tea, the aroma of mint and something honey-sweet cutting through the lingering scent of illness that permeated the room. "Thought you might need this to launch your break," he said, passing them around.

  However, the door burst open without a knock before Nora could take her first sip. Mayor Suthan strode in, his chest puffed with self-importance, eyes bright with the gleam of a man who had just discovered a valuable resource in his territory.

  "Remarkable! Simply remarkable!" he exclaimed, clasping his hands together. "Word travels faster than light in these parts. There are three—no, four envoys from neighboring villages waiting in my study right now. Requesting your presence in their communities!" He leaned forward, voice dropping

  conspiratorially. "This could put Whispering Pines on the map as a center of healing. Think of the trade possibilities, the alliances, the…"

  "What?!" exclaimed Nora, setting her cup aside with such force that tea sloshed over the rim. "We weren't prepared for that! We weren't even prepared for this…" Nora gestured toward the window where the line of waiting villagers still snaked around the corner, their hopeful faces visible through the glass. "That's too much! I'm not ready for this level of responsibility!" The sudden prospect of becoming regional healers—when, just days ago, they were quietly building a settlement in the forest—made her head spin.

  Sumi stepped closer and wrapped her arms around Nora, her tail curling protectively around both their legs. "We are doing a good thing here, girl," she murmured, her voice a soothing purr against Nora's ear. "Let's see where this crazy magic ride takes us. For now, everything's good—we're the talk of the town, we're helping people, and," she added with a mischievous wink, "we've got our big bad wolf-guy to guard the door. Just breathe!"

  "Alright," said Nora, her eyes drilling into Suthan's. "Look, we need Kadara here. Now. If this keeps snowballing, we've got to get organized—triage the sick, set up a proper system. We need help!" Her software developer's mind was already mapping the workflow, seeing the bottlenecks and inefficiencies that would develop without proper management.

  The situation was escalating at a rapid pace, causing Nora's anxiety to rise. She didn't have any knowledge about the political and economic situation in this world, in this area. And now the things were just piling up one on top of the other.

  "We only came here for some supplies!" Nora exclaimed, her voice cracking slightly with the strain of keeping calm in front of Suthan.

  "Sure, don't worry! I'll do whatever you need!" Suthan put his hands in front of him in a placating motion. "Whatever the reverend healer heeds!"

  As soon as the mayor's footsteps faded outside, she let out a deep growl that surprised even herself. The sound was primal, the frustration over the recent events finally boiling over. Her eyes darted between her companions.

  "Lukan, Sumi, upstairs! Now!" She didn't wait for a response, already turning toward the stairs, her mind racing with implications she couldn't afford to voice where anyone might overhear.

  Sumi bounded after her, somehow managing to look both concerned and excited at once. She flicked her tail against Nora's leg as she passed, leaning in to whisper, "Ooh, I love it when you get all commanding." Despite the tension, her golden eyes sparkled with mischief. "Should I be worried or aroused? Maybe both?"

  Lukan rolled his eyes and groaned behind them, following with heavy footsteps. "Can we please focus on the crisis at hand?"

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