CHAPTER 84: DID I REALLY DO THAT?

While Mina was still staring at Mika with admiration, he gave her a small nudge forward.

"Go on." He said with a faint grin. "Join the feast. Have your fill."

"Huh?" She blinked at him, confused.

"Your parents are over there." Mika gestured with his chin toward a spot near the food. "They’re still standing back, waiting. Looks like they won’t eat until you start eating."

Sure enough, Mina followed his gaze and saw her parents glancing between her and the food, clearly hesitating.

"You should go." Mika said. "They’re waiting for you."

"What about you?" She asked. "Aren’t you going to eat with us?"

He shook his head, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I already had my dinner. I’m full." Then his expression softened, almost as if he were speaking from somewhere deeper. "I’ll be satisfied as long as everyone here eats their fill."

She hesitated, but before she could say anything, he added with a teasing glint in his eye,

"Besides...you’ll want to be completely stuffed and full of energy before you start giving out your wishes in that one minute. You’ll need every bit of strength for what’s coming."

She frowned, half-suspicious, half-curious. "You’re making it sound like I’m about to fight a battle."

He chuckled. "For some people, making decisions is harder than swinging a sword. Now, go."

And with that, he gave her another gentle push. Mina sighed through her nose, but slowly walked toward her parents. The moment she reached them, the three of them sat down together and began to eat.

From the very first bite, she froze, she had never tasted food like this before. The flavors were so strange, so new...but so unbelievably delicious that she didn’t even try to pace herself.

Within moments she was eating like a starved animal, stuffing bite after bite into her mouth without the faintest regard for manners. She wasn’t alone, everywhere around her, the villagers were doing the same, laughter and happy groans filling the air.

And yet, no matter how much she ate, she kept stealing glances at Mika, who stood at a distance. He was just watching them with a satisfied smile, like nothing made him happier than seeing the village so alive.

The feast went on until every single person was completely full, so full, in fact, that they all had round bellies and moved sluggishly, struggling to even stand straight. But still, their spirits were high, and smiles remained on their faces.

Soon after, Mina found herself at the head of the group. The villagers, still patting their full stomachs, had gathered behind her, following her lead.

She had already told them about Mika’s promise, about the minute of unlimited wishes. Though many had been skeptical at first, now, after what they had just witnessed, there wasn’t a shred of doubt in their eyes.

They were ready. And they had chosen her to speak for them.

Mika smiled faintly when he saw her approaching. "So..." He asked. "Are you ready? Ready for your one minute of unlimited desires?"

Mina gulped. Her stomach churned, not from the food, but from a mix of nerves and excitement.

"I...I think so." She said honestly.

He tilted his head, giving her a calm, almost lazy smile. "Think so?"

Her eyes locked onto his, and something about the steady, casual confidence in his gaze melted her hesitation. Her back straightened, her voice steadied.

"I’m ready...I’m going to bring a real change to this village."

Mika’s eyes softened. "Good girl."

Before she could even react, he reached out and patted her head, making her cheeks warm in surprise.

But then his hand drifted down...hovering right over her forehead. She stared at it, unsure what he was about to do, when suddenly, he tapped her right between the eyes with one finger before saying,

You now have the power to make any number of wishes in one minute. The moment you start your first wish, the timer begins."

"That’s...all?" She asked, taken aback. "No magic circles, no glowing lights, no...I don’t know...you chanting in some weird language?"

Mika smirked. "You wanted power, not a show. Trust me, it’s there."

She looked down at her hands. She didn’t feel different. No strange warmth, no tingling...nothing. But she didn’t doubt him. She knew he wasn’t lying.

Turning, she caught sight of her parents, her friends, and the rest of the villagers, all watching her with hopeful, shining eyes and then taking a deep breath, she faced the broken, weather-worn houses of the village until finally her voice rang out loud and clear.

"I-I want all the houses in the village to be completely repaired and improved, so they won’t break down so easily like before!" She thrust her hands forward like she was casting a spell.

And the moment she uttered those words...nothing happened.

The crowd’s eager faces began to falter, their hopeful smiles wavering as murmurs rippled through them. A few exchanged uneasy glances, shifting their weight from foot to foot.

Mina’s once-confident stance also weakened; her shoulders lowered ever so slightly. She turned toward Mika, lips parting to speak, to ask if it didn’t work—

—when the air itself seemed to hum.

Whoom!

A sudden, piercing brilliance burst from every damaged house, pure white and blinding, spilling across the square like a sunrise condensed into an instant.

The villagers gasped, shielding their eyes as the glow swelled, swallowing rooftops and walls in its radiance. The light then pulsed once, twice, before receding, leaving behind a silence so thick it felt as if the entire world had paused to breathe.

Then, the shouting began.

The old, warped wooden shacks were gone.

In their place stood magnificent log cabins, broad, sturdy, and warm in color, their beams etched with delicate swirling carvings that caught the sunlight.

The stone foundations were solid and finely cut, looking as though they could defy storms, earthquakes, or even the passage of centuries.

Wooden shutters framed every window, and the faint scent of fresh pine lingered in the air.

"By the gods..." One elder breathed, voice trembling.

"They’re beautiful!" Another cried, stepping forward as if afraid they might vanish if he blinked.

"Look at the walls, stone, perfectly cut!" One man gasped, running a hand over the smooth surface.

"Even the roofs shine...is that silver?!" A woman whispered, shielding her eyes from the glare.

"Silver? No, no, it’s something else...but it’s strong, stronger than anything I’ve ever seen." An older villager muttered, tapping it with his knuckles and wincing at the solid sound.

"Windows...they’re clear as still water!" Another marveled, leaning in to see his reflection.

Children broke into laughter and cheers, racing to the nearest cabin to run their hands along the smooth, polished timber.

Women clasped each other’s hands in disbelief, their eyes shimmering.

Men stepped forward to touch the stonework, tracing the carvings as though trying to commit every detail to memory.

The air was alive with voices, shouts, laughter, exclamations of awe, all blending into a chorus of joy.

In the middle of it all, Mina stood unmoving, her gaze darting from house to house, from the astonished villagers to the flawless structures. Her breathing was quick, her pulse a drumbeat in her ears.

And then slowly, almost fearfully, she lowered her eyes to her own hands, hands that still tingled faintly, as though they remembered something her mind could not quite grasp.

Her voice was barely a whisper, almost lost beneath the celebration.

"...Was that...me?"

"Yes." Mika replied without hesitation, his voice cutting through the noise like a sure and steady hand.

"It was most definitely you and you alone."

His eyes glinted with a faint smile, but there was urgency in his tone now.

"But..." He leaned closer, his gaze locking on hers. "It won’t be for long. Your time is still going, Mina. If you don’t start making more wishes now, every second you waste is gone forever."

Her breath caught in her throat. She had been so caught up staring at the miraculous cabins, so lost in the wonder of it, that she’d forgotten, this was only the beginning. Her one minute was still ticking away.

Her eyes widened in panic.

"O-Oh! Right, right!"

She spun around, scanning the village, her gaze darting to the weathered wooden wall that circled the village, its posts leaning with age, its planks riddled with gaps and rot. Without hesitation, she thrust her hands out like she was casting some mighty spell.

"I want the village protected!" She shouted. "Make the walls stronger, so strong that no monster or storm can break them!"

Whoom!

The timber shuddered. A sudden, brilliant white light burst along the length of the walls, racing upward in blinding streaks.

Before everyone’s eyes, the ancient wood dissolved into towering stone, smooth, seamless, and massive, rising higher and higher until they looked less like village walls and more like the defenses of a mighty fortress.

Villagers gasped, some clutching their chests, others stumbling backward to take in the sheer scale.

Mina’s mouth fell open. "I...I did that too?"

But she didn’t let herself pause this time. Her eyes darted to the dry, cracked ground of the village square.

"Unlimited water!" She cried, raising her arms. "Deep wells, everywhere in the village, so no one will ever go thirsty again!"

Whoom!

White sparks danced across the dirt, dotting the village in glowing points. One by one, each light expanded into a fully formed stone well, their rims carved with patterns, buckets already hanging from sturdy beams.

Clear, cold water shimmered within, catching the sunlight and gasps turned into cheers, and children dashed to peer over the edges, their laughter ringing out.

The joy around her was infectious, while Mina’s hesitation melted away, replaced with a fire in her chest. If she could do this, if she could make everything better, then she would...