"Let's go then," Caretaker Shani said, smiling as she followed Reena and Orion as they stepped down from the stage.

After they distanced themselves from the festival to ensure their actions wouldn't disrupt it, Orion handed the black Crystal orb to Reena to hold before carrying her in a princess carrier. He then ensured that Caretaker Shani securely held onto him before he activated his gift, erupting into a burst of countless streaks of lightning bolts that shot into the sky like a lightning strike, leaving behind scorched earth in its wake.

.....

Orion dropped Reena at the manor before heading to the farm to drop off Caretaker Shani.

Caretaker Shani leaned in and kissed Orion's cheek. "I need you to come visit me after you're done; it's been a while, you know," she said.

"I'll come see you after I'm done," Orion responded, nodding.

"Thank you," Caretaker Shani replied.

Orion wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned in to kiss her on the lips. "I've told you before, this is not a one-way relationship, so there's no need for you to say thank you," he said.

"I'll try not to forget again. Now get going; I'm sure they must be looking for you at the festival," Caretaker Shani responded, nodding.

Orion nodded, then stepped back before erupting into a streak of countless lightning bolts that shot into the sky.

Orion wasn't in a hurry to head back to the festival. Instead, he used this opportunity to check up on Grace before returning. Almost instantly, he landed on Anara's side of the farm.

"Daddy!!" a loud voice suddenly erupted in the distance.

Orion focused his attention forward and saw Grace rushing toward him with an excited expression. Anara followed behind her.

Orion caught Grace and lifted her into the air before hugging her tightly. "How are you doing?" Orion asked.

Grace embraced him, "I'm okay, how about you?" she responded.

"I'm fine. I just came to see what you were up to," Orion said, smiling.

"She's doing much better than she was the day before yesterday and will be returning to the border cities with me to continue our tasks," Anara said, leaning in to kiss Orion before stepping back.

"That's fine; since she's starting to feel better, there's no need for her to stay here any longer. Have you found out what was wrong with her?" Orion asked.

Anara shook her head. "No, she hasn't shown any symptoms since then, so we're still unsure what happened to her," she replied.

Orion nodded, his expression solemn as he glanced at Grace. He suspected her condition was related to his own recent advancement, but without concrete evidence, it was hard to pinpoint the exact trigger. Regardless, he recognized that Grace had endured significant stress because of him and silently vowed never to put her through such an ordeal again.

Handing Grace over to Anara, he asked, "Are you going to return immediately?"

"I thought you'd visit in the evening after the festival, but since you're here now, Ineed toreturn as soon as possible to oversee the progress. I can't leave everything unattended for too long," Anara replied, nodding.

"Alright, I'll see you later. If anything comes up, let me know," Orion said before turning his attention to Grace."If you feel anything strange, let your mummy know right away so we can handle it immediately, okay?"smilingreassuringly.

"Okay," Grace responded, her expression serious. She initially thought she could not return outside the border cities to help her mother and the other tree nymphs regrow the vegetation. Learning that she could return after her father checked on her health excited her.

"I'll be waiting for your update on the progress of regrowing the vegetation," Orion said, stepping back before activating his gift.

Anara nodded, watching as Orion erupted into countless streaks of lightning bolts and rose into the air, disappearingfrom sight.

.....

Orion hovered in the air; his body now morphed into his lightning form as he scanned the village for Tala's hut. Spotting it, he streaked towards its direction.

He wanted to come to her hut after the festival. However, he felt that would be wrong, especially since the festival would only end at dawn tomorrow. He wanted to show her he valued her confession, and being present early seemed right.

Landing before her compound, he took a moment to calm himself before walking towards her door. As he was about to knock, faint sounds of moans emerged from within, causing him to pause briefly. He then resumed, lightly rapping his knuckles against the door.

"Who's there?" a loud, familiar voice sounded from inside.

"Ahem! It's OriIt's the Village Chief," Orion announced, quickly correcting himself upon remembering his new position.

The faint sounds of moaningimmediatelyceased, and a small commotion followed from within before the door swung open.

Orion observed Mr Thak's expression shift from confusion to realization, surprise, and understanding ina matter ofseconds. Fortunately, Mr Thak was already dressed in his tulga, so he didn't have to look at his Johnson as he waited for him to regain his composure.

Suddenly, another figure emerged from the housea woman with long black hair pouring down her waist and a slim build similar to the still-growing Tala. She was only wearing a tulga around her waist, leaving her entire upper body and small perky breasts exposed.

"Ahem! Village Chief, we weren't expecting your visit at this time. Did you perhaps come for..." Salia quickly cleared her throat, remembering Orion's status, beforethrowing a glanceinto her home as she completed her words.

It wasn't the first time Orion had visited their home, so she wasn't surprised about his arrival. Instead, she was curious and slightly excited about the reason for his visit.

After all, she knew that her daughter had feelings for Orion, and she had heard about everything that had transpired within the healer's association building.

Thak immediately snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his wife's question.

Orion nodded in response.