Chrysalis

“Congratulations,” Enid smiled down on the still recovering young woman.

“Thank you mayor,” Lilin replied, radiantly happy despite what she’d just been through.

“We’re very happy,” her husband Phillip said as he stared lovingly down at his wife.

“And how has the care you’ve received been?’

“Oh, just perfect,” Lilin said.

“We couldn’t be happier, mayor. Thank you,” Phillip said.

“That’s good. After the effort we put into building this place, I’m glad it’s all come together.”

[We told you it would be fine,] the on-rotation ant-medic said. [I still don’t understand why you doubted us in the first place. When is the Colony anything but first-rate?]

[I should have believed in you,] Enid admitted, [but even I wasn’t sure how well you would be able to run a maternity ward. You don’t know anything about human reproduction.]

[Bah,] the ant groused, [our queens give birth hundreds of times every day. You think we can’t heal someone who has given birth only once? Don’t be ridiculous. Now get out of the way, I need to check the patient.]

Healers, medics and doctors always managed to be rude and ill-tempered. Even the non-human ones! In some ways, Enid took comfort knowing that this fact of life was even more universal than she’d thought.

eyes didn’t quite reach, the antennae certainly did. The recovering mother was lightly tapped and brushed by those curious feelers as Lilin’s eyes took

a few moments, the antennae glowed brightly as they imparted a quick burst

the ant backed up and began

been cleaned up and checked. It will return to this room

it was that she could see a genuine

a younger,

as her new baby boy returned to her arms. As Phillip leaned in to embrace them both, Enid brushed a tear from her eye. Such a touching scene, one that she would never tire of. How long had it been since she saw

will leave you

smiled at them once more before she

year ago that they had fled the ruins of their homes, and already they thrived as they never had

one hand to pat at the expertly cut stone walls before she exited the facility, doing her best to stay out of everyone’s way. She stepped

were the sort of roads only the wealthiest lived on in Liria. This sort of mage-work was laborious, and expensive, which made it rare, at least, rare before the catastrophe. Every street in Renewal was formed this way, crafted by the carvers with exacting precision. Not only that, the layout of the

even there, the influence of the Colony was felt. Traffic flowed so smoothly,

unafraid to approach and ask whatever questions were on their minds. She welcomed it. Where not long ago these exchanges were a never

people were thriving. Renewal had

the same building. She walked behind her desk and sat with a weary sigh, her old bones creaking as she took

and healing magic didn’t help at all.

but she carefully pondered

but decided against it. A waste