UNIFIED W

Chapter 54: Euphoria

Vin had been working at Miller's bakery for the past six months, and his skills had gotten better and better during that time.

At the beginning, it was a little difficult for him, especially when it came to baking bread.

He struggled to get the size right and sometimes left it in the oven for too long.

Miller taught him that baking required balance and patience, and over time, Vin learned how to make decent bread.

Whenever Vin burned a loaf, Miller jokingly forced him to eat it because he didn't believe in wasting food.

At first, this made Vin angry, but it also made him improve very quickly.

When it came to the other work around the bakery, Vin didn't have much trouble.

Most of it involved cleaning and preparing everything for the next day, which were things he was already used to doing at home.

In fact, Vin was very organized for his age.

Some of the equipment in the bakery required the use of crystal powers, and that quickly became Vin's favorite part of the job.

But it was also where he and Miller bumped heads the most.

Every time Vin used his power, Miller watched him closely and constantly reminded him to be careful.

Vin didn't understand why Miller became so serious whenever it came to using powers. Sometimes it annoyed him, but he listened anyway.

After work, Vin would sprint home to catch his mother before she left for work.

The timing had become much better now that she wasn't working as much.

Because of the points Vin earned from the bakery, she was able to take an extra day off.

On those days, they would usually visit the park together and enjoy some of Vin's favorite homemade food and sweets.

His mother looked better too.

She still had her bad days, but compared to six months ago, she seemed more alive.

When Vin wasn't working or spending time with his mother, he continued practicing the martial arts he had been watching for a while.

Every night for the past six months, Vin went to sleep believing that his life was finally going in the right direction.

And every morning, he woke up excited to start another day.

***

Vin was deep asleep when a sudden sound outside his room disturbed him.

He turned to the other side and continued sleeping.

Then he heard another sound.

This time, his mother entered the room holding a birthday cake.

"Happy birthday to you... Happy birthday to you..."

Vin slowly opened his eyes and sat on the edge of his bed, his messy hair sticking out in every direction.

"Come on, blow out the candle and make a wish."

Vin couldn't contain his smile.

He closed his eyes and blew out the candle.

"Tell me. What did you wish for?"

Vin stuck out his tongue playfully before getting out of bed.

"It's a secret."

"Oh no. Come here."