The Morning After the Ember
John 7:38 (NIV)
"Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them."
The sun came late that morning, pushing through a veil of pale mist. The village had not truly slept. Smoke from half-burned torches lingered in the streets. Doors creaked open, and faces appeared one by one—hesitant, pale, waiting to see if the night had truly passed.
By the well, the last traces of the miracle still shimmered. The water was clear as glass, and the faint warmth that had risen from it during the night had not vanished. Villagers gathered at a careful distance. None spoke at first. Only when Ye stepped forward did the spell of silence break.
He was a young man in his thirties, broad-shouldered from years of labor, his eyes shar
