บท 12: Refugees
PH1RE'S P.O.V
The light being emitted from the small gem was directed into my eye, causing me to squint. This situation felt like it was straight out of a detective movie, unfortunately, I was not in the role of the detective.
"Why were you kidnapped?" the interrogator asked, adjusting his posture in the chair across from me.
"I don't know," I responded for what felt like the hundredth time.
He waited a few seconds, as if expecting a different answer, then sighed heavily before continuing.
"Come on, kid. Rack that brain of yours. For what reason would the Cerphurian military attack an orphanage in the middle of nowhere? Especially one that has nothing to do with the war?"
"I've told you already, I don't know," I replied, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice. "They knocked me out when they attacked, and when I woke up, I was already back with the headmistress."
"And this headmistress of yours, along with the rest of the nuns, were apparently able to engage them in combat long enough for you all to escape. Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?"
"It doesn't matter if it sounds ridiculous. We all have the same testimony, don't we?" I shot back, irritation creeping into my tone.
"Besides, the only reason you're keeping me here for so long is because you're waiting for me to say something you can use against me. A screw-up like letting so many enemy soldiers in needs a scapegoat, doesn't it? The fact that you're willing to use a fifteen-year-old as one is a surprising decision, though."
The words tumbled out before I could stop them, and the room fell silent. The tension thickened as the man across from me narrowed his eyes. His previously neutral expression hardened into a scowl.
"You're awfully mouthy for a kid," he said coldly.
"I apologize, I wasn't thinking straight," I said, standing and bowing slightly, hoping to defuse the situation.
He studied me for a long moment, the silence between us growing heavier. Finally, he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples in frustration.
"Fine. You're free to go, but we'll be keeping an eye on you."
Giving another bow I made my way to leave the room, he man motioned for the guards at the door, and they stepped aside.
Outside, the sun had begun to set, casting long shadows across the military outpost. I was escorted back to the temporary shelter set up for the survivors of the orphanage attack. The camp was a chaotic mix of soldiers, and medics all running out and about.
I looked in the distance where loud sounds went off, signifying the sounds of battle. Sister Claire, the headmistress and the rest of the sisters were gone, the orphanage had been destroyed and from what we heard from the soldiers they were no survivors, leaving us all without a place to call home.
After escaping the orphanage, we made our way to the town nearby and after informing them about what happened the military was alerted. It took a few days but eventually they gathered enough people to attack, however this meant they were no survivors. Most of the Cerphurian soldiers were already gone, but thankfully there was no gargoyle.
As I approached the camp, I spotted Maya sitting by a fire, her usual demeanor replaced with a somber expression. She glanced up as I approached, quickly changing her expression to a smile.
"How'd it go?" she asked, walking up to me.
"It was okay. Pretty boring, though. I almost fell asleep."
"Well then, let's be quick so you can get your beauty sleep," she quipped, leading me away from the camp.
We slipped away to a clearing where there were twenty-seven mounds of dirt.
"We don't even have bodies to bury," I muttered, staring at the makeshift graves.
"I'm not sure they gave kids bodies," Maya replied softly, her usual sarcasm absent.
"Besides, they were probably too badly damaged."
I closed my eyes and began a prayer for each of them, starting with the headmistress.
"How do you think Aiden's doing right now?" Maya asked while I was praying.
"I don't know, Maya," I responded quietly.
"He's probably missing us. Do you think he can eat as much as he likes over there?"
"What do you think he'll be like when he hears about what happened?" she pressed.
"He's a big crybaby," I replied, to which she chuckled.
"Yeah, he is. Who do you think the Sisters were, really?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, sitting down now that I had finished praying.
"They clearly weren't regular nuns, and the orphanage wasn't a regular orphanage..."
"I guess."
"You guess? And what's with the soldiers kidnapping you?"
"I don't know, Maya. Your recent acts of curiosity are weird," I responded, trying to change the subject.
"We'll figure it out someday. You shouldn't worry about what you can't solve. But rest assured, we will solve it," I added, offering a weak smile.
"Wow! Those don't sound like the words of a future farmer," she responded with a smirk.
"Yeah! Who knew witnessing someone take their life in front of you to save you ends up altering the trajectory of your life."
"Sorry," she whispered, not knowing what else to say. Sister Claire had been closer to us than anyone else, and since she knew I felt personally responsible, it was a delicate subject.
"It's fine," I said smiling back at her.
—————————————————
Maya decided to head back to sleep, but I stayed behind. I still had something to do.
—00:49:31—
Standing up with a sigh I closed my eyes and did the spell.
[FIREBALL]
I felt as my mana formed into a sphere and after it reached a significant amount it ignited turning into a ball of fire the air around me heating up. My heartbeat increased tenfold and my skin felt prickled,
'It would be so easy'
I bit my lip, tasting blood, grounding myself in the sharp sting like I usually did. I had to.
'All this time and I haven't changed a bit'
DING!
Daily requirement: 1/10
Finally, with a shaking breath, I released the spell cutting off the supply of mana and the fireball dissipated. I would come here every night in order to perform the fireball spell and although I was planning to overcome my issues the truth is I was barely getting by with my current method, but I don't have a choice.
"Die happily, huh?" I whispered and then laughed at myself.
"I didn't even die happily during my past life, and I'm expected to do it in a world that's going to war soon," I laughed again.
"I always hated challenges."
I took deep breaths to calm myself and waited a few minutes before casting the next fireball, and the next, until I had finished.
Daily requirement: 10/10
—24:00:00—
DING! LEVEL UP
I checked my spell series to see the fireball was level 2 now, I wasn't sure what difference it made and I wasn't in the mood to test it so I made my way to the outpost.
"Loid! You're back," said Maya as I approached.
"Yeah. Shouldn't you be asleep?" I asked.
"Someone has something for you," she said, as Elly ran from behind her.
"I wanted to tell him!" Elly complained, pouting.
"Something came in for you," she said, holding out a letter.
"Thank you, Elly," I said, taking the letter.
"Who is it from?" she asked curiously.
"Someone who's worried," I answered.
Let me rephrase that—I thought he was worried.
Dear Loid,
I hope this letter finds you well. If not, I hope whoever reads this sends me whatever is left of his belongings.
I have sent this in regards to the young masters fortune, now that he is of age and has performed Revelation there are several problems that will start to arise if he is not present to claim his inheritance.
Kindly head to my residence so we can discuss how to resolve this issue together.
Warm regards,
Gideon Thorne
"Well, at least he hoped I was well," I thought to myself, though the sentiment felt hollow.
Thinking it through I didn't really have anything planned, plus Mr. Thorne was a Beastkin maybe he would why I was being....Is that racist? Not all Beastkin know each other idiot!
I can't tell anyone I'm going, it's better that way. Whose to say I don't get attacked or kidnapped again and they caught up in it. There's talk about transferring us to another orphanage, of course most of the kids will be separated and the fifteen year olds will have to either enter the military, guilds or academics early.
Of course without the support of the headmistress their chances and opportunities were limited.
'How am I going to get there anyway?' I thought, racking my brain for a few moments before a sudden idea hit me.
I rummaged through my belongings for a few seconds and finally fished out the Mana Sense Talisman.
'This will work.'
—————————————————
—24:00:00—
Turns out level 2 doesn't make much difference besides the fire being hotter.
After finishing my daily requirement I decided it was time so I took the bag which I had planted there earlier and started to head out.
I had slipped away from the camp. The night was cool, and the air was thick with the scent of pine and earth. The forest was eerily quiet, the only sounds coming from my own footsteps as I made my way through the trees.
I had just reached the edge of the clearing when a voice broke the silence.
"Where are you going?"
I froze, my heart skipping a beat. Slowly, I turned around to see Maya stepping out from behind a tree, her arms crossed over her chest. Her expression was unreadable, but there was a sharpness in her eyes that made my stomach drop.
"Maya... What are you doing out here?" I asked anxiously.
"I asked you first," she replied, her tone cool. "I've been watching you throw fireballs all night. So, I'll ask again—where are you going?"
I hesitated, unsure of how to respond. I hadn't expected to be caught, especially not by Maya. She was supposed to be asleep, like everyone else.
"I'm... I'm leaving," I finally admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Leaving? Where to? And why didn't you tell me?" Maya's voice was calm, but there was an edge to it that made me wince.
"I didn't want to drag anyone else into this. It's my problem, and I need to deal with it on my own," I explained, looking away.
Maya scoffed, taking a step closer. "That's stupid. You know that, right? You think you can just go off on your own and everything will be fine? What if something happens? What if you get attacked again?"
"I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me!" I snapped, my voice louder than I intended. "It's bad enough that Sister Claire... I just... I don't want to lose anyone else."
Maya's expression softened, and she uncrossed her arms, letting out a sigh. The next moment, I was punched square in the jaw.
'What the hell?'
"How stupid can you be? What do you think this will solve? Abandoning people to save them—according to what logic? What makes you so sure they won't kidnap Elly, Rupert, Diana, Gideon, or even Aiden just to get to you? Do you think anything through?"
"That's... that's why I'm leaving. I can't do anything the way I am now. I can't change. I know all those things could happen, but I'm not going to sit here and act like I'm doing something."
She clenched her fists, about to punch me again, which made me wince, but then she stopped. She was silent for a moment, then shook her head with a wry smile. "You're not going alone. If you're leaving, then I'm coming with you."
I stared at her, dumbfounded. "What? No, Maya, you can't—"
"I can, and I will," she interrupted, her tone firm. "You're not going to change my mind, so don't even try. Besides, you'll need someone to watch your back. I've watched you these past few days and if throwing fire is the best you can do you won't last long"
I opened my mouth to argue but stopped myself. Maya was stubborn—once she made up her mind, there was no convincing her otherwise.
"Fine," I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck.
"Let's go, then," she stated, walking ahead of me.
With a resigned nod, I turned and led the way through the trees. Maya fell into step beside me,
"So, have you given any thought to how we're going to get there?" she asked.
"I figured I'd sell this and we'd take a waypoint as close as possible," I said, taking out the talisman.
"You didn't use that? It's extremely important, you know."
"…I guess I should tell you about my spell series."
Her reaction was immediate. Her eyes widened in shock, and she nearly tripped over a tree root. "WHAT THE HELL?" she yelled, grabbing my arm and spinning me around to face her.
"It's… complicated," I muttered, avoiding her gaze.
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