"Are you going to save the world from the monsters that already exist in it or save it from outer monsters?" Calten asked, his hands behind his head.
"That's your group job." I said.
We were en route to the orphanage. I rubbed my temple with the fingers. These people talked a lot; they questioned a lot. I could only sigh and endure this stuff.
"You're a part of it. Better start working."
"Bentend said government wouldn't permit us to meet the intiverse… How did you get him there?"
"There's no such rule for the weakest, although it's false information provided by them." He paused and then said, "Better not confront them; they are violent beasts, mostly in Morvi."
As we reached the orphanage gate, children came sprinting, hugging Goun. Among them was his sister; he had the same three-headed dragon mark.
I stretched out my hand subconsciously and tried to transfer my energy to her. If it worked on Goun, then it would work on us as well.
I couldn't do it; it wasn't working like it worked on Goun. She hadn't awakened her powers yet.
Goun looked at my arm; he knew what I was trying to do. I had told him about my powers; there was no reason to hide a secret.
"Did it work?" He asked.
I shook my head; he was relieved. He didn't want his sister to be a part of these supernatural powers. What good would it give him? Only troubling his sister with voices and curses of the people, the blame they will place on him and her.
In last came the old crone, her hair cascading down her shoulder, snowy white with a few black strips of purplish hair. Her stature was small, like Bentend's, except not in her youth, with a wrinkled face and dying eyes. Her time was close; beside her walked a woman; she was familiar.
"Shuhe?" Bentend was surprised.
She was the woman who worked in that restaurant where Bentend had taken me. There was no telling why she came here, and when answered.
"Every Sunday I come to deliver food here. My father was also an orphan."
Now that I have noticed, she had a silky voice. Quite taller than Bentend, almost close to my height. Her muscles were weak, and she was a thin, fragile woman.
She looked at me; for a split second, I saw strong emotion tingling in her eyes, pure and full. There was no telling what they were, but I sensed it.
Perhaps I could use them to gain energy. A hand moved before my face, "The dreadful devil is in reverie." Calten quipped.
When he saw where I was looking, his eyes squinted, and his lips curled up, giving me a vile smile.
"What is it?"
"There's no shame for intiverse to be interested in a human." Calten said.
Bentend heard it as he turned his head; his ears prickle up faster as such talk is on. I never thought he really got what Calten meant.
He glances at me and then at the Shuhe. One idiot was not enough, and the other jumped in, but this one was more foolish.
"You mean what I heard is right?" Bentend asked.
Bentend poked me on his side and whispered, "Never thought to be interested in Shuhe."
What? That… was a misunderstanding.
"I should tell her right." He said he only took one step further before I placed my hand on his shoulder and threatened him.
"I'll have your fingers cut off."
This raised their suspicion even more. He began giggling behind his hands.
"This is a clear misunderstanding; I was only searching for energy within her." I tried to explain.
Calten interjected, "Energy of love, I can tell with my experience."
I knew they were just teasing, but if that foolish woman heard it, she might take it the wrong way too. Their voices were getting louder.
"By the way, Shuhe, does your father help the orphanage financially? Since the government is mostly cutting out support." Bentend asked.
"Yes, it's my father and Goun."
One hunts the monsters, earning money that way, and the other provides food. Goun wasn't strong, and entering a warp was already dangerous enough for a weak person like him.
"Our guest mustn't stand outside, foolish me. Pardon me for my old age; please come inside. Kids take the guest in."
The interior of the place wasn't bad, only mundane decoration. Trees with bells on them—I wondered what that was for. It was the guest room they had prepared, with clean sheets on the table and the sofas scribbled on with kids' art.
"The kids love drawing." The old crone said.
The old crone never minded them; the drawings were the history of the orphanage. The previous and the new all were leaving behind their memories for her to see and those that will come after her.
There was someone outside, looking at me. I glanced out of the window and saw the same kid I met the very first time I came here in this world. There was a bruise on his cheek; his gaze was dull and filled with pain.
I didn't move; when Bentend looked where I was looking, he was confused.
"What are you looking at outside?" He asked.
"A kid."
But to him, there was no kid. Strange, I found it, and so did he. Never did it matter.
"Seat yourself with comfort."
They conversed, while I kept my eyes outside. Who was that kid? He was strangely familiar. Not that I could tell.
Shuhe saw me gazing outside; when she looked outside, she couldn't see the kid.
"Something wrong? You have been gazing at the window."
I said, "Nothing it is; I just liked the view."
"Because the inside view was too charming to look at." Bentend said, "Better looking outside for distraction."
The clueless woman didn't know what Bentend was talking about. Even if she did, sigh… what am I thinking?
As I blinked, the kid was gone out of sight.
"What did you see?" Calten asked, "I can tell there is something you're watching."
"A kid." I told him, "There was a kid standing there a moment ago."
He bobbled up and down his lips and said, "Only an illusion, a past life haunting a dream."
As I relaxed, I looked at Goun. Was it him that my master sent me here? Possibly. What other reason could there be?
Perhaps we were looking for a reason; if only I could remember what my master wanted.
"Why don't we form a team?" I said.
Calten raised his brows a little. "I was already in the team; besides, what hiding? We three work for the same group."
"Four." I corrected it. "Goun is joining us."