The days in an orphanage are dull, boring and tiring.
We woke up early morning at 6, for breakfast, nothing fancy really, just a piece of bread for most of the days. Sometimes, if we were lucky, we got boiled eggs. But most of the time, it was just bread and water.
After breakfast, we had chores. Sweeping the floors, cleaning the bathrooms, washing clothes. Even though we were kids, the caretakers didn't care. Everyone had to work.
There were about 50 of us, all between the ages of 5 and 10. Some were loud and annoying. Some were quiet and kept to themselves.
I was sweeping the hallway when a girl with messy brown hair walked up beside me, holding a rag.
"You're new, right?" she asked, with a big smile as I just nods to her.
"I'm Mina. You sweep, I wipe?" She said as... "Uh… sure," I just replied to her with an awkward face.
She nodded. "Good! I know you are a nice guy when I saw you, haha." She said with a laugh, as I just scratched my head.
"…Thanks?" I said. She seems like an easy going girl tho, that's good.
Suddenly, a boy with short black hair passed by us, while carrying a bucket full of water. "Mina, stop bothering the new kid," he said as he looked at us, mainly Mina as she pouted at him.
"Jay, I'm helping!" she said, lightly hitting him on the back, as he just shook his head and walked off without replying... The seemed to have a good relationship i guess?
"That was Jay," Mina said to me, whispering like it was a secret. "He's always acting serious like he's some kind of boss, isn't he? Well, he isn't that bad of a guy tho." She said and at the end, blushed ever so slightly.
Before i could reply, a small hand tugged at my shirt as I urgently looked at in alarm, only to see a boy younger than me as I looked down.
A little boy with wide eyes stared at me. "I… I spilled water… again," he said quietly.
I followed him to the hall corner, where water dripped onto the floor.
"It's okay, Alex," I said, grabbing a rag and helping him clean... He is my little brother, Alex, unlike me, he looked more like our mother with his blue eyes and blonde hairs tho.
"Th-thank you, Liam…" he whispered, poor child whose mother left him at at orphanage, 'Wait, i ain't even that much older than him, we are in the same boat i guess.' I thought as I shook my head.
That's why I must protect him... I thought and just then, a loud voice echoed from the other side of the room.
"Oi! You guys still working? Fucking losers!" A boy with orange hairs said as he barged inside the room.
"Tsk, stay away from him, he is Ryan." Mira slightly whispered in my ears as Alex his behind me.
As I keep looking at the boy named Ryan, who started kicking another boy but no one made a move, not even the caretaker who ignored it.
Why is that? "They are all useless," Mira said as she shook her head.
"Ignore him if you don't wanna be his target. Apparently, this guy is was deemed trash after first blessing, so he is one of the few who wasn't offered adoption by anyone, family or organisation. The only reason he is here is because he is yet to have recieve second blessing, through with that kind of attitude I doubt he will make it far."
"You really hate him, don't you?" I said with a slight chuckle, her tone, and her hate as she explained him to me made it clear to me she hates him.
'But blessing?' I thought as suddenly some knowledge appeared in my mind... In this world, people receive bleeding my gods so they can start thier mage journey.
First at the age of 5, and second at 10 before.
According to the laws of Rose Empire, only after second blessing can an orphan be adopted legally, through few people bypass the rule with an agreement with orphanage and kids after first awakening.
However, even if you ain't adopted, you can still work hard to try earn scholarships at various magic academies, at 16 year of age.
But even then, blessings play a crucial role in how your life will turn out and with how he acts, I doubt he will be favoured by gods.
'But seriously, what's wrong with me, how can I forgot such important things? Am I sick or something?' I asked myself... This question keep bugging me for a long time and that night...
"I am... not really a child," I whispered lightly, as if letting out the thought I have been hiding inside for a very long time, but wasn't able to do this anymore.
However, even though I said so, the mirror I was looking at across the room, said otherwise.
In that mirror, a small figure, of a pale boy with dangerously red eyes and unkept black hair could be clearly seen.
It was me... Liam, an orphan who lives in a small orphanage in Capital of the Great Rose Empire, a child abandoned by his mother after his father died, and brother of Alex.
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And in the silence of the night... I felt it again.
That I'm losing part of myself.
.
.
.
"... So, are you in, liam?" Mira asked, with her full of hope that I will agree but I just looked at her awkwardly.
It has been around a month as I got to know this duo of Mira and Jay and my days here have been, rather peaceful if I have to say, much better than my past through my memory of that seems fuzzy.
"Is there really a need to do it? I mean, we will be able to visit church in a couple of month to receive our blessings anyways. Why bother sneaking out of of the orphanage?"
As I said that, mira pouted ever so slightly and, "Bu-but it is said that the more you visit church, the better blessing you receive, I-I want, a good blessing." She said as her voice was barely audible in the end.
'Sigh, seriously?' I asked as I shook my head, "But why can't they just allow us to visit the church, it would have been easy, don't you think." I said.
"Isn't it obvious?" Jay who was beside us said, "The head caretaker doesn't want us to make contact outside, least anyone got to know about him eating up all the donation money and child labour stuff." He said as he shook his head.
Damn this guy is a genius, are you sure he is 5 year old? Well, we all are tho.
"Fine," i said and looked at Mira, "Let's sneak out tonight," I said as Alex pulled my shirt.
"Ca-Can I come too? I wanna see the church as well." He said as I rubbed his head, "No..." He said looking at him, he is too young for this, even though we are just a year apart.
"Maybe next time." I said as Alex looked down, a bit down cast.
With a sigh I smiled at him, "I will bring some kind of gift for you tho, i promise." I said showing him my pinky as a smile returned on his face.
Later that night, me, mira and Jay sneaked out of the orphanage.
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.
.
.
The night air was kinda cold as we snuck out through the old broken fence behind the orphanage. It seems that jay was right, this would have been long fixed if the donation money was used correctly.
Amyway, as we walked, Mira held my hand tightly, and Jay right ahead as if he'd done this before, it was suprising he knows where to go.
"Jay, are you sure this is the right way?" I said to him lightly as he looked back and nods.
"Yeah," he replied to me, while walking and continued, "One of the older kids told me to just follow the path past the wine shop, and walk straight on the main road."
I wasn't fully convinced as we went passed the mine shop a bit earlier without being able to spot the church , but I nodded anyway.
Mira didn't speak anything as he walked beside us super quietly, which was rare for her as usually, she is the most talkative person in the room.
After walking for a few more minutes, we reached a small street with dim streetlights. A few people were around, mostly older folks heading home or something.
The tecnology here seems rather backward compared to... compared to- Suddenly, Mira looked up at me and tugged my sleeve.
"Should we, should we ask someone where the church is?" she whispered lightly as I nods, thats the best we can do right now, isn't it?
"Yeah." Saying so, I looked around for a bit and spotted a lady carrying a basket, walking near us and I slowly walked towards her.
"Excuse me, miss, do you know where the church is?" I asked her she looked at us with a surprised face, probably thinking why three little kids were doing out this late... And asking the way to church no less but she pointed us towards our destination.
"Just go straight till the end, you will see a big white building with a bell tower and cross, that's the church." She said.
"Thank you!" Mira said to her with a cute smile as the woman smiled back to her and us even as she walked away.
After a few more minutes of following the the women pointed us towards, we finally reached there, the church.
It was large building, which looked Old and ancient, yet new and beautiful.
The stained glass windows glowed under the moonlight, and the silver cross on top kinda sparkled. It was quiet… real peaceful.
We pushed the big door open slowly with creek sound of old wooden door, through the door was new and well kept.
Inside the church was warm, smelled like old wood and candles. The place was empty, just a few candles flickering on the sides as we looked all around with curiosity, as it was our first time visiting church.
"Do we just pray or something?" Mira asked, looking around but before I could answer, a calm voice came from up front.
"You're out late, little ones." As we heard the voice, we turned out head fast towards the direction it came from, to see who it belongs to.
An old man in white robes stood there, near an altar that had weird foot prints on it, his silver hair were tied back and as he looked at us with a calm face.
Even through he has an aura that screams that he is STRONG, however he was not scary... but more like... Holy?
"Uh, sorry!" I said to him with a slight bow realising that he is the priest as I stepped in front of Mira. "We just wanted to see the church. We won't cause any trouble sir priest." I said.
The old priest just smiled a little and gave a soft chuckle to us. "This place isn't really a church, the capital already have the biggest Citadel there is. It's something older, a very special place if I must say."
He said as we all looked at him a bit confused.
Due to our limited knowledge we thought that this a cruch but what could it be? Isn't this the place where we recieve blessings?
"This is a holy site," he said seeing through our confusion as he walking slowly toward us. "Long ago, when the God of Fire and Purity... Agni, came to the mortal world, he rested here. Not for a day, not a week, but a whole decade."