Chapter 8: Field Trip, part 1

Mama, a girl hugged me today.

That’s right, a real-life woman!

She hugged me with her athletic arms and brought me into her warm embrace.

She crawled beneath my feet and tried to kiss my shoes.

She barked at my every command and was so grateful to me, she cried tears of joy.

She prevented me from becoming a child murderer and corrected my crooked path. My arrogance.

And I kicked her for it.

Mama, your son kicked a girl.

Mama, oh sweet mother death.

Bring me into your sweet embrace and drop me down into the fiery pits of Hell where I belong.

“Master Jack, are you feeling alright? You’re awfully pale right now.”

“He’s fine, Annie. Guy’s so happy to have you around, he has no idea what to do with himself.”

Right now I’m walking down the streets with two giraffes on my sides. Both of them are talking over my head like a couple with their little boy in the middle.

I glanced upwards to see Marl… Marianne’s face. She noticed my sight and gave me a big wide smile. Her face was glowing with happiness.

The girl was dressed in a white turtleneck with a black coat on top to keep her warm from the night wind. Her sun-bleached hair was neatly trimmed and combed in a way that exposed and framed her well-sculpted androgynous face.

Looking at the tall handsome girl, my eyes twitched. Not knowing whether to be jealous or hit on her.

Can I even hit on her?

Would that be an abuse of power?

“Master Jack, are you feeling ill? Perhaps you’re still feeling the effects from saving me.”

The woman placed her coarse palm on my forehead. Her face showed genuine worry.

“I- I… err…”

“Master, you’re burning up! It’s all my fault for dragging you around town!”

I was the one who dragged her but never mind that. Don’t treat me like a kid, woman!

I was opening my mouth to protest the indignity of it all.

But she unbuttoned her coat and brought me under her wings!

The two of us are now wearing the same coat, walking side by side! My body, touching hers!

“We should arrive at the orphanage soon so don’t die, Master! Abigail will fix you right up!”

“B- Bitch chill. I- I’m fine!”

“Bwa! Ha ha ha ha!”

“Who are you laughing at, four eyes!!?”

Oh, the indignity!

Oh, the shameful display!

Oh lord, oh mighty, she smells so nice!

Mama, your son can die happy now.

***

The well-laid asphalt road soon led to bumpy stone paths with cracks and dirty puddles littered about.

The three of us arrived in front of an old decrepit mansion that was pulled out of a horror story. The place looks like it was held together with bubblegum and shoestrings.

This is the orphanage Annie grew up in.

Can’t say I was surprised.

I half expected Marianne to live under a bridge with nothing but rats and rainwater to sustain her. Given her non-existent self-confidence.

Low self-worth.

Insane level of will.

How does that even work?

Don’t know. She smells pretty and that’s all that matters.

Kyle on the other hand was taking notes like the secret of Annie’s upbringing will be the key he needed to treat…

Her. His beloved. Doris.

The most high-profile Level Zero in the cosmos.

And an absolute pain in the ass!

God, just thinking about that bitch’s smug face makes me want to blow up a moon!

That bitch alone makes me want to go full casteist against all cripples!

“Master Jack, we’ve arrived. Are you holding up alright?”

The tall woman leaned down to check on me. I felt her warm breath blowing on my cheeks.

“Y-Yes… I- I’m doing a-okay! Never better!”

Never mind! Cripples are good! Cripples are great! Cripples are perfect just the way they are! That bitch is the exception, not the rule!

Marianne smiled before letting go of me. She then walked up the steps to open the front door.

“Where the fuck have you been, you useless bastard!?”

A loud shriek came from inside the house before an ugly bony hand slapped Marianne on the side of her face.

The tall woman collapsed on the floor. Her body lay still and unmoving.

Huh.

What a strange way to greet someone.

“Don’t play dead you lazy minx! Now hand me my money.”

The middle-aged woman who looks like a wrinkly old handbag raises her feet to stomp on my new employee.

My employee!

My people!

My woman!

“!!!”

The old hag had a look of panic when she realized she couldn’t move a finger.

The very air around her became a cold hard cage that bound her in place.

I squeezed.

Ever so tightly, very slowly, very painfully.

I squeezed.

“Big bro, are you okay!?”

“Big bro, get up! Get up! Don’t die!”

A bunch of kids rushed past the stiff handbag to check on the collapsed girl.

The rage that covered my eyes dissipated and was replaced with fear!

“Kyle!”

“Don’t worry… someone already beat me to it.”

I was confused by his comment, then I noticed a strong Mana stream rushing into the fallen girl’s body.

The spell mended her wounds, reconnected her veins, fixing her muscles, her skin.

It was beautiful.

Like liquid fire. Like a river of stars. Like an exploding galaxy.

Level Four!?

No, no, it’s still unrefined. Incompleted. Untrained. Emotional. Youthful.

But the potential is there. So much potential. So much Mana. Skillfully weaved together into a beautiful spell that was invisible to the untrained eye.

I believe we have found our diamond in the rough.

In a few moments, the collapsed girl got up with the help of the children. She comforted them. Telling them she was fine, and that she has good news.

Several curious eyeballs came our way.

“Hey, kids, who like chocolate?”

Making friends with fledglings sure was easy.

We walked past the living statue of the evil crone and got into the house surrounded by the excited kids. None of them seems to care for the old woman, so it’s probably fine to just leave her there.

Most of the children couldn’t be older than ten. The youngest one is a cheeky boy who sure has a mouth on him.

Once we got to the living area, that's where we saw two older women.

There's a beautiful woman who must be the housekeeper, wearing an apron and looking at Annie with tears in her eyes. And a young adult sitting on her oversized sofa.

I could see that the teenage girl was recovering her almost emptied Mana tank without letting it show on her face. She had poured everything she’s got into healing her ‘big bro.’

I could surmise that she had done this often, or perhaps daily.

What a good sister.

This Abigail.

Annie couldn't stop talking about her. About how much of a prodigy she is. How much effort she put into studying. And how she’s finally warming up to her.

Cute kid. Got heart, even if she kept it hidden from her family.

Probably started learning spells to save her weak older sister from abuse.

What a good sister.

What a loving sister.

“So gold led us to an uncut gem, huh?”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

Kyle replied before gesturing to the stacks upon stacks of books neatly arranged on an old wooden shelf.

I got closer and my eyes widened with surprise.

Spell tomes! All of them! Dozens if not hundreds of old yellow books tied together with string and glue! Half of them are handwritten notebooks!

Level One… Level Two… Level Three!!!?

A handwritten Level Three book!? It can’t be real right!?

I took one into my hand and quickly scanned through the pages. It’s a genuine article!

And this isn’t just a copy, there are notes, references, simple to learn step-by-step guides, and even use case scenarios.

I reached for another book and it was the same. And another. And another.

They’re all real.

They’re all filled to the brim with knowledge.

And they all have the same handwriting!

I look Kyle in the eye. We were thinking the same thing.

The girl wasn’t just a diamond in the rough. Someone had spent a considerable amount of time polishing her. Cutting off her rough edges. Laying down her foundations.

The girl has a Master.

Someone who’s at least late-stage Level Three. And possibly the same rank as us.

But who?

And why would they leave the girl here, in this decrepit house?

“Big bro!”

The woman who I thought was the housekeeper cried out before leaping into Marianne’s warm embrace like a long-lost lover.

The two beautiful people hugged each other tightly as they stood in the middle of noisy children. Making a portrait of a loving husband and wife.

Annie used her coarse hands to wipe the woman's tears away before giving her a kiss on the forehead.

Fuck I’m jealous!

Question is… am I jealous of Annie… or the woman.

Eventually, the rowdy orphans quieted down and gathered around the dinner table. Kyle and I were invited to sit down on the best seat they had.

The place was silent. You could hear the sound of pin drops. Being stared at by a bunch of curious eyes sure feels awkward as Hell.

What do I say?

What should I say?

Me and my associate here are going to take your ‘big brother’ and one of your sisters away, good luck suckers! Have fun surviving on your own!

Is that what I should say?

“Hey, hey, mister, are you big bro’s new boss!? And who’s the kid? A new orphan?”

A kid?

What kid?

Who is this brat talking about?

“There, there, sweety, don’t be afraid. Our house may be a bit cramped and we may not have a lot, but we all treat each other as siblings here. You’ll fit right in!”

The apron wearing woman walked over to pat my back and sat a cup of soup in front of me.

“Wow! Your hair is so pretty! And your skin’s so soft! You’re like an angel!”

A little girl came to pinch my cheek.

“Hey, are ya a boy? Or a girl? There are already too many girls here!”

“Don’t be stupid, dummy! She’s obviously a girl!”

“Na-ah! That’s a boy!”

“Girl!”

“Boy!”

“Girl! Girl! Girl!”

“Boys times infinity!”

“Girls times infinity plus infinity!”

Oh.

They’re talking about me.

“Ha-”

I punched Kyle square in the jaw before he could laugh. Then I jumped on that bastard friend of mine and started swinging.

Feels good to let it out every now and then.

***

I’m standing outside feeling the midnight wind blowing on my face. Having some alone time gives a man time to think back on things.

So much has happened today, hasn’t it? Or was that yesterday already? So many excitements, surprises, and revelations.

It all feels so fake. Like a dream that I would wake up from. Having a girl hug me twice definitely doesn’t give me confidence that this was reality.

But I didn't have much time for reminiscence as familiar footsteps came from behind.

“Never knew you could be so generous. Relocating an entire family.”

“It’s called employee’s benefits. Comes with the territory.”

“Ha! Maybe I should quit the Order and just work for you then!”

“Nah. You don’t have the qualifications.”

“Ha! Smartass.”

The man quieted down before speaking in a more serious tone.

“What do you think about the girl, Abigail? Can we trust her and her mysterious benefactor?”

“Trust her for what exactly? We’re the one who barged in, and forced her to join our old men’s club, remember?”

“Haha! Sounds so wrong when you put it that way.”

“What are you worried about anyway? We’ll just put her name on our shortlist. If her Master doesn’t want her to go, then that’s fine.”

“Letting a talent like that slip through our fingers? HQ will give you an earful.”

“Do you want the kid or not asshole!? Make up your mind already!”

“Gees, don’t yell, my ears are still ringing.”

I shook my head and moved away from the annoying giraffe.

I casually strolled around the orphanage backyard which isn’t much of a yard, to be honest. With patchy grass and a playground that wouldn’t pass any safety regulations.

The moon is so beautiful tonight. Feels like she’s talking to me. Whispering something into my ears.

The clouds broke apart sending a beam of light to an old dead tree.

I felt a strange sensation as if someone was calling me there.

Someone.

Something.

Calling out.

Commanding.

I walked as if hypnotized. My eyes fixated on a large hole in the dead tree.

There was something in the hole.

Something is hidden in the deep dark abyss.

It calls me

It speaks to me.

It wants me.

Against my better judgment, I reached in and touched something.

Something powerful. Something with great Intent.

Yes, it calls to me.

Yes, it wants me.

It wants me to achieve…

“Perfection.”

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