With a loud pounding in her skull, Keshiema sat up. Groggy from her poor sleep, she tried to make sense of the swirling room around her. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and a cold chill ran down her spine when she looked outside into the thick morning fog. Finally regaining full consciousness, she realized the pounding came from someone knocking loudly on her door.

  The other orphans and caretakers seldom woke up before Keshiema. Healing exhausted her, causing her to sleep in on occasion. As their cover-up, the caretakers never cared what she did. They knew Keshiema would heal the victims without hesitation whenever the beatings got out of control. The caretakers only disturbed her to fix one of their messes. Knowing one of the other children might be injured, she scrambled out of bed. "Just a second!" she shouted while throwing on her sweater and the skirt that she always wore over her tattered blue jeans. She grimaced at her dirty clothes; only owning one outfit hindered having clean attire.

  When she opened the door, she halted. She expected to see one of the other orphans there, waiting to report a hurt child. Instead, she found a slender 16-year-old young man in a strange, black uniform staring down at her. His black fox ears twitched when he looked down at her. "That's her?" The white and black kitsune mask tied to his belt swayed when he turned around to look at the caretakers. "You said she could heal! Where is her Friskalian Mark?" his rough voice, torn and scarred from screaming, scared the orphans gathered at the end of the hallway. "I was told it would be on her forehead."

  "Mark? So that thing is normal for you people?" Chu sounded genuinely curious as he and May reached Keshiema's bedroom door.

  "Where is it?" the young man shouted impatiently. "How do I know you're not lying to me?"

  "Well, you see," May started. When the young man glared at her, she continued hurriedly, "It disappears when she heals someone, so she must have done some healing recently. You know how kids are, always getting hurt."

  The young man knelt on one knee, resting an arm on the other. His left hand stayed on the hilt of his sword. "What is your name, little one?" the young man asked Keshiema quietly.

  Uneasy with the hint of annoyance in his dark brown eyes, she responded timidly, "Keshiema." Tobias and Mia quietly snuck into the hall behind Chu and May, easing Keshiema's anxiety. "and you?"

  Holding his right hand out to her, he smiled. "My name is Hiro. It is my honor to meet you." Keshiema took his forearm and gave him a short nod. "Do you know why I'm here, Keshiema?"

  Hiro peered deeply into Keshiema's blue eyes. Confusion glazed their surfaces, but deep within, like windows to her soul, a haunting past full of heartache and tears filled those eyes to the brim. Not wanting to uproot a child from their home, resignations loomed over him when he received this task, his first as a Hunter. However, seeing the situation at the orphanage, he realized this child had no home. The sadness in those eyes confirmed that if she stayed here, she never would.

  "I am here for you, Keshiema. The Academy is drafting you. You will start your journey today, and I shall be your guide."

  Keshiema looked from Hiro to Chu and May, to Tobias and Mia. "What do you mean? The Academy isn't for mutts."

  Hiro's eyes showed a hint of anger at the hurtful term. He turned back to Chu and May. ‘What hell kind of place are you running here?!’ He thought to himself. ‘For a child to call herself such a disgusting word?’ Reigning in his emotions with a deep breath, he spoke calmly. “Where can I go to speak with her privately?”

  Chu swallowed. His throat was suddenly dry, and he had the need for a long swig of drink. “Th-th-the,” he coughed to clear his throat as Hiro stared impatiently, tightening the grip on his sword. “The dining room has a table and chairs.”

  Chu and May led the way, and when they tried to enter behind him, Hiro drew his sword and held it at May’s neck. “If you value your lives, you will stay out while I converse with Keshiema.” The two nodded and backed away slowly.

  The first thing Hiro noticed about the dining room was that it only had a small table with two chairs. Not enough to accommodate the dozen or so children that lived there. Keshiema went to the corner and quietly sat on the dingy floor.

  “You may sit at the table. If there is a problem, I will take care of it.”

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Obediently, the thin child sat in a chair. She twiddled her fingers and shook her foot with nervous trepidation.

  "Uvall has informed the Elders that you must come to the Academy.” He got right to the point.

  Keshiema spoke softly, afraid Chu and May were listening in, "What about the others? They need me. If I’m not here, they’ll be killed!"

  "So, you did heal someone last night? And your mark does fade when you do?" he gently matched her whisper.

  "Not just one." She fidgeted in her seat. Saying this endangered the other children.

  ‘The Elders told me to do whatever it takes to make sure she leaves with me without being harmed.’ Hiro thought to himself, remembering his short time in front of the Elders. He had been given three days for this mission. The task of retrieving a single orphan within the city limits should not take more than a day. Giving Keshiema a stern look, he pressed her for more information. "Tell me everything."

  “Chu and May...they had a baseball bat." Her hair and eyes darkened dramatically to a deep black. "Mia and Tobi almost..." Keshiema's eyes watered as she remembered the baseball bat coming down.

  Nodding, Hiro persisted, trying and failing not to look fazed by her new appearance. "I see. And how often does this happen?"

  Her eyes stung as she fought off tears. "It used to be maybe once in a while. And not too bad. Just bruises and stuff." She rubbed her arm. "Sometimes a broken bone.”

  Afraid of making the girl cry more but terrified of failing the Elders, Hiro pressed further, "But how bad are they now?"

  "Almost every night, and they get really bad. Before, I could make it look like nothing happened. But now,"

  Hiro saw the malnourished and injured children when he walked in, his first indication of the horrid conditions. "You're exhausted from the healing, aren't you?"

  Shrugging, Keshiema replied with an "I guess so."

  'If she stays here much longer, she'll probably run herself into the ground. Stars, they'd be pissed then.' He thought of the Elders punishing him. 'A slow and painful demise, to be sure.' A light tugging on his sleeve interrupted Hiro's thoughts.

  "So, what about the others?" Dysphoria emanated from her. Her eyes looked like pools of tar, holding him in place.

  Without another word to Keshiema, Hiro stood up and turned around in one swift motion. His left hand tightened on his sword as he flung the dining room door open and stepped into the living room. Chu and May fell to the floor, knocked back the door as it swung open. "Chu Leo, May Leo." Hiro looked each in the eyes as he spoke their name. "This orphanage is no longer under your care."

  Chu scrambled to his feet. "You can't do this!" He shouted as he got in Hiro’s face. The balding, morbidly obese, middle-aged man towered over the Kitsune-Daemon.

  "The new caretaker will arrive tonight. You will give me the deed to this property and the children's records so I may hand it to them. After I review the documents, you are to report to the sorting station to receive your new assignments."

  "And what if we don't?" Chu spat, stabbing Hiro in the chest with a chubby finger.

  Grabbing Chu's wrist, Hiro twisted it. "You will do as I command," his words came out with a soft yet vicious tone, "or else!" Chu went down screaming as his wrist snapped and cracked in Hiro's hand.

  "You're just a child yourself. We don't have to listen to you!" May shouted over her husband's screams, "We have cared for these children when no one else wanted them! Are you really going to take them away from us after all the love we have given them?"

  Throwing Chu to the side, Hiro walked over to May. "You dare to argue with a Hunter? I have come as a messenger of the Elders, and I carry out their orders no matter what."

  May trembled, but she refused to back down, even as beads of sweat formed above her brow and her mouth went dry. She already knew she was as good as dead. "The Elders are nothing to me! They are powerless and weak demons that make others do their work for them! No better than that disgusting creature you call a king!"

  As Hiro drew his sword, Keshiema watched in awe. With magnificent precision, he nicked the skin on May's neck. Wiping his sword clean, he sheathed it before she fell to her knees with a loud thump while gripping her neck. Blood pooled over her hands. She gasped for air as her blood pressure dropped. The light left her eyes, and she slumped over as her heart struggled to continue beating.

  "Do I need to kill you too, old man?" Hiro looked at Chu with disgust.

  Watching his wife bleed out, Chu shook his head and mumbled. "Long live the king."

  Disgusted, Hiro pointed away. "Then get me those papers I asked for!"

  Chu held his broken arm to his chest as he crawled towards his office, too shaken to stand and walk.

  "Here you go," Keshiema chirped.

  Startled, Hiro jumped. He never heard her move. Her hair and eyes had shifted to a brilliant gold. She smiled, but a touch of despair still peeked through from behind the glimmering gold. "Thanks." He smiled back at her, taking the towel she held. As he wiped the sweat and spittle from his face, he heard others approaching.

  "We should be the ones thanking you." Hiro looked up to see a teenage demon boy standing by May's body. "These two have been tormenting some of us for years. Before Keshiema arrived, many died from the beatings."

  "I was just doing what I had to," Hiro replied. He did not care about any of these children, but Keshiema did. he had to make sure she stayed undamaged, and that included emotionally. Once the body was cleaned up and the new caretaker arrived, he could take the young child away from this place. "Why don't you spend the rest of the day with your friends, Keshiema?" Hiro said, kneeling down to face her once more. Looking up at the teenage boy, he ordered him to keep the other orphans outside for a while.” Both nodded and went outside to be with the other children.

  Miskia altoa co mar = Rest free of pain

  ---------------------------------------------------------------

  In a world where 25% of humanity has awakened superpowers, vigilante Kazuma Raiden fights corruption in both heroes and villains while uncovering the truth behind his parents' murder—all while trying to balance high school and everyday life in a world filled with lies and manipulation.

  Co-created with PrakDaMaestro, whose creative input helped shape the world and characters.

  ?? Releasing 3 chapters every week!