Hearing the noise of talking and childish laughter, I can sense that we are getting close and that the room ahead should be already full for the most part. We only walk for a little bit longer before we reach our destination.
Entering the dining room, I see the same large circular table only slightly raised from the ground that I had inspected previously; pillows meant to be sat on surrounding it. It looks like most of the children are here, I believe, as I count twenty-four, no, twenty-five of them. If I add the four who just arrived with me, that brings the total to twenty-nine. Should I be correct, this orphanage should have the capacity to hold thirty-six children at most, so this may be all of them.
I only recognize a few of the children, being the ones I had escorted here and the five I met earlier; the rest of the faces are new. The children had told me that most of the others were out on chores when I arrived here, so I presume they must have gotten back while I participated in the heated dance tournament.
Scanning the room, I see Daryl and Seeda already sitting at the table, both surrounded by children and laughing merrily. I hear the cry of childish giggling as I watch Ruwa practically tackle another girl from behind, one that I don't recognize.
Looking around myself, I notice that I'm now standing alone, awkwardly, as the children I came with have already found their seats. I'm unsure if I should wait for someone to notice me or If I should just intrude. Actually, a few of the children have already seen me. The only reason I can tell is because they would send a glance my way and then point one of their friends at me.
I watch over the table some more, only to find Lilyin starring at me with a somewhat pleaful gaze. I'm not sure if she really, really wants me to sit next to her or if she really, really doesn't. Whatever the case is, I decide to take my chances, and I move over to sit next to the young girl.
Her eyes widen as I get closer. It's at this moment that Daryl notices me and playfully hollers, "Zero! Come sit with us! No need to be shy!" Many of the children turn to look at Daryl and then around the room before finding me.
I plop myself down on the pillow to the right of Lilyin. There is no one to my right when I sit, which situates me at the current 'end' of the table. There is a wooden bowl and spoon in front of me. Not necessarily what I'm used to, but it's better than nothing, I guess.
While the children go back to discussing amongst themselves, I continue to sit table for a while, just waiting for events to start rolling. None of the children move to broach the topic that is probably on their minds. That topic being my existence; instead, they continue to mingle with those around them. I can tell that a good amount of them was talking about me, though. I can hear the ones that are not whispering, and even some of the ones that do, they're not exactly good at being secretive.
The only reason I don't start talking to Lilyin is because she is still acting bashful. Like, honestly, what should I say? 'Hey, I know you have a crush on me; what's up?' No, too brash, and I could just outright be wrong. 'What's your favorite color?' Weird question to just spontaneously ask. 'I like your dress.' Absolute child predator vibes, yeah, no thank you.
The older girl to Lilyin's left, who I assume is probably one of her friends, tries to gain Lilyin's attention, whispering, "Lily, Lily, is he the new hero?" Lilyin just nods her head slowly in response.
I will just leave Lilyin alone, for now, I decide as I witness Veleda carrying in a big metal pot and two boys behind her holding food items of their own. One boy is holding a basket of bread while the other younger boy has six green fruits, what I think to be apples, wrapped up in his arms.
Veleda deposits the pot onto the side of the table, close to me, while the two boys move towards Daryl and Seeda. The boy with the bread gives the basket to Daryl, and he begins to cut the bread into smaller pieces, while the boy with the apples does the same for Seeda, who also proceeds to cut the apples.
Veleda slides the pot around the table while lifting up the bowls and pouring stew from the pot into them before placing the bowels back down onto the table. Now that I think about it, I can count thirty-seven bowls, meaning that there should be the same amount of participants, but if I calculate everyone here, there are only thirty-five. Are we missing a couple?
Slices of apple and bread begin to be passed around while the stew is still being given out. I receive my complimentary two meer slices of apple and a chunk of bread smaller than my palm. I look to Lily and the other children to see that they are considerably excited about the two slices of apples, but none have started eating anything yet. The only ones who don't seem all that enthusiastic are some of the youngest children and three others, one of which includes Johnny, my fellow 'Earth Realm' boy.
Veleda finally reaches the girl next to Lilyin, saying, "Here you go, Yupeta. Enjoy." while filling up her bowl.
Veleda also does the same for Lilyin before reaching me. She looks down at me, and I hand her my bowl while saying, "Thank you."
She smiles and says, "You're welcome. I know it's not as much as you guys are used to, but I hope you still enjoy it. It's not often we have as much as we currently do." Though she's smiling, I see a hint of deprecation in it. I frown at her words as she passes by to fill the bowl to my right.
Not too long after serving me, she finishes with the stew. She moves places the pot in one of the corners of the dining room. Then she comes back and sits down on the pillow to the right of my own, thus now enclosing me in the group.
Everyone starts to settle down now that there is no more movement. Daryl coughs a couple times to get everyone to quiet down while looking around the room with inquisitive eyes. He raises his eyebrows and asks, "Where are Queston and Truudfluue."
Everyone looks around except for me and begins to voice their concerns. Veleda tells Daryl, "They went out to do some errands for me. They should have been back hours ago."
Daryl nods his head with a solemn look before sighing and then cheering, "Everyone! Time to feast!"
---
"If I was a dog, I would..." "How many times do..." "I'll hit him!" Multiple conversations are ablast during dinner. It honestly reminds me of elementary school cafeterias, and it makes me nostalgic listening to all the ramblings of carefree children.
I haven't been involved much, but Veleda and I make idle conversation while we eat. Usually, I'm a fast eater; I like to be over and done with my meals to get back to doing whatever I was doing beforehand, but right now, I don't have much of a plan, so I eat slow. This allows me to get to know some of the kids and their histories from Veleda.
Most children don't just get left at orphanages due to unfortunate births but are, instead, the victims of parricide. Death occurs quite frequently among parents and older family members due to the nature of what I will be up against in the future. One wrong error and BAM, two dead parents plus an uncle. Apparently, I will be entering into a realm that the natives came from before becoming refugees of the Nexus. That realm is a sheer wonderland of death that nearly everyone must venture just to survive for a month. This is because the Nexus lacks the natural resources required for survival that only the original realm contains.
I also learned through our talk was that six of the children present are heroes and did not have any parents or family present when they arrived in the Nexus. The only exception was Mila, who arrived in the Nexus along with her older brother, Truudfluue. When I was told his name, I instantly came to a conclusion. I'm guessing that he had to pick his own name, just like me. It was explained that the heroes have been having a difficult time adjusting to life in the Nexus.
Veleda is grateful that I came when I did and hopes that I stick around for a while, at least until they can find the children, their parents, or other family members. I'm the closest thing they will have to an adult role model from 'Earth Realm' for now. All of this is putting a massive load of responsibility on my shoulders that I'm not sure I can handle.
We also talk about the future and what I'm planning on doing. I'm not too sure myself what I want to do or what I even should do. I guess I'll just move as directed until I can make sense of what is going on. Truth be told, I don't mind being dragged along and told what to do every now and then.
Only a little while after we start asking questions about each other, trying to get a sense of preferences that simple friends would know, that two older boys barge into the dining room, sweating and panting.
It's the one who appears to be the older of the two that is the first to announce their presence with, "Sorry that we're late, we..."
The younger boy picks up with, "We were playing around a little, that is all."
The older boy turns to look at the younger one with a look that seems to say, 'Don't tell them!'
The two boys who just arrived are whom I assume to be Queston and Truudfluue. The older is another mystery to me as they look to be human but have pink hair. Not like the strawberry blond, but like, a legit light pink. They also have bright blue eyes and white skin.
The younger boy has dark brown hair and brown eyes, similar in color to Mila. I believe him to be Truudfluue, which means the pink-haired one is Queston.
Daryl is the first to respond with, "Welcome Home. Sit down. Eat." A simple man of simple words. I respect that.
Queston and Truudfluue move to sit down next to Mila, who happens to be at the other end of the group. This leaves only a two-person gap between Queston and Veleda. Once they both have taken proper seating, they begin to look at me with questioning eyes. I look at them back, and I give them a big smile which makes Truudfluue smirk, but Queston, not so much; he keeps a stoic look.
Daryl seems to take the hint and addresses the children once again, saying, "Everyone, as you are all probably aware, we have a new member among our presence. His name is Zero, and he is a hero. He will be staying with us for the foreseeable future. Please treat him with kindness and respect, and he should do the same for you." Daryl looks at me with a knowing look while saying that last part.
Oh god. I just put my name together with the hero. I'm gonna be known as the Zero Hero.
It's only with this that Queston reacts with a look that makes him appear to be lost in thought. A couple of the smaller kids start clapping in unison while others just begin talking again while ignoring me. I guess my appearance doesn't affect them too much, luckily.
---
"So, what do you think about my daughter? Do you fancy her?" Daryl looks in my direction and asks.
"Dad..." Veleda meekly protests
Daryl grows a smug grin as he states, "If you want, you can have both of them." before putting a piece of bread that he dipped in the stew in his mouth.
I stop midway from putting the wooden spoon I'm holding in my mouth in shock. Is this seriously happening? I thought it only happened in movies and shows.
"DAAAAADDDD!!!" Seeda slams her hands down on the table and slightly raises herself from the floor.
"WHUAAT! I'm just trying to help." Daryl splatters out, mouth still full of bread.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Lilyin screams out in protest and hugs my side.
Help.
Everyone seems to just ignore Lilyin as it is Truudfluue who responds with, "How can he marry both of them?"
Queston asks Truudfluue, "What do you mean?"
"You can't marry two people," Truudfluue states out as if it was the obvious.
The whole table has flushed out the sound by now after Lilyin's scream and is listening wholeheartedly to the conversation, making it all the more embarrassing.
Daryl just smiles and says, "Seeda and Veleda are both adults now and are at the perfect age to start thinking about having a family before it's too late..."
Daryl lets his words hang as Veleda looks towards Daryl and me dejectedly, and Seeda seems to be having herself an episode in her own head.
"What do you mean by too late? They are both young enough to put this matter off for a couple more years if need be, surely." I ask Daryl, fishing for a logical answer.
"Yes, they do, but..." Daryl starts to say.
"But it's prudent that we make our decision about the type of life we want before any... accidents occur." It was Valeda that finished the sentence for her father.
I don't respond and instead, look around the table towards everyone. Most of the children don't seem all that bothered, but Queston and an older girl seem despondent and absentminded as they stare at me in silence.
"What? Why?" I ask in response.
Veleda just shakes her head at me in displeasure while Daryl smiles solemnly and tells me, "We will talk after dinner. Dinner is time for pleasant talk and thought."
This makes me shut my mouth and look down towards my bowl. Obviously, the realm outside the Nexus is a dangerous place. But just how bad can things actually be?
(A/N: Bad enough to summon 7.8 Billion people... Use your brain for another second, Numbnut.")
The talks slow down for a second, and we are all left in silence as we eat our meal. Things slowly begin to pick back up again as time passes, and it isn't long before it starts to sound like a crowded birthday party again.
"Does that mean Seeda and Veleda are gonna get married to Zero?" One of the younger children asks.
"Huh! That means Seeda and Veleda will have the cooties!" A Hispanic boy with dark hair exclaims. I already learned from Veleda that he is from Earth, like me. His name is Dante, and he is a knight.
"Look, Lily already touched Zero; that means she has the cooties." One of the boys sitting next to Dante says in continuation, just feeding off each other. I know that this boy is not from Earth.
"What's cooties?" Kathlee asks in confusion.
"Nah, uh! Lily doesn't have the cooties. You boys are stupid." One of the native girls says
"Yeah! Girls go to college to get more knowledge. Boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider." This time it was another kid from Earth, her name is Abby, and she is an archer.
How aren't these concepts dead by now? I ask myself while sighing.
"Lilyin finally speaks to me and asks while tugging on the sleeve of my robe, "Do I have cooties?"
"No, you don't have cooties; they're fake," I respond with a sincere expression, trying to make sure she gets the point.
"Okay." Lilyin looks back down towards her bowl while looking to be lost in thought.
"What's Jupiter?" Another boy asks.
Truudfluue responds this time with, "It's a planet."
Bittol shouts out, denying, "There's no planet called Jupiter!"
I turn to Bittol, getting his attention before yelling, "Earth Realm!" I had to shout because of the distance between him and me across the table. I feel like making a reference every time I use the words 'Earth Realm.'
"Ohhh." Bittol, the inquisitive as always, smashes his fist downwards into his open palm in understanding.
Conversations like these continue on through the meal. Times like this make me regret not sitting down to eat with my parents more often. It has been years since I last did that, despite still living in the same house. I usually just took all my meals to my room and ate there. Always seemed like a waste of time not to. But now...
I sit, lost in thought for a while. It appears like I didn't even notice when all the children started to get up and stack all the bowls and spoons in orderly piles. I'm shattered from my reverie when Lilyin taps me and gestures towards my bowl. Glancing around, I see what's happening. Handing her my bowl, she stacks it on atop her own before sliding it towards her friend.
Veleda had already gotten up and started to help out the children. I am the only one left sitting along with Daryl, who also hadn't moved yet. We continue to wait in silence as all the children carry food supplies back towards the kitchen along with Seeda and Veleda.
It's after everyone leaves that Daryl stands up, stretches, and throws me a wet rag, telling me, "Clean."
I catch the rag and watch him bend down towards the table to start wiping it down. I do the same, and it isn't long till the whole table is cleared off, and no crumbs remain. Daryl had grabbed a broom midway through and started sweeping. The children had all stacked the pillows and brought them out along with the other supplies.
"Usually, this job is left to me, and I enjoy it while it lasts, but, you know, it's nice having some help." Daryl starts to speak his mind while still sweeping.
I don't respond and instead, opt to find the cabinet Daryl had found his broom in. Inside is another broom, so I take that out and begin helping.
Once we finish sweeping, Daryl hands me his broom and dustpan for me to put away. He then gestures me to follow him without saying another word.
---
"Were you serious about what you said in there? The marriage and fancy part" I'm still curious.
"Yeah. But it's not my choice to decide. That choice is between you and the girls. It's simply not my place." Daryl sounds sincere about this as he sits in a chair he has placed in his room.
Daryl had brought me to his personal office after we finished cleaning the dining room. He told me that he spends a bit of time here each day, sorting out paperwork and talking with sponsors. If I ever need him, he should be in here.
I sit as well in the chair he directed me to with his hand. I don't actually know what to do in this situation. I have many questions to ask, but I don't know if they are appropriate given my situation and what I know of the Nexus and Realm so far.
I sit in thought while Daryl leans back into his chair and rests his eyes. It seems like he wants me to initiate the conversation. I guess since I don't know what to ask, I will instead open up with...
"Why?"
...
...
"Why...?" It takes what feels like a minute before Daryl mutters out the question as if questioning himself as well.
"Why is a good question... I guess the answer to your question is simply, 'Because.'" He answers my obscure question with an equally vague answer.
"Why are you here? Because. Why would I so easily offer my daughters' hands in marriage to a stranger I just met? Because. Why any of this?... Because" He shrugs his shoulders and sounds more and more dejected every time he says, 'Because.'
"It's strange, isn't it? I never thought I would see the day when the heroes of old would finally return, but I can say that if they did, I wasn't expecting the heroes I received to be a group of snot-nosed brats who can barely keep themselves fed..." He laughs to himself in self-deprecation while I stay silent.
Once he stops laughing, he looks towards me with a sad but wrathful look in his eyes. "Oryx, you see... The tragedies he has caused are endless, impossible for any of the sane to count. He's a despicable, tyrannical king who must be dethroned."
He takes a second to breathe as he appears to be contemplating something. Then, he continues again. "Life is too fickle to be living in constant fear. The fear of not moving quick enough, the fear of the unknown, the fear of a blade down your neck."
"My late wife, she... She had no fear. She loved life, loved battle, loved the call to glory, but I... I feared for her every day. Every day she stepped foot in that damnable realm was just another day I dreaded, and eventually, that fear overtook me. I pleaded for her to stay, to be safe, here, in the Nexus, with me, but alas, she didn't listen, and we lost her too early." He stops here and just breathes.
I take the opportunity to try to figure out what he is trying to tell me by saying, "And that's why you want your daughters to settle down. To try and ground them, here, in the Nexus, with responsibilities and obligations."
Daryl nods his head in agreement and says, "But that's only half of the story. We can't avoid the realm; we need it; it's our life's calling; it's our fate. But with another who would be willing to enter for us, we can mitigate that fate."
"And that's where I come in." I continue on this path of thought.
"Precisely, if you were to marry my daughters, then you can be the one to save them from my same fate; only a hero can escape Oryx after all. But it doesn't have to be you, it could be any hero, and there are many other benefits to having a hero in the family. Now that I think about it, a family name wouldn't be all that bad." Daryl keeps up on this marriage talk like it's nothing.
"A family name?" I ask. I know what a family name is, but I want answers.
"Yeah, a family name, once a hero acquires enough fame, they may be granted the privilege of having one." Well, that's one valuable nugget of information.
"How do you get this 'fame' you speak of?' I believe that the fame is that orange arrow I can see in my menu.
"I don't know. It was only talked about in the legends." Daryl is clueless.
Thanks, very helpful.
"So what now? What should I do." I decide to ask for advice on what my actions should be going forward.
"Well, you should get yourself with the local layout of the Nexus before going to the realm itself. You ten billion heroes were summoned to delve into it after all. Also, what was your name before you came; we have hung papers around the neighborhood to try and find the parents of the children sent to us. I don't see any reason why we shouldn't help you as well, that is unless you don't want us to." He raises his eyebrows with the last part. I've noticed that he and his family are very expressive with them.
"No, no, please. My name was Marcus Griff before I came here. If you can do that, I would forever be in your debt." I'm a polite little scrub.
"Hahaha, don't sweat it, kid, you wouldn't want to be in my debt forever, lest you wish to work here in this orphanage for the rest of your life."
Yeah... No.
"Anyways, when I was first summoned here, I had to go through a place called the 'Exalted Kitchen.' Emani, the Upper Commander of this district, told me that not everyone makes it through it. Do you think my parents are even here? I ask because I'm concerned, as I should be.
"I'm sure you have your answers to find, but we all have our own as well. What's been done, has already been done, can't help those missing now." Daryl doesn't answer my question and instead deflects.
What's that even supposed to mean?
---
We kinda just talked about random things after that. I didn't learn much, but Daryl did tell me that he would have someone guide me around the Nexus tomorrow if not himself.
I watch Daryl stand up from his chair and gesture for me to stand as well. Stand, I do, and I say, "Well, this has been informative. Thank you."
Daryl only nods, and I turn around to leave towards the exit door, but then I remember that I don't know where I will be sleeping. I start to turn around to ask, but before I can say anything, Daryl jumps in with...
"You know, I've gone toe-to-toe with Oryx before; we killed him," Daryl explains as he cuts the air with an imaginary two-handed blade.
I stop and frown for a second before saying, "But how? If you killed him, that means..." I come to a sudden realization.
Daryl smirks and walks up to me. He gets close to my side before saying, "Oh, have you figured it out now...?
He moves his mouth to my ear and whispers. "We can't win this fight."
He moves his head back and puts his hand on my shoulder before saying, "Welcome to the Family."