1 A New Day

A white haired girl looked out at the city in front of her. From the small grassy field in front of the monastery, only a few buildings could be seen. For the orphan girls being raised in the monastery, it was the edge of their world.

She sat quietly, content to let the cool breeze blow over her as she remained seated on the ground, but the girl next to her seemed as though she couldn't sit any longer.

"Zero, I'm bored."

"What do you want to do, Maria?" Zero asked.

"Don't you ever wonder what is out there in the city? There is so little we can see from here," Maria said. "I wish I could go explore the outside world."

Zero sighed. "You know we aren't allowed to do that. The nuns won't let us leave by ourselves. It is for our own safety"

"I know…" Maria muttered. "It's just that I wish we could do something fun. If we can't leave the monastery, how about we do some exploring inside. There are a lot of nooks and crannies outside the cloister where we and the rest of the girls stay in. It's an old building, who knows what we will find."

"I guess we could… Do you have an idea of what to do?" Zero asked.

"I think I found a secret passageway a few days ago. We should check it out." Maria suddenly got up and started walking off energetically.

Zero quickly got up to follow as she scurried after her friend. They left the cloister and went into one of the other hallways in the monastery. After making a few turns, they went into a small room, usually used for confessions.

"What's in here?," Zero asked.

"Listen to this." Maria knocked on the wall. "It sounds like there is an empty space behind here. I first noticed something was up when I was walking around the room. One day I had the feeling that the room was a bit too small."

"You really shouldn't spend so much time running around instead of focusing on our lessons. We have some free time but we shouldn't go beyond that," Zero said.

"Just come here, Zero. I know that there is something here." Maria began running her hands along the wall.

Zero sighed, before going up to the wall to look at it. It was a bit interesting to look at how the wall was built, and the patterns decorating it. As she ran her fingers along a groove in the wood, she noticed a small crack. It was straight, extending for some distance before stopping abruptly. It sure didn't look normal.

Pulling on the groove, Zero tugged on the wall. A small panel flipped out, revealing a handle that was covered up. "Maria, I found something."

"Whoa." Maria quickly ran over to look at what Zero uncovered. "I think this is a door. We should try opening it."

The two girls began tugging on the handle, but although they heard some creaking, the door didn't open. They kept trying for a while, attempting to utilize all their strength, which wasn't much.

Finally, they sat back down, tired from their repeated attempts. After a few minutes, Zero got back up. "This isn't working. We need to find some other way to open it."

"How do we do that? We already tried so hard to pull on it." Maria seemed a bit dejected.

"The handle is a bit too small. Grabbing it is hard with both of us here. Maybe if we put something like a rope around it, we could pull it better," Zero said.

Though there wasn't anything in the room that they could use, Maria remembered seeing a rope in a nearby room, so she quickly ran to get it. A short time later, she returned.

The two girls put the rope around the handle and grabbed tightly. "Pull!"

They began tugging on the rope, trying as hard as they could.

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat behind them.

Zero and Maria were both surprised by the fact that they were discovered, and they both let go of the rope as they jumped and turned around in surprise.

In the doorway was an older woman, the nun in charge of the orphanage. "Supper is about to start, and the two of you were missing. And imagine my surprise when I saw you scurrying around back here."

Zero's face paled. "Mother Clarissa. I… I didn't know we were gone that long. Did we really spend so much time here?"

"You two shouldn't be back here," Clarissa said. "This isn't a place for you to fool around."

"But… we found something," Maria said while pointing on the wall behind them.

The nun's face turned very stern. "Forget this and do not mention it to anyone. I do not want to see the two of you lurking around here anymore. Next time you will be punished more severely."

"Yes Mother Clarissa, I won't do it again," Zero said.

"You two will do extra chores this evening. Now, it is time for you two to go to supper, "Clarissa said. "Go now. And forget about this place and don't mention it to anyone. If I catch you again, I won't be so lenient next time."

Zero and Maria bowed, before quickly leaving the room, glad to have avoided anything worse. They quickly went back to the cloister for the evening meal. When they arrived, they found the other girls already beginning to eat.

"Where were you two?" Jenny asked.

"Oh, we were just wandering around." Zero quickly took a seat after grabbing a plate.

Jenny didn't press any further, instead turning her attention back to the conversation that the others were having.

"Have you heard the news? I heard some of the nuns talking about it," Sally said. "Apparently there was a big battle recently."

"What happened?" Maria asked. "Who was fighting?"

"From what I heard, the Judgement Army went to fight a large bandit infestation near the borders," Sally said.

"It was a wondrous battle," Ellie said. "Rumor has it that the great Sir Arnold slew two dozen bandits by himself. He is one of the best and most loyal soldiers of the church. Soon he may even end up joining the ranks of the most elite warriors, those blessed by God."

"With such great warriors on our side, the battle was a foregone conclusion," Sally said. "The righteous army won and the bandits were dispersed. Many of the captured prisoners are going to be executed."

"It serves them right," Ellie said. "They were wicked sinners who hurt other people. It is best that they are dead."

"What would make them do such a thing," Zero asked. "What makes people do evil?"

"Who knows," Jenny said. "Maybe they are just bad people. Some people fall to evil, like those witches who have accepted power from the demons and act as their pawns."

"Do you think some of the bandits might be witches?" Maria wondered.

"Maybe. Maybe not. We don't know much about it," Sally said.

"If they are, then they are even more deserving to be destroyed," Ellie said. "The army did well in stamping them out. My parents were killed by bandits when I was very young, but I got rescued by the Judgement Army and they took me here, where I can live without fear. They are true heroes, protecting the people from evil. I hope to join them when I grow up."

"That will take a lot of hard work and extensive training," Jenny said. "Especially for women, they need to work even harder to become strong enough. Are you prepared for that?"

"I have been working hard,'' Ellie said. "I have been training my strength, working on developing my body to accomplish the demanding tasks involved. I will need to be able to fight well, and I have been working toward that goal. In a few years. I will definitely be ready. I won't let anything stop me."

"That is an admirable goal," Jenny said. "It is great that you have determination and a clear idea of what you would like to do. As our teachers have told us, after everything we have been given, it is our duty to give back to the church."

"There are a lot of different paths available to us," Sally said. "For me, I think I would like to be a nun, just like those that take care of us. After all, without them none of us would be living the life we have now. We are very fortunate not to have been left out in the streets, and if I could help out other children, that is what I would like to do. What about the rest of you?"

"I want to see the world," Maria said. "I was raised from a very young age here in the orphanage, and I have very little personal experience of the outside. My plan is to become someone who travels around the kingdoms to help guide the people on the right path that God intends for them. I will get to see all kinds of different people, and experience more of the vast world we live in. All the while, I will be doing my service to the church by helping the people understand God's intentions for them."

"Traveling could be dangerous," Sally said. "Are you sure that is what you want to do?"

"Of course," Maria said. "I want to go on an adventure, to experience new things. I like to imagine myself visiting all corners of the land, traveling on a swift carriage that can travel great distances in a blink of an eye. All the world will be open to me, and I can go wherever I want. That is my dream. Even if I can't accomplish all that, I would like to see as much as I can."

"That is very nice," Zero said. "I do hope that you will see your dreams realized."

"What about you, Zero. What do you want to do?" Maria asked.

Zero was silent for a few moments. Finally, she answered hesitantly. "I don't know. I have no idea what I want to do. Nothing in particular has been calling to me. I do wish to serve in whatever way I can, but I really do not know what I want to do."

"Don't worry about it," Maria said. "I am sure that you will find something eventually. And if you can't figure anything out, you can just go with me. Won't that be alright?"

"I guess I can keep thinking about it,'' Zero said. "Perhaps I will find something that interests me. I will also pray to God for direction, and allow myself to be guided. But regardless of what happens, I will do my best to fulfill my duties. No matter what I end up doing, I shall put everything I have into it."

"It sounds like you will do well in whatever you choose to do,'' Ellie said. "Even if you can't think of anything now, one day you will see what you want to do."

"Thank you," Zero said. A short silence fell upon the table, and the girls went back to eating.

***

Zero and Maria were in the kitchens, cleaning away the remnants of the meal. Maria was washing the pots, scraping away the residue on the sides. Meanwhile, Zero was cleaning the floors. It was important that they do their jobs well, as Mother Clarissa would be checking on their work later.

There were crumbs scattered on the floor under and next to the tables. Zero knelt down on the wooden floor, using a rag to gather the debris. Her knees scraped against the floor as she shuffled to reach another spot under the table.

The room was silent, both Zero and Maria having opted to focus on their work. But Zero found her thoughts beginning to drift as she continued with the rote work she was assigned. Was there something she was missing in her life? Unlike the others, her drive remained elusive. She thought that her loyalty was strong, but why did she not know what to do with it?

The tiredness of her arms and the dull pain she felt from her knees did little to take her mind off of her contemplation. She really did hope for a change in her life, but with each passing day things were hardly different. There was nothing to do but keep moving forward.

Once she and Maria were finished with their work, they were allowed to head to their beds, where the rest of the girls were already starting to sleep. It was getting late, and both of them were quite tired.

As Zero got into bed and began to drift to sleep, she prayed silently. "I want to come to a decision. Please, I wish more than anything to find my own potential, and have direction in my life. I want to discover myself."