Chapter 1

Alex woke up from a nightmare.

His body was drenched in sweat, his clothes clung to his body and his body couldn't stop trembling. He wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't but one thing for sure was all he saw, a lucid dream, a revelation, whatever it was held no good news for him.

He eventually got his fears and his body under control and struggled to get out of his bed. Everywhere was dark so that proved to be a problem, he couldn't help but wonder why the light that was always left on because of the younger ones was off.

His throat felt dry and he needed to drink water, so he grasped around trying to find his way to the light switch on the side of the wall not too far from where his bed lay. After stumbling around and knocking some items over, he finally found the switch, however the noise also jolted someone awake.

"Big bro Alex, What are you doing?"

A light voice called out to him from behind. Alex turned to the direction the voice came from and answered.

"Oh sorry about that, I woke up and needed to drink water, but it was dark so I tried to switch the lights on."

"Ehhh, what are you talking about brother? The lights are on and i can see you clearly"

The voice replied with a bit of shock. Alex was confused, thinking if the owner of the voice was just playing a prank on him when the source of the voice came forward and grabbed him by the hands.

"Geez bro, I know you lay around a lot but this isn't the time for that, you wouldn't want to wake up the little ones now would you"

Alex found himself being led by the hands towards a location he couldn't tell, he tried to connect the voice to a face in his memories and eventually a face came up.

"Tim?"

He called out timidly

"Yes bro?"

The voice answered before it stopped suddenly, Alex not knowing Tim had stopped walking ran into him, eliciting a low groan from both parties.

"Ouch what was that for. I get that you're sleepy but get your act together bro"

Time called out, but Alex was still in a daze, he truly had no idea what was going on. Tim just sighed and soon enough Alex heard the sound of water flowing into a cup and soon he heard Tim call out.

"Here"

Alex reached his free hand towards the location of voice once more but because he couldn't see a thing, he reached out towards an empty space. Tim grabbed his hands and enclosed it around the cup

"It's water, hurry and drink it so we can return to the room"

Alex nodded and drank from the cup. When he was done, he extended the cup towards the direction he suspected Tim was and the cup was taken from his hands.

"Do you want one more?"

"No, I'm fine"

"Alright then, wait for me to have a drink then we'll return to bed"

Alex nodded and waited for Tim to finish, after a short period where alex could only tell what was happening around him through the sounds, Tim grabbed unto his hand and led him back to the room.

"Do I also need to lead you to your bed?"

Tim called out and Alex nodded. Tim chuckled as he led him towards the bed. On getting there, he helped Alex settle into bed and covered him with his sheets before he spoke.

"You know, you're the one that always takes care of us and the other little ones, in times like these,but I never thought I'd see the day you act in a daze due to being sleepy. If only Liv could see this"

And with those words, Alex heard his footsteps move further and further away until he heard the sound of Tim hopping back into his bed. Peace returned to the room with the only sounds Alex heard were the peaceful breaths of those sleeping around him and their light snores.

Alex raised his hand before his face, wiggling it but he really couldn't see anything. He set it back under the sheet and thought to himself.

'Maybe I'm still sleeping'

And with that, the young one drifted back to sleep.

******************************************

The sun rose on a new day, and the orphanage located on the outskirts of the city resumed to their daily duties just like every other place.

The kids got up from their beds and began to take care of their surroundings and themselves, all but a single kid who lied on his bed with his eyes open, staring at the ceiling.

"Yep, no matter how much i think about it, I can't see a thing"

He finally spoke out, attracting the attention of the kids that sat beside him. A young girl stretched out her hands before his eyes and formed some shapes by moving her hands before she asked.

"Even now, you can't see anything?"

"Yes Liv, I can't see a thing"

"This is bad"

The kid broke into a panic before she pushed the young boy beside her shouting.

"Quick, go call Master Eric"

"Yes"

The kid and a few others rushed out of the room in search of one of the caretakers of the orphanage, the sun might have risen just like any other day in the orphanage, but the day brought with it a surprise that disrupted the normal cycle of the orphanage residents"

*****************************************************************

Eric had been in a stump when he heard about how one of the kids underhis care woke up not being able to see. He rushed towards his dorm and ran a check on him but realised it was beyond his ability.

He could only persuade the rest of the kids to keep their calm and return to their daily lives. He took the young kid, Alex, away from their vicinity, moving him to his quarters and personally looking after him.

He helped him groom and dress him and as soon as another caretaker arrived, he entrusted the care of the other kids to him, leaving the orphanage with Alex. Their destination was the ophthalmologist.

The trip truly was a weird one as he had to take care to secure the kids safety, instructing him on where to move and how to safely make his way across obstacles. It took some effort but eventually they arrived at the heart of the city, at a building Eric regularly visited.

.

"Welcome Mr eric"

A sweet and charming sound resounded in Alex's ears. He couldn't tell who had the voice as he couldn't see her, but from her voice he was trying to form a mental image of who owned the voice.

"Are you here for a checkup sir"

The voice continued and eric replied her

"Actually, it's different today. Is Dr Palmer in, I need him to check on the little one"

Alex could hear typing sounds from her direction and shortly after she replied

"Yes he's in, and he's expecting you. You can head in now"

"Thank you Sheryl"

And with that, Eric led him up a series of stairs and eventually Alex found himself seated on a chair. They were in the office of the doctor.

"Well hello there Eric, and I take the it the little one over there is Alex"

A deep and soothing voice came from the other end of the room. Eric exchanged pleasantries with the doctor and they exchanged words in a language Alex didn't understand. When they were done with their conversation, Alex heard the doctor clear his throat and for some reason he felt it was time he was addressed.

"Good morning Doctor palmer"

Alex greeted with a small bow eliciting a chuckle from the doctor.

"Well he's well mannered, I'll give him that. Good morning Alex. Now can you tell me what the problem is?"

Alex thought about it for a short while before he replied.

"I can't see anything.

I went to sleep last night after dinner and took care of our younger siblings, then I woke up at night due to a nightmare. I thought the lights were off so I tried to switch them on but Tim said it was bright.

He helped me to get to the kitchen and drink water before we returned to our beds. I thought it was because I was still sleeping or it was a dream but this morning when I woke up, I still couldn't see."

.

Alex explained to the doctor, his words slow but concise, one wouldn't expect a seven year old to have such command of his expressions, but the kids in the orphanage couldn't be judged by normal standards.

Every one of them were forced to grow up, to adapt to the situations they found themselves in, but even among them Alex stood out.

Palmer listened to his words, careful not to interrupt him and after he was done, he asked the kid some questions to which Alex promptly replied.

After he finished the rounds of questioning, he led the boy to a different room and performed a series of tests on him, from his body to his eyes, inspecting his pathways and energy flow. It took a while and it was a strenuous process but eventually Palmer finished the tests and Alex was returned to the waiting room.