22 - Orphans and Abilities

A group of distinct children living together in the same home was something I had never thought of. But here I was.

We were surrounded by the cheering kids until she was unable to move. She greeted them patiently one by one before gently telling them to make some space for her. Honestly, their noises were too nauseating for me and I was grateful that they stopped for a moment.

"Tordi, enon mosa lama maditiku, ko (you) bawala nakanak (children) leina ke sili ya," she said something to the older boy in the pack. He nodded after her words and commanded everyone to follow him by waving his hand.

The children immediately obeyed him and made their way inside, leaving us alone at the entrance. I also heard multiple steps of people going upstairs not long after.

The turtle woman giggled lightly as they left and tapped the woman again.

"Adia (they) rang kengi loh ama ko (you) puni yabada. Jana (don't) pusini yan tadila ya," the turtle woman whispered reassuringly for the woman.

Hearing her words, the woman glanced at me and formed a relaxed smile. A much more genuine one than the previous unnatural grin.

She fixed my position in her clutch before leading us to step inside the lush building. The thing that welcomed our entrance was a hall with multiple doors on its side. There was a stair in the side which I presumed to be the place that the children went through.

I peeked into a room on my side and found sleeping youths that looked older than the ones who greeted us. They reminded me of myself when I was ten, so I would guess that was their age.

A thick sheet was covering the wooden floor below them, acting as the sole pad for them to sleep. It seemed a bit uncomfortable here but that was how I slept almost every day back in the previous world. Some light bruises were present on their body as if they quarreled with something.

In the next room, there was a similar sleeping sheet but it was disheveled. The occupants might have left this room previously as there was a vacancy of people inside. I started to question the diverging sleep pattern between these people.

Continuing through the hall, I spotted some other adults who resided here. They had things to do in the house such as cleaning and taking care of a few kids. I even saw a big room where people gave baths for some children. The women greeted each one of the caretakers until we almost reached the corridor's end.

There, a person who didn't expect our arrival was looking inside a room while holding a tray of food. Her face was showing a worried expression as her foot was lightly tapping the floor.

By the time we reached her, she quickly bowed to us with agitation before starting to speak.

"Nonia! Pakaba datani haday (now), anaki (child) tubaru gala (not) moi (want) ku (I) kaisi enaman (feed), dase biman masi serin muluki," she said to the woman in an anxious tone. The stew on her grasp was puffing out appetizing smoke that I had never smell before in my life.

"Dapa ni sianak? Emana adia sakikah?" the woman was asking her with the same intensity.

A reply was given in the form of a shaking head.

"Sepa tina nonia kudu awa isini saniri toh," she continued while her hand was guiding our vision inside.

On the corner of the room, a very young boy with bluish-gray hair was hugging his knees and also letting out some inaudible sobs. His bloodshot eyes were staring at the floor while his teeth were gnashing at each other. His body was kind of thin and his limbs looked weaker than any other child.

It was a horrible sight and the fact that I previously recognized him was bothering me.

I met him a month ago when the insect incident was starting to subside. He was one of the kids who were escorted by the guards to the beach. Until the sun rose from its place, nobody came to pick him up from the custody of the guards. My knowledge of him ended after my supposed father brought our family members back to the house.

I never knew that nobody sent him back to whom he belonged ever since.

Now he appeared again before me, looking much terrible after the span of one month.

"Hinda, kite (us) kudu manter tuka siban adia (he) enam (eat), ko (you) sifila piriga di (at) baka kangku," the woman's speech was garnished with urgency as she asked the caretaker to do something. She then entered the room with me in her tow.

The woman slowly walked to the boy while he continued to hold his tears. He noticed our approach but he didn't do anything about us. It was more like he didn't care at all.

A couple of steps later, she was already nearing his vicinity. By then, the boy had shown a sign of concern when her stepping sound entered his ear. However, he chose to stay and kept sitting in that dark corner.

His face was practically begging for help but his gesture was refusing to let someone in.

The woman lowered herself to his level before putting me beside him. She carefully positioned me on the preoccupied side to make him a bit stuck between us. Her gentle voice was trying to win him over as she put her palm on his hair, caressing it slowly.

While the woman was soothing the boy in front of him, I inspected his poor condition. Untreated body, food deficiency, and weak constitution. It was a wonder for him to keep living under this condition. I would assume the people here already tried their best but hit an edge on his nurture.

I didn't know how much loss he was experiencing since I knew words couldn't describe anything of it. But the more I looked at him, the more I realized something inside myself.

This sight infuriated me.

My hand moved on its own and extended onto his leg, cautiously brushing his skin again and again. I just wanted him to stop doing this to himself. If my mere action could make him feel better, then I would take any chance to do so.

Slowly, his face was starting to shift even it was just a little. His mouth was starting to tremble and he closed his eyes as tight as possible. Noticing the boy's action, the woman took her hand back before closing in for a hug instead.

Her hands circled his neck, not too rigid and not too loose, just comfortable enough. She stayed in that position until I heard his sob again.

He was trying hard to hold his cry, but it only made the woman's hold firmer. When he couldn't keep up with his own detained tears, his weep burst out inside the room.

He finally let out an ugly cry, yet it sounded more like a relief from a heavy burden. The caretaker was showing surprise as she entered the room with the food. The woman then used a cloth to repeatedly wipe his face before grabbing the bowl from her hand and brought it in front of him.

A while after his cry reduced to only whimpers, she patiently spoke to him again, "adi haru enam (eat) ya, yakua nati," she said with a pleased look. Whatever the thing she said to him, he weakly nodded after she finished talking.

The caretaker switched position with her before taking control of the situation. She took the bowl and spoonfed the kid who was finally willing to open his mouth. The woman just watched on the side as he got his stomach filled.

I sat idly, admiring the way that the woman went through to calm him down.

It made me wonder about her connection to this home of multiple kids. The children seemed to be infatuated with her and she adored them back equally. She must have worked here for some period before my birth.

But then, why was she so awkward when handling me? Didn't she have experience with kids before?

As my question remained on being processed, a racket in the hallway disrupted my thought. There were murmurs from the people outside that didn't indicate a peaceful talk. Even the turtle woman called us to check on the unrest.

My supposed mother picked me up and immediately rushed toward the source of the noise. When our eyes were met with the perpetrators, her perplexed expression returned to her guise. There, the people we saw before stood with an intimidating look.

My mind instantly remembered their image after a simple glance at their clothes. With those sturdy robes and exquisite weapons on their hip, it didn't take me long to know they were part of the parading guards.

They were a group of three, seemingly separated from the group on the street. I didn't know their intention here but the woman showed severe rejection.

"Misaha bu! Dikera moi (want) iraka anakini (child)," a male guard talked with a snicker to her. His finger and his spiky white hair were both pointing upward to the second floor.

"Moi (want) koran apaka (what) uni ana anakan (children) ha?" her words were filled with resentment to them.

Unexpectedly, her free hand was motioning forward and tried to attack them with blowing air. But his hand caught hers before anything could be released. Her other hand which protected me was trembling slightly.

"Jana (don't) baderi noina, kite (us) nadata dimaja," his hold was strengthening and restrained her movement.

Without further instruction, his partners confined the turtle lady before she could do anything. The caretakers could only gawk in fear as they invaded the place. I could sense the powerless look that they projected to the guard.

After the two women that could use powers were constrained, the male guard called someone from the outside.

"Kasi nidu para tempi hafar!" shouted the man.

Another guard appeared in the doorway not long after, grabbing something in his hand.

Ropes.

Two people were bound to them, the string people that they dragged on the street to be precise. Looking at a closer distance confirmed my suspicion: their skin tone and hair were similar enough to the girl that always hid in our house.

I sincerely couldn't imagine what the guards wanted to do by bringing them here.

The male guard then snapped his fingers and forced the woman to walk to the stairs. The other guards followed us from behind, dragging their captives with them.

We slowly stepped upward through the stairs as the children's noise was becoming noticeable. They were still ignorant about the thing that occurred downstairs.

A few steps later, I caught the glimpse of the second floor. To my surprise, my eyes found not a single room on the upper floor and it was a vast space instead. The only exteriors were the openings on the walls that served as windows.

A portion of the children was taking a seat on the wooden floor with things littered between them. Some scrolls laid on their surroundings, which reminded me of the thing that the army would use as a message. Not that I could read them, though.

In the middle of the room, there was a board that stood on a pole with drawings on it. Somehow it was reminiscent of the board that was used as the building's sign. I simply assumed they were the kind of words that the people write in this place.

Other children were playing together and talked noisily, creating a chaotic scene in front of us. Some of them sprinted around the room while some other were pretending to fight.

However, all of that abruptly stopped with one whistle.

The male guard let out an ear-piercing whistle that stunned all of the kids. They stared at the source of sound while their bodies were frozen in place.

When they noticed the restrained people, especially the woman, confusion overtook their expression. However, the guard's roaring voice broke their daze.

"SEHUMA SIDU!" he shouted assertively.

Every child immediately sat down with fear on their face. His voice was comparable to a rumble of thunder in a broad daylight. The room went silent afterward, none dare enough to question their arrival.

When I thought things couldn't get any worse, someone hauled my body from the woman's clutch. I was forcefully taken by one of the guards before being placed on the floor.

The male guard used that opportunity to bind both of her hands under his control. He even stepped on her feet just to keep them from moving.

As he continued to gain dominance over her, he instructed the children to do whatever his bidding was.

"Haday (now) carani foka miyan miri si rahambu (hair)! Bual kopo higa!" he ordered.

Some of the children immediately stood and shuffled the position between themselves. It took them a while to finally settle their placement in that distress. They made groups in semi-circles that were sorted by their hair color.

Greenish, white, and blue.

Luckily, there were no beast children that could make their distinction stand out further.

Finished with the sorting, the guard flashed a pleased look toward them. After transferring the woman's restraint to another person, the male guard approached the string people.

He gazed at them with full-on intimidation and a stern grin. Suddenly, he hit them simultaneously on their guts while he instructed something for them.

"Kuari nakanak (children) dariku hasa koran," he said to them, staying on his pushy attitude.

Their fingers hurriedly let out the unique yellowish strings and latched them onto the children. There were about fifteen kids including me so they didn't have to use all of the fingers. However, I was being left out for an unknown reason.

When the strings had locked onto the kids' bodies, the male guard walked to the center while pulling out a flat wooden plank from his sleeve. He set up the wood on the middle of the floor where everyone could see it standing.

His gaze was then directed to the white-haired group.

"Liati (see) niya!" he was talking and pointing his finger to his eyes at the same time.

He stood on the plank's front from a distance and demonstrated a wind attack that knocked down the plank. The movement of his hand was smooth and signified his experience with the power.

After the plank readjustment, he asked the first child in the group to stand up and walk to the same position as his. I could see the boy's body that was quivering from the pressure.

"Tebiki tuka ya!" he shortly commanded with a forceful voice.

The boy rapidly motioned his hand forward as strong as possible. However, no wind came out from his hand and the plank was still firmly standing.

"Tebi lagiya!" the guard said, his impatience was increasing in his voice.

Hearing his comment, the boy panicked and hurriedly repeated his move. Still no reaction from the small wood.

His motion reminded me of the failed moves that I tried over and over again. No wonder the boy produced nothing that filled the guard's satisfaction. He got the technique wrong from the start.

"Dabisa (can) yan serin gakatape (not) sihala ko (you)?!" he was practically letting loose of his anger to the poor child. He then unexpectedly pulled out a knife from his pocket and pointed it to the boy's neck.

"K-k-ku (I) suda h-hobani," the kid was sweating hard from fright as he stammered on his answer. He closed his eyes firmly and waited for the worst.

But the guard did nothing.

He retracted his knife and only sighed in disappointment. The kid was pushed back to his place as he moved on to the next person in the white-haired group.

A girl was the second on the line, and the male guard repeated what he did previously to the boy.

The command was the same, but his voice was intensifying as if he was reaching his limit.

The girl nervously inhaled before preparing her stance. She looked more solid than the previous boy and there was confidence in her motion.

After getting ready for a while, she yanked her hand forward and struck the plank with her hand movement. Fluidity was the thing that she accomplished during her attack. She was staring at the wood in a daze before its upper part moved.

The guard let out a thrilled hum as the plank fell backward. The girl could only gaze blankly, speechless at her own action.

As the girl stood in silence, the guard spoke to his partners. "Nianak (the child) coh koda bawa puta rika, adia (she) dabisa (can) ayir tohla," he spoke gladly as his finger pointed at her repeatedly.

After he finished the sentence, however, the woman's look had become drastically uneased.

"Sehna, awasan kali!" the woman screamed something.

Before the girl could react, the guard suddenly lifted her and pulled her to the side. The girl wriggled hard on his clutch, rejecting to be brought with him. The woman tried to break free from the guard but he easily overpowered her. The same result happened to the turtle lady.

What was happening? Would he do something to the girl?

The girl bit his hand and made him temporarily lost his grab. But then, he slapped the girl too strongly, slamming the poor child onto the floor. Everyone went hysteric as the guard prepared to do another strike, especially the children.

At this point, my hand was itching to do something. But I didn't know what precisely since I had no chance to fight with my bare power. I inspected my surrounding for something instead and found the thing that might become my immediate answer.

The yellow string.

I still couldn't exactly tell what the string people did with this feature, but I could care for the details later. My hand pulled the string from a child nearest to me, disconnecting the line from his body.

Without hesitation, I latched the string onto my chest and hoped for the best. The glow was different from the girl's so I felt a bit anxious about it. However, my concern was swept away when a burst of energy was filling me.

I felt... strengthened. There was a power welling up inside me.

Was this the reason that the children got latched by them? To boost their ability?

There was only one way to find out the answer.

My hand swirled and caressed the wind in a circling motion. I took my short time to feel every air that brushed my skin as my eyes locked onto him. I aimed for one thing and one thing only, his body.

The time felt slow when everything happened. All of the panicked yells were simply deafened inside this state. My vision was also clarified, finding the trajectory needed to reach the supposed target.

It was a weird feeling since the air seemed to gather more than usual on my palm.

As soon as the twirl completed, I threw my hand forward.

That time, I realized, the gust was much stronger than the puny blow my fingers used to produce.

The male guard brought his hand closer to her.

The punch was almost inevitable.

But then, a strong wind smacked his face. I did that. My wind attack slapped him hard.

He was shocked, his hand stopped moving. Everyone was dazed as their eyes roamed to find the culprit.

It was a brief moment of everyone putting down their guard. The woman used the chance to sweep the guy that confined her and smashed him down.

The turtle lady also didn't waste the opportunity to break free and kicked her captor right in the gut. She formed a water ball on her palm and hurriedly tossed it onto his face.

Before the male guard leader could respond correctly, she shot a powerful gale that knocked him back quite far.

A sound of synchronized hail was roaring from the children as the woman charged for the male guard.

However, just before everything turned into bigger chaos, his voice echoed inside the room.

"Kite (us) serada han!" he spoke with a bewildered tone while both of his hands were raised, a sign of surrender. Everyone stopped their attack as a result.

The end result was obvious, they couldn't keep up with two women and an unnoticed kid. Not to mention they wouldn't have the time to ask for backup from the string people.

The male guard's eyes were now brimming with dread, similar to a dying prey. I could only watch in amazement as the spectacle commenced.

She then strode slowly to him, making sure her every step was filled with menace.

"Sia laya ko (you) ranha!" she almost screamed in her raging speech.

After finishing her sentence, one of her legs was raised high in his direction, and then...

*BAM*

The intense morning occurrence had finished with a combination of sound;

A yelp of pain, and a cheer from the children.