Chapter 1. The orphanage

That explosion of power almost killed me too.

I'm not quite sure what happened after I faced the queen of Devereaux, or perhaps I should say the former queen. I remember something in my neck burning, as if that mark for which I have been so reviled had glowed*.

I touch my throat in search of that wound caused by the queen's dagger, but there is no trace of it. Nor is there any trace of any other wound on my body, as if they had never existed or someone had used an enormous amount of healing magic on me.

Despite not having visible wounds, I feel immense pain inside me. So, with no energy to continue my journey away from the now destroyed castle of Devereaux, I slump to the side of the stone path leading to the kingdom's exit, feeling that something is not right inside my body.

I clutch my chest, feeling intense pain in it before my vision starts to blur. I clutch my chest, feeling that pain turn into such a powerful pressure that threatens to not let me breathe properly. I'm about to lose consciousness when a gentle hand rests on my forehead.

I try to look at the owner of that hand, but before I can focus on her blurry figure, I lose consciousness, and the last thing I hear before falling asleep is "Rest, little traveler."

****

The pain is almost completely gone when I wake up. There is no more pressure on my chest that prevents me from breathing, nor internal pain.

I look around. The room I am in has a large window overlooking the mountains, allowing me to see the sun setting in the distance. Due to the low lighting, it's hard to tell if the color of the sheets and curtains is really a dirty white or just an optical illusion. Also, because of the low light, it's hard to tell what's in the back of the room, apart from an empty bed.

But none of that really matters. There are hundreds of questions filling my head, but the only one I want answered right now is Where am I?

A few meters away from me, in the almost dark part of the room, a tall, dark wooden door, barely held together by the number of years it must have, is opened, revealing a young nun.

"You finally wake up, traveler."

"Finally? How long was I asleep?"

"Long enough for Mother Clarinette to send nuns to the neighboring village to ask for help from the priest."

I finish sitting up when I see the nun has reached my side. She puts a tray on my lap that I just noticed she brought with her.

"How did you know I was awake?"

"Maia has a very good sixth sense."

She understands that I didn't understand anything she said when my brow furrows with confusion, then she laughs.

"I'm the nun in charge of feeding the orphans, Holly, and you're at the Corralis orphanage, belonging to the first village, under the care of Mother Clarinette. And Maia, the girl I told you about before, is the one who found you on the way."

Of course, now I remember. Her soft palms on my forehead and that sweet voice.

"She...".

"First eat. You'll need energy," Sister Holly interrupts me. "Later, when you groom yourself and dress, you can meet her. She's eager for you to wake up."

****

Not much time has passed since Sister Holly guided me through the entire orphanage until she took me outside. Outside, the hot summer wind blows, tousling my hair. In the distance, the one who seems to be the mother of this orphanage approaches me as soon as she sees me, smiling sweetly.

"I'm glad to see you standing, young man. I am Mother Clarinette. What's your name?".

"I'm Keith from..."

I'm about to say my last name, when a doubt stops me. Would it be too much to say I'm Keith Lacrontte?

"I'm Keith. Just Keith."

Both nuns smile with a hint of sadness in their eyes. They should be more than accustomed to receiving parentless children in a place like this, but they still seem to have seen an orphan for the first time.

"Don't worry. Now you're part of this family," Mother Clarinette says.

But I don't want a family, I want revenge and I'm going to get my revenge no matter what it takes.

"What do you say if you go to those trees over there and look for Maia? She's been asking me all afternoon when she can greet you," Sister Holly suggests.

"Alright," I murmur, but more than curiosity to meet the girl who saved me, it's a need for their pitying looks to move away from me.

I reach the grove that was pointed out to me before, and when I don't see Maia in sight, I intend to leave, but something stops me. Someone has hidden in a nearby tree, only letting me see a couple of whitish strands of her hair.

"Are you Maia?" I ask the air. I can't see her, and detecting her among so many trees is not easy despite my training as a future king of Lacontte.

"Yes, I am," is her only response.

After a long moment of doubt, I dare to continue interrogating her.

"You're from Brickelwhyte. You have white hair, like them," I explain.

She timidly pulls her head from behind the tree. Then I see it. Her eyes are covered by a slight milky layer that can indicate only one thing.

"Yes, I'm from Brickelwhyte, and my name is Maiara, but you can call me just Maia."

Of course, Brickelwhyte, the kingdom with the best economic position on the entire continent, and with inhabitants with the whitest hair in the world, characterized by the gift of the sun god. That same gift has led many of its inhabitants to be blind.

"Thank you for saving me," is all I can say to avoid mentioning her blindness.

"What's your name?" she asks, ignoring my gratitude.

I smile. Now I know why she didn't respond. It has nothing to do with being blind and having a very developed sixth sense, but rather that she probably would have been sneaking out of this place, and accidentally ran into me.

"I'm Keith."

"And your last name?"

"I don't have one."

"You're lying."

For a moment I feel my heart stop.

"Why do you say that?".

"Your heart told me. You lied when you said you don't have a last name."

"You lied too," I confront her then. "You didn't accept my thanks because you didn't really leave the city because you felt me, but rather because you wanted to escape from here."

Maiara looks at me as if despite her blindness she could see me, then tilts her head to one side and smiles.

"You're very smart, Keith, but it wasn't me trying to sneak out."

"Then maybe it has something to do with who's behind me."

Since she came out from behind that tree, I have felt the presence of someone behind me, and although I didn't say anything it's because I don't feel a great deal of power emanating from their body. When I look back ahead, Maiara bursts out laughing and points behind me, mocking someone.

"You see, I told you he would find you, Luke."

I look back, meeting the disdainful gaze of the supposed Luke. The boy, probably my age, is dressed like the other children in the orphanage, except that he wears his shirt open and tie loose.

Luke, unlike Maiara, doesn't seem to be a sociable (or pleasant, I should say) person, as he doesn't even approach, he just says from a distance, "Welcome to the orphanage."