"Alice, do you know what magic is?" Todd asked.
Alice's eyes widened.
"Shush! Lower your voice!"
She quickly covered his mouth.
"Why?" Todd asked, his words muffled beneath her hand.
"Because magic is forbidden here."
She glanced around before slowly removing her hand.
"Before you were brought into this home, we were warned never to speak about it, let alone practise it. I suppose they never taught your group about magic. The children who arrived with you didn't seem to know anything about it."
Todd frowned.
"Then how do you know?"
Alice hesitated.
"There was a girl named Diana. She used to practise magic with her friends. Small spells, mostly. Nothing serious - or at least, that's what we thought."
"What happened to her?"
"One day, the mothers found out."
Alice lowered her voice.
"They took her away. We never saw her again."
Todd stared at her.
"Where did they take her?"
"I don't know."
"Who told the mothers?"
Alice shook her head.
"That's the strange part. Nobody knows. Diana and her friends swore they hadn't told anyone. Some people think there are spies among us."
"Spies?"
"Or something else."
Alice glanced toward the orphanage.
"Something that can keep track of anyone who uses magic."
Todd's expression tightened.
"But how did you end up here?"
Alice gave him a puzzled look.
"What do you mean?"
"Why were you brought to this place?"
She stared at him for a moment.
"You really don't know?"
Todd shook his head.
Alice studied his face, then sighed.
"You have a lot of questions. Come with me. We can't talk here."
She led him around the back of the tool shed, where the walls concealed them from most of the orphanage grounds. The place was usually deserted during the day.
Alice peeked around the corner.
"Okay. The coast is clear."
She turned to Todd.
"Now, what exactly do you mean by 'how did you end up here'?"
Todd stared at her blankly.
Alice's expression changed.
"Todd... you don't know why you're here?"
He shook his head again.
She lowered her voice.
"We're here because our parents died."
Todd's eyes widened.
"Died?"
"During a battle."
"What battle?"
Alice hesitated.
"A battle with the abominations."
The word sent a strange chill through Todd.
Abominations.
He remembered the voice from his dream.
The war.
The things that should never have existed.
He tried to hide his reaction.
"What do you mean by abominations?"
Alice frowned.
"You really don't remember anything?"
Todd said nothing.
She continued.
"Our parents were magicians. When they died, we were brought here with the other children whose parents had been involved in magic."
Todd's brow furrowed.
"Why?"
Alice glanced toward the orphanage before answering.
"They say this place was created to protect children like us."
She paused.
"But that's not the whole story."
Todd leaned closer.
"What do you mean?"
Alice lowered her voice further.
"They don't just protect us. They suppress our abilities."
Todd stared at her.
"And if our abilities haven't awakened?"
"They monitor us until they do."
"And then?"
Alice looked away.
"Then they take them."
A silence settled between them.
Todd's mind raced.
"Take them? How?"
"I don't know."
Alice's voice became almost a whisper.
"But the children who disappear after their abilities awaken... they don't come back."
Todd felt a knot forming in his stomach.
"Then why haven't they taken yours?"
Alice's expression hardened.
"Because I haven't awakened."
She paused.
"Not yet, anyway."
Todd looked at her.
"Do you think I have magic?"
Alice gave a small, uncertain shrug.
"I don't know. But if your parents were magicians, there's a chance."
Todd's thoughts immediately returned to the voice.
The remnants of the gods' energies...
Magic...
Find yourself.
He shook his head slightly.
"What else do you know about this place?"
Alice exhaled.
"A movement began a few years ago. Some civilians started protesting against magic. They didn't want anyone practising it, or even talking about it."
"What happened?"
"The movement grew. Eventually, the people involved began hunting magicians."
Todd stared at her.
"They killed them?"
Alice nodded.
"Many of them. Including people in this town."
She paused.
"After that, this place was established. They called it an orphanage."
Todd looked toward the main building.
"But it's not really an orphanage, is it?"
Alice didn't answer immediately.
"No," she said at last. "I don't think it is."
She looked at him.
"But enough of the depressing stuff. Let's talk about something more interesting."
Todd almost smiled.
"Like what?"
Alice opened her mouth to answer.
Then-
Crack.
A twig snapped behind them.
Both children froze.
Alice slowly turned her head.
Todd followed her gaze.
The trees stood motionless.
No one was there.
At least, no one they could see.
Alice's face had lost its colour.
"We need to leave."
"What?"
"Now."
She grabbed Todd's arm.
"This place isn't safe anymore."
They hurried away from the shed and made their way toward the forecourt.
As they approached, they noticed several of the mothers standing near the main building.
Among them was Elisa.
And beside her stood Mother Erica.
Mother Erica smiled.
"Ah, Todd and Alice. I see you two have become very close friends."
Neither child responded.
"Would you mind coming with me to my office?"
Alice's grip on Todd's arm tightened.
Todd looked at her.
She looked back.
Neither of them said a word.
They followed Mother Erica across the forecourt.
Elisa walked beside her, her eyes fixed on the ground.
Todd glanced at her.
For a moment, their eyes met.
Elisa immediately looked away and quickened her pace.
Todd's stomach tightened.
Something was wrong.
The office was quiet.
Too quiet.
Mother Erica sat behind her desk while several other mothers stood around the room. Todd and Alice remained near the doorway.
The silence seemed to stretch.
Then Mother Erica folded her hands.
"We've made some observations lately."
Alice lowered her head.
"Alice," Mother Erica continued, "I expected better from you."
Alice said nothing.
Mother Erica's expression remained calm.
"Unfortunately, I believe we'll have to use the Time Out."
Alice's face stiffened.
Todd noticed immediately.
The colour drained from her cheeks.
"Time Out?" he repeated.
Mother Erica looked at him.
"You'll understand soon enough."
Todd turned toward Alice.
She was trembling.
"What is it?" he whispered.
Alice didn't answer.
Mother Erica continued.
"You both have breached several of the rules we established for your protection."
Her gaze shifted to Alice.
"You have left the premises multiple times."
Then she looked at Todd.
"And today, you were overheard discussing magic."
Todd's heart lurched.
He glanced toward Elisa.
Mother Erica followed his gaze.
"Elisa has been kind enough to inform us of the activities of the children."
Elisa remained silent.
Todd stared at her.
She didn't look at him.
"She's our informant," Mother Erica said. "She has reported your excursions beyond the gates."
Alice's eyes widened.
"Elisa?"
Elisa's head lowered further.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Todd felt a surge of anger.
But before he could speak, the office door opened.
A security guard stepped inside.
Mother Erica nodded toward Alice.
"Take her."
The guard seized Alice by the arm.
"Alice!"
Todd lunged forward.
"Wait!"
Alice struggled.
"No! Please!"
Todd turned toward Mother Erica.
"Mother, please! It was my fault!"
The guard dragged Alice toward the door.
"I asked her about magic! I made her tell me! Please, take me instead!"
He dropped to his knees.
"Please!"
Alice looked back at him.
For the first time, Todd saw genuine terror in her eyes.
"Todd!"
The door closed behind her.
Todd remained on his knees, staring at the empty doorway.
The room was silent.
Then Mother Erica spoke.
"As for you, Todd..."
He slowly raised his head.
"We have other plans."
Todd's breathing quickened.
"What plans?"
Mother Erica's expression did not change.
"Take him."
A sharp blow struck the side of Todd's head.
The room spun.
The last thing he saw was the floor rushing toward him.
Then everything went black.
When Todd opened his eyes, he was lying on a cold surface.
A strange machine stood on a table directly in front of him.
Its metal frame was intricate, with thin tubes running into a glass chamber. At its centre sat a dark orb that seemed to absorb the light around it.
Todd tried to move.
His body refused to respond.
"Ah, Todd. You're awake."
A man's voice came from somewhere in front of him.
"You had me worried for a moment. How are you feeling?"
Todd tried to speak, but his throat felt dry.
He turned his eyes toward the man.
The man wore a white coat and stood beside the machine. His face was unfamiliar, but his smile was not reassuring.
Todd looked back at the device.
"You don't know what this is, do you?" the man asked.
Todd said nothing.
"I wouldn't expect you to."
He adjusted something on the machine.
Todd struggled to move his arms.
Nothing happened.
"What did they do to me?" he thought.
The man glanced at him.
"It's no use struggling."
Todd's eyes widened.
"You've been stilled."
Stilled?
The word barely made sense.
"What... did you do?"
The man smiled faintly.
"Do you know why you're here?"
Todd shook his head as much as he could.
"You were brought here because you breached the rules."
The man moved closer.
"But before we decide what to do with you, we need to know something."
He gestured toward the machine.
"We need to know whether there's anything inside you worth taking."
Todd's blood ran cold.
The man took Todd's hand, pricked his finger, and allowed a drop of blood to fall into a small receptacle connected to the orb.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the machine hummed.
A faint light flickered across its surface.
A screen illuminated above the device.
Todd squinted at the words.
NAME: Todd
AGE: 13 years
AFFINITY: Undefined
BATTLE POWER: Inestimable
RACE: Human
The man leaned closer.
His smile faded.
"What...?"
Todd watched him carefully.
The man tapped the screen.
The information remained unchanged.
"Affinity: Undefined?"
He frowned.
"And battle power... Inestimable?"
He stared at the machine.
"That doesn't make sense."
Todd tried to speak.
"What does it mean?"
The man didn't answer.
He examined the orb, then the cables, then the screen.
"Perhaps the reading is incomplete."
He adjusted the settings and ran the test again.
The orb remained dark.
The screen displayed the same results.
The man's expression tightened.
"No."
He stepped back.
"No, that can't be right."
Todd watched him.
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
The man's voice was sharper now.
He turned away, muttering to himself.
"I've never seen the orb fail to produce a reading before."
He looked back at Todd.
"Not once."
Todd's heart began to race.
The man wheeled the machine toward a nearby workshop.
"Stay where you are."
Todd stared after him.
What does he mean, battle power: Inestimable?
And why is my affinity undefined?
The man disappeared into the workshop.
Todd remained alone in the room.
Later that evening, Todd heard voices coming from the workshop.
He strained to listen.
The man's voice was low, but the room was quiet enough for some of the words to carry.
"Erica, I think we need to send the boy to the main branch."
Todd's eyes widened.
Mother Erica?
"I've never seen anything like this before," the man continued. "The machine couldn't produce a proper reading."
A pause.
"No, I'm not saying he has magic. That's the problem. I don't know what he has."
Todd held his breath.
"The details that appeared were... unusual."
Another pause.
"Yes. I'm certain."
The man's voice lowered.
"Keep an eye on him tonight. He leaves for the main branch tomorrow."
Todd's stomach dropped.
Tomorrow?
I'm leaving tomorrow?
He thought of Alice.
What happened to her?
Where did they take her?
He tried to sit up, but his body remained heavy and unresponsive.
Frustration welled inside him.
He couldn't leave.
He couldn't find Alice.
He couldn't even move.
As darkness settled over the room, Todd's thoughts became increasingly desperate.
There had to be a way out.
There had to be.
Eventually, exhaustion overcame him.
His eyes closed.
Todd felt it again.
That strange sensation.
The feeling of being somewhere other than inside his own body.
He opened his eyes.
He was standing beside the table.
His body was still lying on the cold surface.
Todd stared at it.
For a moment, he couldn't breathe.
It's happening again.
He looked around the room.
The man was nowhere to be seen.
From the workshop came the faint sounds of metal clanging against metal.
Todd remembered the conversation he'd overheard.
He leaves for the main branch tomorrow.
His eyes widened.
"I have to escape."
He looked toward the door.
Then toward the walls.
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
If I'm outside my body...
He approached the nearest wall.
Slowly, he reached out his hand.
His fingers passed through it.
Todd froze.
He pulled his hand back.
Then he tried again.
His entire arm passed through the wall.
His eyes widened.
"I can..."
He stepped forward.
His body passed through the wall as though it wasn't there.
For a moment, excitement overwhelmed him.
He was free.
He could leave.
He could find Alice.
He could -
A sound interrupted him.
Footsteps.
Coming from the workshop.
Todd turned toward the room.
The man was approaching.
Todd's excitement vanished.
He hurried back through the wall and returned to his body.
The moment he did, the strange sensation disappeared.
He was lying on the table again.
The door opened.
"Hey, boy," the man said. "I hope you're not causing any trouble."
He stepped inside.
Todd remained motionless, pretending to be asleep.
The man watched him for a moment.
Then he turned and returned to his quarters.
Todd waited.
A few seconds passed.
Then a minute.
Finally, he opened his eyes.
"Phew..."
He glanced toward the door.
"That was close."
He looked at the wall.
Then at his own hands.
A small smile formed on his face.
"I must escape tonight."