Lively Orphanage
Jenna asked, "Why are you up this early, Bell?"
Bell replied softly, "There's someone at the door."
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Jenna looked confused and replied, "In front of the door?"
Bell nodded.
Suddenly, Marc woke up, rubbing his half-asleep eyes. "What's going on…?" he mumbled softly.
Jenna went downstairs to check, and both Bell and Marc followed behind her.
She unlocked the door and opened it. The cold early-morning air drifted in, and standing there was a man with ten children huddled close behind him. The moment Jenna saw the kids' ragged clothes and tired faces, she didn't hesitate for even a second. She quickly stepped aside and invited the man and the children inside.
Bell and Marc stood quietly in the corner as Jenna guided the group toward the table. The man and Jenna sat down while the children waited behind him.
The man introduced himself. "My name is Grenold," he said, bowing his head slightly.
He explained that earlier, he had been outside the village picking berries and vegetables, and during that time he saw a suspicious man dragging a rope. The rope was tied around the wrists of ten children, forcing them to follow him like chained animals.
Grenold said he wanted to help… but he wasn't a fighter, so he didn't know what he could do. He ended up picking up small rocks and throwing them at the suspicious man's head from the bushes. The man grew irritated and angry, letting go of the rope to investigate the bushes.
At that moment, Grenold spotted a wooden plank on the ground. He grabbed it, rushed forward, and smacked the man in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious. He then freed the children as quickly as he could and brought them straight to the village.
Jenna's expression softened with sadness as she listened. Her eyes drifted toward the exhausted little girls with torn clothes.
Grenold continued, "They probably can't return to their homes… feels like they were sold off." He looked at Jenna with worry. "Can you… lend them a place to stay?"
Jenna didn't even hesitate. "Of course," she said firmly. "I'll look after them."
After some time, Grenold prepared to leave, but Bell was already waiting for him at the door. As Grenold reached for the handle, Bell asked, "Why don't you adopt one of them? It seems like you've taken fondness over them."
Grenold smiled softly and gently patted Bell's head. "I can't… I'm not well off enough to take care of kids. I had two daughters myself, but they left the village to pursue their dreams."
Bell nodded, "I see."
"Woaaaaaa, sooo many sisterssss!" Marc exclaimed joyfully from behind them, his eyes sparkling in excitement.
Jenna sighed lightly, but with a small smile. "Alright, Marc, you can talk to them tommorow. Let them get some sleep first. It's already almost 4 AM."
Marc nodded obediently, and Jenna began guiding the ten children upstairs. Thankfully, there was still an extra room. Jenna quickly prepared mats and blankets on the floor, arranging them neatly. She helped the kids settle down, speaking in a gentle, reassuring voice.
"You're all safe here now," she told them.
The children slowly began to relax, their frightened expressions easing little by little. One by one, they drifted into sleep.
Jenna looked down the stairs where Bell and Marc were waiting and whispered, "I'm going to get some sleep. You two turn off the lights and lock the door, okay?"
Both Bell and Marc nodded.
After Jenna went to her room, the boys stood together for a moment. Marc let out a small laugh and said, "Woaaa, can you believe it, Bell?? We now have eleven sisters… I guess I need to work really hard so one day I can help provide for Jenna to take care of our sisters."
Bell smiled at him warmly. "Yea. Don't worry, you'll accomplish a lot in your future."
Marc grinned proudly at those words. They turned off the lights, locked the door like Jenna asked, and quietly headed back to their rooms.
As they returned to their rooms, Bell hid the small dagger under his pillow, then laid down and finally allowed himself to sleep.
..
…
Morning came. Marc, the two 9 year old girls, and the three 7 year old girls were already up and helping clean the orphanage. Jenna and Bell were cooking breakfast together in the kitchen, while Nelly played with the rest of the younger girls, giggling happily.
A knock came from the front door.
Marc quickly stood up. "Ill get it."
He opened the door and saw Grenold standing there, holding a bag filled with vegetables and some goat meat. Jenna looked surprised and immediately invited him inside, asking what brought him here so early.
Grenold explained, "I had leftover ingredients, so I wanted to give them to the orphanage. The children can eat better meals with these."
Jenna smiled warmly and gratefully accepted it. She even invited Grenold to stay and join them for breakfast. Grenold blinked in surprise, then smiled softly and nodded.
As Grenold joined in preparing the meal, he found himself staring in amazement when he saw Bell slicing the goat meat with precise, clean cuts. His expression showed clear admiration at how skilled Bell was for such a young boy.
Some time passed, and breakfast was finally ready. Everyone gathered around the table. The kids ate happily, their faces bright with joy. They thanked Jenna for the meal, but Jenna chuckled and corrected them, pointing toward Grenold.
"He did most of the seasoning and cooking. Back then, Grenold was a chef in his previous job in another village."
The kids immediately turned to him and thanked him sweetly for cooking and for the ingredients.
Grenold suddenly froze mid-motion, a spoon still in his hand. A single tear slipped down his cheek.
Jenna gasped softly. "Grenold? Is something wrong?"
Grenold wiped his eyes quickly and gave a small smile. "No… its alright. They just reminded me of my two daughters. Before they moved out and chased after their dreams."
Marc assured Grenold with a bright smile, "Mr Grenold, I don't know much about your daughters… but I'm sure wherever they are, they also miss you as their father."
Grenold paused, then chuckled softly and patted Marc's shoulder. "Thank you."
They continued eating, chatting, and laughing. Nelly and the younger girls were already getting along as if they had known each other for years. Bell watched the lively scene, the noise, the smiles… he let out a quiet sigh, but at the end of the sigh was a very faint smile.
After breakfast, Grenold headed home for a moment. A few minutes later, he returned carrying a big cloth bag stuffed full of old dresses.
"Here," he said, setting the bag on the table. "I brought some clothes I think the girls would love."
Jenna's eyes widened. "Grenold… these were your daughters' clothes. Are you sure you're alright giving these away?"
Grenold smiled gently. "I'll be more than okay. Honestly… I'd be happy seeing their clothes being put to good use instead of sitting in a box and gathering dust."
One of the girls shyly stepped forward, picking up a soft old green dress. She looked up at Grenold. "Can I… have this one?"
Grenold gently patted her head. "Of course. It's yours."
In an instant, the rest of the girls surrounded the bag with Jenna and Grenold, excitedly going through the dresses and choosing their favorites. The room filled with laughter again.
Marc leaned toward Grenold. "Uhm… Mr Grenold, do you have anything for Bell and me?"
Grenold let out an awkward laugh, scratching his cheek. "Ahaha… sorry boys, I only had two daughters. No boys clothes in the house."
Jenna quickly chimed in with a mischievous grin, "Oh wait…these dresses might look good on you two~"
Marc immediately took three steps back, shaking his head aggressively.
"NO WAY NO WAY NO WAY!"
Jenna, Grenold, and all the kids burst into laughter.
Bell quietly slipped out to the back of the orphanage. Marc noticed him and followed. Once the two stepped outside, Bell glanced at Marc and smirked slightly.
"Ready for your magic lessons?"
Marc's eyes lit up, and he nodded so fast.
Bell sat on a chopped log, while Marc sat on the grass in front of him.
And just like that, their lesson began.
Bell told Marc to create a flame on his thumb this time. Marc nodded eagerly, held his hand out, and focused. Mana gathered around his thumb, swirling softly before igniting into a small but steady flame.
Bell then added, "Now keep that flame stable… and create earth on your index finger at the same time."
Marc's eyes widened in excitement. He turned his attention to his index finger. Mana slowly formed, shifting from transparent to a brownish hue, hardening little by little until it materialized into a small chunk of rock at the tip of his finger.
Marc's face brightened with pride. "Bell! I did i—"
But he froze when he noticed Bell's expression.
Bell was staring at Marc's hand with a wide, unsettling grin.
Marc gulped, his earlier excitement turning into nervousness.
Bell clapped. "Good job, Marc."
Then he added with a calm, almost teacher-like tone, "Right now we're testing your limits. It's important to know how long you can maintain mana, consistency, and texture before you start learning proper magic."
Marc nodded. "Oohhh… I get it."
Bell leaned slightly forward.
"So, how do you feel right now? Keeping both the flame and the earth mana magic active at once?"
Marc casually shrugged while maintaining both spells.
"Hmmm… so far it seems simple. I think I can keep this on my fingers for a bit longer."
Bell's eyes narrowed with interest.
Bell then replied, "Alright, its going to get abit more difficult. Now on your middle finger, create water on top of your fingertip on the middle finger."
Marc nodded and focused hard on his hand, pushing mana out through his middle finger. Mana shimmered on the tip, forming a small glowing orb. Slowly, the mana softened, turning jelly-like, then shifted into a saturated blue. A moment later, actual water formed, gently flowing from his middle finger yet staying perfectly contained and steady.
Marc's eyes widened in pure excitement. He let out a relieved breath. "Phew..Bell! I did it!"
Bell immediately followed up, his tone calm but clearly testing him, "That's good to see. Now… how about this, try forming wind on your ring finger while still keeping the forms and the consistency of the three elements on your fingertips. I'm sure you could also do that, right?"
Marc looked nervous.
"Ah…"