The dining hall was large enough to hold nearly fifty children, though time had not been kind to it. The wooden tables were chipped and uneven, and the once-polished floor had long since cracked and splintered. Several planks were broken entirely, leaving gaps that creaked whenever someone stepped too hard.
At the far corner of the room sat a boy with messy ash-black hair.
Asher—though most who knew him simply called him Ash.
He sat quietly on the floor, leaning forward as he absentmindedly poked at one of the broken wooden planks with a small stick. The splintered board shifted slightly under the pressure, letting out a faint creak.
His silver-gray eyes stayed fixed on the floor as if the cracked wood was the most interesting thing in the world.
Suddenly hurried footsteps echoed through the hall.
"Ash!"
The boy looked up just in time to see a girl rushing toward him.
She had soft brown hair and a pair of small fox ears that twitched nervously atop her head. A fluffy tail swayed anxiously behind her.
Her name was Rin.
A demi-human.
Part fox, part human.
Unlike most demi-humans who carried a wild aura, Rin was quiet, gentle, and almost painfully shy. She stopped in front of him, slightly out of breath.
"The raiders…" she said softly. "They're coming again. Everyone's heading to the bunker."
Ash sighed.
Not a dramatic sigh—just the tired kind someone makes when hearing something they already expected.
"What's the point?" he muttered, still staring at the broken floor. "They'll break in eventually anyway."
Rin blinked.
Ash continued calmly.
"They'll smash a few more walls, take some food, and kidnap one of us."
His tone was oddly casual.
"It's only a matter of time before they take all of us."
Rin opened her mouth, clearly about to protest.
But before she could say a word—
Two hands suddenly grabbed both of them by the collars and lifted them straight into the air.
"You little rascals!"
Ash and Rin froze.
Holding them up effortlessly was a woman with messy brown hair and a permanently tired expression.
Emma.
The only caretaker in the orphanage who actually cared.
"You know the rules!" she scolded. "When the raiders come, you get to the bunker. No wandering around!"
Rin squeaked softly.
Ash, meanwhile, simply stared at her.
Emma might yell a lot, but Ash knew better than anyone that she was the only adult here who truly cared about the children.
The other caretakers barely paid attention to them.
But Emma…
Emma stayed up late fixing broken beds.
Emma made sure the younger kids had food first.
Emma once gave Ash a small necklace—something simple, but something he had kept ever since.
To Ash, Emma was the closest thing he had to family.
Ash smiled faintly.
Then he gently twisted out of Emma's grip and dropped back onto the floor.
"Alright, alright," he said lazily.
Without another word, he turned and ran toward the stairway leading down to the bunker.
Rin quickly followed after him.
Behind them, Emma shook her head.
"Those kids…"
But despite the chaos outside, a small smile appeared on her face.