The sunlight outside was unlike anything Ethan had ever seen. In his old life, the sun was just a bright spot in a smoggy sky that signaled the end of his night shift. Here, the light was heavy and golden, casting long, sharp shadows across a courtyard made of ancient, packed earth. The air didn't smell like car exhaust or cigarette smoke; it smelled of pine needles, wet stone, and something sharp, like a storm was about to break.
Ethan stepped out of the dim infirmary, his small bare feet flinching at the warmth of the ground. He felt incredibly exposed. He was used to the safety of a counter and a security camera. Here, there was nothing but wide-open space and the towering walls of stone buildings that looked like they had been there for a thousand years.
"Don't just stand there with your mouth open, boy," Havi's voice rumbled beside him. "The flies in this valley are larger than you think."
Ethan hurried to keep up, his short legs working twice as hard to match the old man's stride. He looked around, his mind spinning. This was real. The dirt between his toes was real. The scratchy burlap tunic rubbing against his skin was real. He was in a completely different world, trapped in the body of a child who looked like he had never had a full meal in his life.
Then he saw them. The others.There were twelve of them. They weren't the scruffy, mean-looking orphans he had seen in movies. These teenagers looked like athletes. Some were practicing with wooden swords, their movements so fast they were a blur of motion. The sound of wood clashing against wood rang out like cracks of thunder.
But it was the group by the well that made Ethan's heart stop.
A girl, maybe fifteen, was standing perfectly still. She wasn't touching the heavy wooden bucket at the bottom of the well. She was just staring at it. Slowly, the bucket began to rise, floating through the air as if held by invisible hands.
Telekinesis, Ethan's mind whispered. He had seen it in movies and read about it in manga, but seeing the rope pull taut and the water slosh in a bucket held by nothing... it was beautiful. And terrifying. "Am I... am I dreaming?" Ethan whispered, his voice small.
Ha let out a amused chuckle "If you are, it is a very long dream,"
The teens noticed him then. The clashing swords stopped. The floating bucket settled gently on the stone ledge. "He's finally awake!"
A tall boy with a practice sword slung over his shoulder shouted, breaking the trance. He had a kind face and messy brown hair. He jogged over, followed by a few of the others. They surrounded Ethan, looking down at him with curiosity. "We thought you were a goner, little man," the boy said, grinning. "The fever had you screaming about 'light-bulbs' and 'scanners' for two days straight."
Ethan looked up at them, feeling smaller than ever. In his head, he was twenty-two—an adult who paid taxes and worked a job. But here, he was looking at fourteen and seventeen-year-olds like they were giants.
"This is Ethan," Havi announced, his voice silencing the chatter. "The thirteenth member of our house. He turns seven next month. Until then, he is the youngest and the most fragile. I expect you all to remember that."
"Seven?" the girl from the well said, walking over. "That's the awakening age. No wonder he's been so sick. The mana is starting to knock on the door."
Ethan didn't know what "awakening" meant, but he didn't like the sound of it. He felt like an imposter. He was a man hiding in a child's skin, surrounded by teenagers who could move objects with their minds and fight like professional soldiers.
"I'm Elara," the girl said, giving him a small, sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, Ethan. You're the baby of the group now. We'll make sure you don't get stepped on." Ethan nodded dumbly, his eyes wandering back to the boy with the floating bucket. It was a world of wonder, but the fear was still there, lurking in the back of his mind. He was a dropout who had failed at a normal life. How was he supposed to survive a magical one?
Havi's POV
Havi watched the boy standing amidst the older orphans. Ethan looked like a stray kitten surrounded by young wolves. The boy was small for his age, his black hair messy and his green eyes wide with a mix of fear and fascination.
But Havi saw more than just a scared child.
When Havi had touched the boy's shoulder earlier, he had felt it. A ripple in the air. A fracture in time. The boy hadn't just predicted the bowl breaking—he had witnessed it before it occurred.
It was a gift Havi knew all too well. A gift that came with a terrible price.
"Foresight", Havi thought, his single blue eye narrowing. Real foresight. Not the cheap tricks of hedge-mages, but the true sight of the All-Father.
Havi leaned on his staff, his mind traveling back across ages he rarely cared to remember. It had been centuries since he had seen that specific spark in a human soul. It was a spark that could either light the way for a kingdom or burn the entire world to ash.
The boy was a commoner. A dropout from a life he didn't even remember clearly yet. He was weak, untrained, and far too young.
"Should I do it?" Havi wondered. "Should I take him under my wing and forge that spark into a blade? Or should I let him be just another orphan, safe and blind?"
He watched Ethan reach out a small, trembling hand to touch the silver bark of the Great Tree. The boy's eyes lit up with a strange, emerald glow for just a second.
Havi felt a shiver of destiny move through the ground beneath his boots.
The Norns are weaving something new today, Havi realized. "Very well, little bird. Let us see if you can fly before the storm catches you".
"Ethan!" Havi called out, his voice snapping the boy out of his trance. "Stop staring at the tree and come here. If you want to eat with the others, you have to learn how to move."
The boy turned, a determined look replacing the fear in his eyes.
Havi made his choice. He wouldn't just be a caretaker. He would be a Teacher.