Nem was eating, his mind blank and his gaze focused on his food. He had a feeling that if he allowed his thoughts to wander he would be overtaken by the craziness of the situation and lose his cool. He couldn't allow this to happen, lest he would not be able to handle the meeting with 'little Ivan'.
'I should not eat too much, if my mind becomes sluggish from digestion and I encounter something worse than that monster...'
He stopped and looked around the room. Not a soul. The boy shrugged and poured some water on his hands to splash his face with. Then, Nem stood up and prepared to look for Ivan on his own. Waiting would be bad as well.
Nem knew what he was doing was probably pointless overthinking, but in this unfamiliar world and this rather weak body, he had to find some way to find some sort of control.
Perhaps someone was watching him, because the door opened quickly, revealing a young man with short blond hair and clear brown eyes. He was wearing the same yellow monk clothes Nem had seen before, but his tall and fit body made his aura very different from Father Okof. A bit intimidated, Nem still spoke first, in a joking tone :
"Hello, are you 'little Ivan' by any chance ? Happy to make your aquainta..."
"You can call me brother Ivan." The man cut with a benevolent smile. "Come with me, so I can ask you a few things and show you where you will live." Maybe it was Nem's pathological distrust towards people acting up again, but he was sure that the man's eyes weren't smiling at all.
'It feels like, uuuh... coldness ? No, fanaticism, that's what it is. This one's a classic.'
He gave the man his new signature smile and swallowed back his urge to call him 'little Ivan' again. Teasing people was a way he had to fight stress, and being in the same room as a ripped religious fanatic was definitely stressful.
"Alright, no problem."
As he followed the tall monk, he tried to memorize the way to the canteen, but quickly abandoned.
'This is really hopeless, how many damn doors and corridors can you fit in a single building ? Is making large rooms a religious taboo or something ? Damnit. '
Nem was angry because he knew his sense of orientation was pitifully low. He could almost see himself getting lost in the monastery, like his entire first year of high school... Or his first year of middle school before that.
'I'll make a map or something, I'm tired just following big Ivan over there.'
They eventually arrived at a seemingly normal office. Nem felt that it was a bit strange for a monk to have such a professional-looking desk and folders filled with papers. Weren't they supposed to keep things simple ?
'Now what kind of papers would a fanatic keep in his room... I gotta read them one day. '
"Sit here. Now tell me... Start with your name and age please." Ivan spoke in an unhurried tone, like a real office worker.
'Maybe it's just a medical examination, who knows ?' Nem lampooned inwardly before answering in a confident tone.
"I'm Nem, 10 years old. Born the 3rd of the month of Earth." He used Tom's date of birth, since it would probably be the same for his body. 'If one can expect a bit of sense in this strange situation.'
"Very well, do you have a last name ? Is anyone going to be looking for you after you join the monastery ?"
"No." Nem cleared his throat, clearing the voice crack he could sense approaching. "To both questions." In his original world, he hadn't seen or spoken to his parents for almost 2 years, despite only just having hit 20 years old.
'I hope they at least have my body to bury. Sigh, let's think about this another time.'
At this moment, he felt very sad and lost, really like an abandoned child.
To Ivan, this couldn't be more authentic, and his eyes beamed in satisfaction and great enthusiasm.
"Tell me Nem, are you a believer of the Church of Peace ?"
The boy felt his face itch. This sensation seemed very important. Instantly, his shoulders stiffened and he was reminded of his very recent encounter with a certain tentacle monster. He forcibly cleared his mind of any self-pity and useless emotion. Only caution remained.
'Is he going to use a 'Blessing' on me ? No, maybe he already used it... Hum, let's answer normally for now.'
"I can't believe in what I don't know, uh brother Ivan. I only know a bit about Mother Earth."
The young monk nodded peacefully and leaned forward, his gaze warm and reassuring. Nem felt his skin itch again, but it was really discreet.
"I understand, your parents were the ones to teach you about Mother Earth, is that right ?"
This time, Nem was the one to nod, trying his best to look emotional. Actually, he looked more annoyed than sad. Nem wasn't the best actor, in this life or the previous. Thankfully, Ivan was only treating this conversation as a chore and he didn't notice anything. The monk continued his speech :
"Since you're going to live here, you'll have a new family now, do you understand ? We won't force you to change your faith, but you won't have to think about your old family anymore. It's fine to forget, the God of Peace accepts everyone, as long as they accept the God of Peace in their hearts. Just remember, it's fine to forget when you're ready..."
As he let his voice die off in a hypnotic effect, Nem felt very awkward. He was quite sure from the continuous itching that the monk was using a power on him, and that his "Blessing" was probably related to brainwashing or mind control. However...
'Why is this guy's power so weak ? Maybe it's because I noticed what he was doing ? Sigh, and here I thought I would have to endure bright lights and war movies... Brainwashing's really got progress to do in this world.'
The truth was that he didn't feel the slightest of foreign emotions since he started being wary of it. This young monk's Blessing likely couldn't be compared with Mr. Clark's, or his usage of it was bad.
He scratched his smooth, hairless cheek, and said in a neutral voice :
"Yes, brother Ivan." 'I don't even know what emotion I'm supposed to act anymore. '
The man seemed satisfied and stood up to pat Nem's head.
"Alright, the kids should be eating right now so I'll show you the room where you'll sleep. Remember to always listen to adults, and keep silent unless spoken to expect during sharing hour, at 6 pm."
As Ivan led him across the corridors, he kept explaining the rules of the orphanage. Every day, children between 5 and 14 would wake up, do chores, eat breakfast and meet with various monks to be instructed on various subjects. Finally, they would get one hour at the end of the day to pray to the God of Peace. All in absolute silence. Ivan didn't go into the specifics and simply added that they were various tradition to oblige to.
Nem wanted to ask what would happen if he disobeyed or went against the rules, but he felt staying silent would be best to avoid being targeted early as a troublemaker. Still, they were things he had to ask.
"What happens when we reach 15 years old ?"
Ivan didn't seem bothered by the question.
"It depends on the results of your training and your faith in God. But as children become adults, they will of course leave the monastery and join various churches around the continent."
Nem nodded inwardly. 'This church is shady but it still doesn't feel like they'd just eliminate kids or feed them to their God. I was prepared for worse.'
Of course, life in the monastery would be very harsh, especially for a modern man like himself, who didn't leave his apartment weeks at a time and was constantly distracted by the internet. But if he started thinking like that, then he would have to think about the lack of industrial food, toilet paper and entertainment...
At least for now, while he was juggling from one potential threat to another, it was much easier to not think about it at all.
"Since it's your first day, you must be tired, I'll introduce you to your new brothers and sisters and you'll only be resting for the rest of the afternoon. Tomorrow, you'll wake up at the same hour and do the same things as everyone else."
The monk seemed to hesitate and added with a more lively and honest voice :
"I know you must have suffered a lot alone recently, but now that you joined this orphanage, not only will you be capable of taking care of yourself, but you won't be lonely anymore. Perhaps you will even be blessed by God if you accept Him in your heart."
Nem felt that perhaps this was truly spoken from the heart of the tall man in front of him. If he was a real 10 years old boy, even with what he knew and suspected about the Church of Peace, he might really start considering this place his new home.
'No, in fact, that would probably be the case for a lot of people regardless of age... A kid would have already been convinced during the 'brainwashing'. Now that I think about it, they might be more talented in manipulation than I thought. They just keep the really good stuff for the mentally stronger.'
While he was thinking, they arrived in the canteen, where a lot of small hands were busying themselves around plates filled with food in silence.
Hearing the door, they stopped in a slightly disorderly fashion and turned their curious eyes towards the newcomers. Under so many gazes, Nem's lips curled up instinctively in his now usual devilish smile.