PH1RE'S P.O.V
The early morning sun finally rose, the first beams of sunlight illuminating the shocked face of a certain individual.
"How?!" shouted Ethan in exasperation.
"You're not slick," I answered with a blank expression.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.
"Forget I said that. Can I get my money back?" I said, extending my hand and yawning.
"Yeah, yeah," he said, putting a pouch filled with gold coins into my hand.
I really didn't want to be awake this early, but Ethan was hell-bent on winning since this was his last day. After that day when I figured out how he stole my belongings, he's been challenging me to catch him. I honestly don't know what sane person goes to someone and says, "I'm going to steal from you."
Anyway, this led to me being subjected to his antics daily, including today.
"Are you annoying Loid again?" said Willow, walking towards us carrying a backpack.
"No! We're just having some fun, he loves it," said Ethan, hanging his arm around my neck with a wide grin.
"Anyway, today's your last day. Make sure you don't cause too much trouble," she said, giving him a stern look.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Ethan replied, waving her off. "I'll miss you too, Willow."
The courtyard was buzzing with activity as the older kids prepared to leave. Today was the day the sixteen-year-olds graduated from the orphanage, moving on to guilds, the military, or other paths. It was a bittersweet moment; they were moving on to bigger things, but it also meant saying goodbye.
I stood there, watching as they packed their belongings, exchanged hugs, and made promises to stay in touch. It was hard to believe that more than one year had passed since I first arrived here.
"What are you planning on doing anyway?" I asked Ethan.
"Oh! Why are you suddenly interested?"
"No reason."
"I guess I'll find a guild to join, hopefully somewhere that doesn't require too much work," he answered.
"That makes sense."
"How about you? Made up your mind yet?"
"No, not really. Although a guild sounds like a good idea, I'm not sure if it's right for me. If I don't get a good job, I can just take over my parents' business anyway," I said, causing him to make a strange face.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you mentioned that you have amnesia. A lot of the kids here aren't exactly in need; there's a reason why they don't just rely on that stuff. I'm just saying, you should be more careful about that stuff considering you don't have any memory," he explained.
Surprisingly, he had a good point. I still had no idea why the original Loid ended up dead. A bandit attack just didn't make any sense considering the context and the fact that they hired adventurers.
"Don't let that discourage you, though. I'm just saying be careful," added Ethan.
"Thanks, Ethan. I didn't actually think you could ever give solid advice."
"You're welcome. Hey, wait a minute!"
And so we waved goodbye to them as they left the gate, heading to the next chapter of their lives.
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As we all had breakfast in the dining hall that morning, Sister Claire approached me with a letter in her hand.
"Loid, this came for you," she said, handing me the envelope.
"A letter?" I took it, puzzled.
The only person I could think of who would write to me was Mr. Thorne, the lawyer. Considering I had amnesia, if it was anyone else, it was about to be very awkward.
I carefully opened the envelope, and sure enough, it was from him.
Dear Loid,
I hope this letter finds you well. How are you adjusting to your new life at Sanct Cyra? The headmistress informed me that you've been settling in quite well.
I wanted to remind you that if you need anything, don't hesitate to write back. How are the classes? Have you made any friends? Do you find the training challenging?
I also wanted to wish you a happy birthday since I doubt you will remember, but I advise you to enjoy the day to the best of your ability.
Warm regards,
Gideon Thorne
Besides the welcome knowledge that today was my birthday, it felt nice receiving a message reminding me that I was an imposter. How could I almost forget?
As I finished reading, Aiden plopped down beside me, his plate piled high with food.
"What's that?" he asked, his mouth half-full.
"A letter from someone I know," I replied, folding the letter and slipping it back into the envelope.
"Oh! Cool. What's it say?"
"They're just checking in, asking how I'm doing," I said, trying to sound casual. "And apparently today is my birthday"
Aiden nodded, shoveling another forkful of food into his mouth.
"Wait! Are you being serious" he asked again when it registered to which I nodded.
"Wow! Happy birthday then, it's too bad though. Usually, we have a party during someone's birthday" he said calming down.
It was true, birthdays seem to be a really big deal in this world. Either that or It's because I haven't celebrated my birthday in years.
"Well, how are you gonna reply?"
That was a good question. I had never written a letter in my life. I also wasn't sure how to put my thoughts into words, but I wanted to ask about more information about Loid and his parents. While it was uncomfortable, I felt it was important to find out.
What could I say that wouldn't sound too formal or too childish?
"Not sure yet," I admitted.
"You could always ask Maya for help. She's good with words," Aiden suggested.
Speaking of the devil: "Ask my help for what?" she said as she sat down. I had noticed that Maya seemed to avoid breakfast, although I didn't find it alarming enough to ask why. Most of the children in this orphanage were from well-off families before whatever incident happened to them, so it makes sense that she doesn't see missing breakfast as a big deal.
"Loid needs help writing a letter. You're good with all that formal stuff, right?" said Aiden.
"I guess."
"Thank-"
"Don't go thanking me; I didn't say yes. Besides, we have something else planned today," she said, looking towards Aiden.
"We do?" he said, looking at her as she glared at him.
"Oh! We do," he answered as if recalling something.
"Mind telling me what that is?"
"Sure, if you can pay," said Maya.
"How about the money you got paid for having me dumped on you?" I asked, to which she glared at Aiden again.
"It wasn't me, seriously, it was Willow."
"So... what is it?" I asked out of curiosity.
She sighed for a few seconds before whispering to me, "There's an old storage shed in the orphanage that the sisters don't go to. Kids have been using it as a hangout for years, and now it's ours."
"Something tells me you're not meant to be using it."
"Well, usually it would be used by the kids one year younger than those who have done Revelation. Good thing Adrian doesn't care about tradition."
"This doesn't seem like something you'd be interested in" I said to Maya.
"Well, there's also a legend about a treasure in the shed. Although no one's been able to find it, but I definitely will" she said passionately.
'This girl really likes money'
"So, the faster you find the treasure the faster you help me with the letter"
"Exactly" she said smiling.
"But that could never happen" I said getting a punch to the arm in retaliation, although it hurt.
—————————————————
We trekked through the forest, the morning light filtering through the canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground. After a while, we arrived at the storage shed. It was an old, weather-beaten building, its wooden planks gray with age.
"Alright, let's see what's inside," Maya said, pushing open the creaky door.
The interior was dim, filled with dust and dirt. Shelves lined the walls, cluttered with old tools and miscellaneous items.
"This looks way too old for something that has been used recently," I said while coughing from the dust.
"They probably made it dirty so the next people who would have to clean it," Maya replied.
"There's no way they wou—" I said as I looked at Aiden, who nodded his head in response to my question.
'Why am I even surprised? These people make you choose between getting your ass handed to you or committing a felony as an initiation.'
"Look around for anything useful," Maya instructed.
We spread out, each taking a section of the shed. I began sifting through a pile of old crates, finding mostly broken tools and useless junk.
"This is pointless, we can't find anything," complained Aiden.
"If no one has found it before, I doubt we will," I said, moving a cabinet to the side.
"Hey, Maya. You got to have a plan or something," said Aiden.
"Not really," she admitted.
"Well, I'm out. I'll figure out the letter myself," I said, heading to the door.
However, "Um! The door," I said as I pushed it but it wouldn't open. I even pushed it with my shoulder but it wouldn't open.
"What's wrong?"
"The door won't open," I said as Aiden walked towards me.
He also tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge. "Well, this isn't good," said Aiden as we both tried to break down the door with our combined weight. It still wouldn't budge, which was surprising considering the state of the shed.
"Hey, Maya. Are you going to help?" said Aiden.
"I'm busy," said Maya with her head to the floor.
After a while of trying to break the door, we eventually gave up, mostly because my shoulder started to hurt.
'This body is really weak; it's not even about being ten again at this point.'
"Just great. How are we going to get out of here? I'm hungry," said Aiden, holding his stomach. Considering he just ate, I'm hoping he's joking.
"Hey, Maya. This is serious, aren't you gonna come help?" he asked, but she clearly wasn't listening.
"Maya, this isn't funny anymore!" Aiden shouted, frustration evident in his voice.
Maya finally looked up, her expression unreadable. "I told you, I'm busy," she said calmly, her eyes scanning the floor.
Aiden's anger flared. "Busy doing what?"
"Calm down, Aiden. It's fine. Let's just keep searching the room. I'm sure we'll find something to bash on the door," I said, trying to calm him down.
He sighed and calmed down, and we both looked through the room for things to bash into the door. We tried a wooden shovel, a broken broom, and even threw entire crates at it. Nothing worked.
"It's useless," said Aiden as he sat down.
"Yep!" I agreed, sitting down but then looked to my side and saw Maya.
"You aren't looking anymore."
"I'm resting," she answered.
"Is there a reason why she likes money so much?" I asked Aiden.
"I don't know; she never talks about herself."
"It's called not oversharing. Try it sometime," retorted Maya.
"Hey, I don't overshare," claimed Aiden.
"Loid, what's Aiden's dream?" she asked nonchalantly.
"To join Cross and Swords," I answered almost immediately.
"Who's his role model?"
"His brother Adrian," I answered again.
"What's his type?"
"Elves mostly."
"See?"
"That's just being close friends," he said, with a slight red to his cheeks.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night."
"You wouldn't get it anyway. I have to catch up to my brother. If I don't, he'll be lonely again," said Aiden as he hugged his knees.
"See, oversharing," said Maya, ruining the solemn atmosphere.
For some reason, though, I found myself laughing at their antics.
"Something funny?" asked Maya.
"I don't know. Guess I'm just trying not to think about starving to death," I responded, to which Aiden ran to the door and started to bang on it.
"Open up! Open this door. PLEASE!"
I continued laughing again, which caused Maya to also burst out laughing. In the middle of our laugh, however, the door opened, letting light into the shed.
"It worked. I should've groveled sooner," said Aiden.
"What are you three doing here? We've been searching for you all day," said the familiar voice of Sister Claire. Although it didn't help that Aiden was currently kissing her feet, shouting out thank you.
"Okay, knock it off," she said, to which he stood up.
"Follow me; the headmistress wants to have a word with you," she said, turning around.
"Guess we're in trouble," I said to Maya as we followed Sister Claire.
"Too bad we couldn't find the treasure," said Aiden.
"Yeah! But at least we got to see you lose it," said Maya, causing him to frown and both of us to laugh again. Eventually, he joined in.
—————————————————
As we made our way into the dining hall my heart almost leapt outside of my chest as I heard the words; "Happy birthday" shouted by everyone there. I was so shocked actually that I fell to the ground and took a total of five seconds to realize they were referring to my birthday.
"Happy birthday Loid" said Maya extending an hand to pull me up.
"Yeah! Thanks. Wait! You knew about this" I asked to which she nodded.
"So, that's why we got stuck there for so long. All according to plan huh!"
"Is that why you were acting so weird" asked Aiden
"Pretty much" responded Maya
"How come no one told me"
"Because you overshare, plus it was funny seeing you freak out"
"Fair enough"
"But how'd you all know"
"Mr. Thorne informed us, we just had to make sure to get you out of the way for the day" said Sister Claire.
'Well, that's one way to go about it'
"So, what do you think" said Maya gesturing across the hall.
A long table was laden with an array of dishes, from roasted chicken to hearty stews, and a towering birthday cake with candles at its center. The usual chatter of the orphanage was replaced by excited whispers and laughter. My attention also got drawn to Aiden who had three people standing between him and the cake in defense.
"Well, I got stuck in a hot, tiny room for half the day. And I'm currently starving, but I guess this makes up for it. Thank you, all of you. For everything" I said making sure everyone heard that last part.
I then turned to Maya; "So, how much did you get paid to pull this off" I asked to which she laughed awkwardly.
My birthday was fun, more than it had been for a while, and I realized how much these people had become a part of my life. It was a strange feeling, one that I couldn't quite put into words.
That night after I got to my room I picked up a pen and paper:
Dear Mr. Thorne,
Thank you for the letter and for letting everyone know about my birthday. It was a great surprise, and I had a wonderful time celebrating with everyone at Sanct Cyra.
Thank you for the wishes, I had a good day.
I'll write back soon.
Warm regards,
Loid