On the outskirts of the kingdom of Darlik, in a small town by the mountains, stood a small shelter. It was built of bamboo and the cheapest wood. Its roof was made of compacted thatch, which was covered with crooked clay tiles. It was evident that each one had been carefully molded by hand and then dried in a kiln.
This place was home to orphans who had either been thrown away or planted under the door of the orphanage. There were children who wandered in here by chance, who had found themselves on the streets. In charge was the Mother Superior, named Frida, a mature woman in her fifties with thick black hair with occasional strands of gray. For her age, she had a very slender, even lean body, with taut muscles.
Judging by her arms, one could tell that she had done a lot of physical labor in her life. Because her palms were all covered in cuts and scars, and her skin seemed very rough and parched. It must be said that in this world, it was rare for a commoner woman to live to such an age. Perhaps she was lucky that she lived in these parts and not in a big city.
In addition to Frieda, there were also four female caretakers living in the orphanage. In fact, all of them had once grown up under this roof as well. Right now, they were young girls with rather ordinary looks. Their figures couldn't be called refined either, as they worked just as hard as Prioress Frieda.
In fact, the women had stayed at the orphanage not out of any kindness or good intentions. For them it was almost their only chance for a conventionally peaceful life. The situation of the children was no better.....
To end up in a place like this was a blessing! In this world, child deaths were a commonplace, no one would even bat an eye. The caretakers, on the other hand, were also able to have a relatively normal existence. Nothing even close to the words 'good life' awaited them in the city. It was a world of brutal warriors and power. You could be killed, raped, or become a slave simply because you were weak. These situations happened all around, they didn't even elicit empathy from passersby and onlookers.
In another world, this orphanage could have been a paradise... Mountainous terrain, lots of greenery, clean air, and even a small river that descended from the mountains....
But alas, in this world, it's hard for commoners to even remember the taste of meat. If it ever appeared in the family, it was only in dried form, which was done for a longer shelf life. And it should be added that this happened once every few years and that only by luck.
All because there were many ferocious beasts in the wild lands. Not even every warrior had the ability to go far beyond the surrounding areas of the city, and not even the villagers. It was said that some of the beasts could reach three meters in height and ten meters in length.
Such a delicacy as meat could only be enjoyed by the strongest who were lucky enough to catch some game outside the city. There were also common animals, such as poultry or small tasty animals. But they were also food for ferocious beasts as well. If you wanted to steal food from such creatures, you had to have great courage and perfect skill.
This world was ruled by strong men, warriors who could fight and defend themselves. The strong were the unquestioned law, and the weak were cattle.
There were legends that there were people who developed their power to such an extent that they could influence the forces of nature and even summon fire from the air. Those capable of such miracles were called cultivators - those who were able to develop the so-called energy....
However, to the commoners, this is just a beautiful legend.... Such stories are told to children so that they have something to dream about. Power was something that was universally honored. That's why, deep down, everyone wanted it.
That's where a little boy of seven years old named Kai lived. He had snow-white hair and incredibly bright azure eyes. All of this set him apart from other children and adults. Frieda told him how one day he had just been found on the bank of a river not far from the orphanage. He was lucky that one of the caretakers had found him. Otherwise, he might have just been thrown into the river, or even eaten by the animals.....
Kai was very calm and reasonable from the very childhood. He almost never cried and was surprisingly quick to understand the children and even adults around him. All the orphans loved him very much and many called him an older brother, even if by age, they themselves could be older. This could be explained by his aura of calmness and prudence. He seemed much older than his peers and sometimes even looked like an adult....
There was even a local legend in the orphanage that before Kai was found, the whole neighborhood glowed and a hurricane started in sunny weather! Frieda loved to tell it and the other children readily believed it, for Brother Kai was markedly different from them.
Kai was kind to everyone, but he kept a certain distance at all times. It was a mystery to many what was really going on in his head.....
There was no need to be mistaken about life in the orphanage. In this place, it was conventionally easy only for unintelligent children. From the moment they were born, they thought hunger was normal. Even with the hard work of Mother Superior Frida and the nursery girls, there wasn't enough food for everyone. Sometimes there were days when the children ate nothing at all ... Then the adults would try to distract them in every way they could and come up with a fun reason why they had to be patient today.
Kai was a very curious child.... At his age of seven, he was already fully aware of the landscape and geography of everything that surrounded his orphanage. It was a blessing that there were no ferocious wild beasts in the region. Kai very often ran away from the orphanage into the town to steal food or earn some money for it. But who needs a useless seven year old kid? So it mostly came down to stealing.....
There were times when he was caught doing it, he was miraculously alive, and his injuries and traumas were nursed back to health for weeks at a time at the orphanage. But even after countless conversations between Prioress Frieda and Kai, he still escaped regularly. He always knew that if he could make a meal in the settlement, his siblings would get more food.
One day, Kai, as usual, ran off to the settlement to find some crumbs of food. The streets were very unkempt..... The paths between the houses, were dirt with straw and rubble. The houses were built of wood and the roofs were covered with bamboo and tiles. Only occasionally were there buildings partially built of stone. All the inhabitants of the settlement were mostly thin but very wiry. This was due to the lack of food but an incredible amount of physical labor.
The village was guarded by the head and his small clan. They were all strong people and could only support the small town. There were even rumors that the head of the village began to feel energy in his body. But it wasn't clear whether it was a rumor or just something that all the residents wanted to believe. After all, their safety depended on these very people....
Kai noticed that on this day all the people were very puzzled and there was an atmosphere of panic and anxiety in the air, he even managed to steal himself some food quite easily. At this point, he noticed that there were a lot of people crowding the main square and curiosity kicked in Kai. He began to squeeze through the rows of villagers to hear what was going on there.
At that moment, in the center of the square, the head of the village stood on a dais. Kai clearly felt a mysterious aura from him and immediately remembered the rumors about the head's energy and power. But now, it was completely unimportant and Kai didn't pay much attention to such things.
- All of you! Today, there was a rumor that the neighboring Empire of Phantom Halberd, has launched an offensive against our Empire of Lunar Brilliance. So far, it's not a full-scale invasion, just a test of borders. This can be trusted since the information came from Lord Flick's Mansion itself! - The Village Head said seriously, looking around at all the villagers.
- But don't worry! Although we are on the border, I don't think our village will be of much interest to the Ghost Halberd Empire. To warriors like them, we're nothing more than ants. Who in their right mind would want to crush an ant if it doesn't bite them? - The village head asked rhetorically, hinting that the villagers dare not cause trouble.
At this point, Kai was a bit wary.... Though in certain things he agreed with the heads words. But after thinking for a bit, Kai smiled slyly.... In an hour of such turmoil, he could steal quite a bit of food! It could definitely help the orphanage survive, especially if enemies came here. Moreover, they're just simple children who definitely won't be touched. There's nothing to worry about!
Thus, Kai prowled around the settlement until the evening and gathered food little by little....