After breakfast, Arlan met with Miss Petrah in her office. Unlike the worn-out bedroom and hallways, this room was maintained. Arlan sat across from the caregiver in a wooden quaint chair. His feet barely reached the floor. Miss Petrah had wanted to discuss with the boy what to do from here. Her soft elegant hands shifted documents around before finally speaking. “Arlan, you gave off a very... dangerous feeling this morning.”

“It’s survival instincts.”

“That’s great, it helps you stay safe.”

“You appear to understand it while most people would be afraid.” Arlan pointed out.

“When I entered the bedroom, your eyes were fixated on my every move,” said Miss Petrah while she held a smile. “I recognize that look. Have you killed people, Arlan?” A brief moment of silence held Arlan’s voice.

She’s pretty calm asking such a question.

“I’m not going to hurt you or the children if you’re wondering.” Arlan wanted to make that clear.

“I know. You would’ve killed me after I answered your questions this morning.” smiled Miss Petrah.

“You’re not going to ask me to leave?”

“Of course not. I want you to stay here. Are you eleven or twelve?”

“I’m twelve.” Arlan was confused about how he knew, “Dunno when I was born though.”

“Let’s use the day you came to the orphanage as your birthday, the 12th Day, Fifth Month of 1240 Mundeas.” Miss Petrah sounded excited.

“Why would that be of importance?” inquired Arlen.

“Duke Louis Reeve provides for all orphanages in the Northeastern Region. In return, he has one rule for orphans to-”

“Leave when they turn fourteen?” Arlan interrupted, “JD told me earlier.”

“Correct! On your fourteenth birthday, an aide from House Reeves will take you to Galdo City. The aide will assist you in picking a vocation. They even give you a few silver coins.”

Silver coins must be the currency.

“House Reeves must be well off right?” asked Arlan.

“Kids are usually excited for free coins!” joked Miss Petrah, “Among all the houses, House Reeves is the third most powerful in Midland.”

A program that gives orphans a place to live while nurturing them to become productive citizens. The orphans eventually add to the economy and tax revenue while garnering public support from his subjects. Two birds and one stone. Bravo, Duke Louis Reeve.

“But I plan to leave here next week.”

“Please stay here,” begged Miss Petrah. “Most vocations require you to be at least fourteen. You won’t have a way to support yourself.”

Normally, I’d be fine but my survival training was done on Terra with my stronger body. Staying here would be the safe bet while I’d be taking unnecessary chances out there.

“I don’t know-”

“You were unconscious at the front door last night!” worried Miss Petrah, “Whoever brought you here must've had their reasons.” Arlan hesitated for a brief moment before responding.

“Maybe to hide me from danger? That trouble may find its way here.”

“No one will hurt you here or the other children, I promise.” Her protective gaze had fallen onto Arlan, “I took an oath ten years ago. That oath binds me to never turn away a child and to love them unconditionally as a mother would. Please don’t leave here.”

What is this feeling in my chest? Is this what it’s like to have a mother? She could cradle a child’s broken heart and heal it. Back on Terra, my family gave me up after I was born. The Terran Federation sent me to the military academy. My real families were my soldiers and instructors. But none of them were like... a mother.

“Miss Petrah... You barely know me though.” Arlan’s emotions overwhelmed his control, “But I’ll stay until I’m fourteen.” Arlan said as he got up to leave.

The saint could see Arlan struggling to fight his emotions. She rushes over and embraces Arlan with her angelic arms. The little boy’s tears rained down her cheeks. The two held on until Arlan regained control of his emotions. The child then excused himself and left the office.

This form of warfare was unfamiliar to the former general. Arlan’s first-ever battle on Althea resulted in a loss.

I’ve never experienced these feelings before. Did they come with this body or have I always been able to feel this?

Arlan’s face was a mess. He walked past a few rooms into a bathroom he had seen earlier. After scanning the room, he found a counter with wash buckets. Surprising Arlan, the water wasn’t dirty. Scooping water with both hands, he dove his face into the small ocean in his palms. Now refreshed, he decided to gather himself and review his thoughts.

I have four objectives. First, bring me back to peak combat levels. Need to test the limits of my now fragile body. The recoil from core usage could kill me. Physical training should help offset that.

Second, I will study the Althea history book. It contains information about this land, its culture, and its people. That intel is crucial. I’ll start after dinner tonight.

Third, prepare to be here for a long time. I don’t even know if returning to Terra is possible. I may be stuck here for the rest of my life. I have to plan for that. After I’ve read the history book thoroughly, multiple plans can be formulated.

I didn’t realize how impossible this entire predicament has been. Stuck in a child’s body, in a fantasy world that has monsters. I guess I can’t be more surprised.

After cleaning his face in the bathroom, Arlan made his way towards the front door in the main hall. Although the manor had three other entryways, the main entrance was the only one unlocked. Laughter and voices had echoed from beyond the old-fashioned oak door. Filled with resolve, Arlan opened the door to Althea for the first time.

The sun beamed down from the noon position. No clouds dare challenge this genial day. Arlan breathes in the open air before scanning his environment. The manor was situated in a meadow encompassed by steppe hills in all directions.

Terra suffered from overpopulation, so the land was developed for efficient resource usage. So this is a rare sight. Although it feels surreal, it’s a really beautiful sight.

The front of the manor featured a small grass yard defended by a waist-high cobblestone fence. Children decorated the yard and beyond only separated by cliches.

Arlan wanted to investigate his bearings with the compass he wore. Holding the instrument steady, the arrow pointed north to his left. Meaning the manor had faced east. A small forest to the north was a ripe location for testing his abilities. He walked just ten steps before he channeled essence into his legs. No one had seen Arlan blur into a sprint covering two hundred meters in just over twenty seconds. An impressive feat for a twelve- year-old-child.

Not bad for a small body. I used to be able to cover it in fifteen seconds.

Once shrouded by the forest, Arlan began augmenting his entire body. He planned to test his strength. He found a large enough tree that was easily two stories high and three feet in diameter. The tree towered over the young lad as if proposing a challenge.

Arlan let out a sigh and assumed a striking stance while augmenting his entire body with five percent of his essence from his core. His right arm cocks back for room to build momentum. Like time had skipped a frame, Arlan’s right fist instantly struck the tree dead center. The epicenter of his fist cratered the tree by a whole foot. Leaves were falling from the force.

I wasn’t expecting this much force.

Satisfied with the results, Arlan traced his steps back to the manor. He noticed a group of big kids all staring at him. JD ran towards Arlan with a concerned look.

“Arlan! We heard a bang in the forest. Was that you?”

“I accidentally knocked over a tree.” shrugged Arlan.

“Sounds fun!” exclaimed JD, “You don’t look hurt. Come play a game with us! We’re playing snag-a-scarf!”

I’ll be here for a while. I may as well get to know the other kids.

JD leads Arlan to the other eight big kids. They didn’t warm up to Arlan yet but at least they would play with him. Everyone else except Arlan had on either a red scarf or blue scarf loosely tied around their waist. JD started wrapping a red scarf around Arlan as he explained the rules.

“If this comes off, you’re out. Protect it while taking the other scarves. It’s a lotta fun!”

“Do the colors mean anything?” asked Arlan.

“It’s a team game.” JD pointed out, “Red team and blue team. The first team to take all the other team’s scarves wins.” Right as JD had finished tucking in Arlan’s red scarf, Chrysta’s voice perked up.

“It’s an even game now with Arlan!”

“Yeah, it’s fair now!” exclaimed a tall burly kid. He was the biggest of the children. JD pondered for a moment before responding.

The red team consisted of Noah, JD, Arlan, and two girls. Both had long burgundy hair, with dark tan skin but were two inches shorter than Arlan. They were the shortest of the big kids. One had a small mole below the lip’s left side. She spoke to Arlan first.

“I’m Sayla and she’s-”

“Layla!” followed by the other twin without the mole, “You were so scary at breakfast. Please don’t be mean to us!”

That explains why everyone was afraid of me.

“I’m Arlan and I wake up with cranky faces sometimes.” Arlan winked. His humor broke the red team into small laughter.

Afterward, JD pointed the out-of-bound areas to Arlan. The manor’s waist-high cobblestone wall marked the boundary for the west side. A brown picket fence near the dirt road was the other boundary. A fairly large tree on both the north and south side represented start points for each team. Behind the tree on the north was a ditch, and the south side had a stream past the tree. Both represented out-of-play boundaries.

Both teams gathered into circles on their respective ends.

“JD, dis will be tough but Arlan will play!” stated Noah.

“Maybe Arlan is fast and strong!” said JD.

“Alright, then we’d better win,” replied Arlan as he finished wrapping his red scarf. JD points to two starting zones marked by the trees. Red team on the north end, the blue team on the south end. Each player had to keep one hand on their respective tree before they could start the game.

On the red team were Arlan, JD, Noah, and two girls from before. On the blue team was Chrysta and four fairly well built boys who were taller than Arlan. JD looked at Arslan and nodded to begin. JD shouted a countdown from ten.

“Ten, nine, eight… three, two, one. Go!” counted JD.

Both teams began their charge toward each other with laughter and smiles.

Quite different from soldiers with violence and fear in their eyes.

Arlan jogged behind Noah who was furthest on the left. The two other red team girls flanked the right as JD charged centerfold.

On the blue team side, Chrysta remained behind the four boys who had begun their advance. There was no plan, no organization, no tactics or strategy on either team. A slight smile struck Arlan.

This is where I shine.

Once both sides met in the middle, the frontlines became stalemates as opposing forces awaited an opening. Arlan observed the standoff from behind Noah. Chrysta was in a similar position to Arlan but on the opposite end towards the right flank of the two red team girls. JD had kept a hawk gaze on the center making sure to adjust if needed.

The key to victory here would be to gain a numerical advantage. The blue team isn’t aware of my abilities either. I’d have to force the enemy into two versus ones using blitz tactics. I need to first target the burly boy opposite Noah.

Arlan was the first to act. He sprinted behind Noah who was still in a standoff. Arlan sprints directly into Noah’s back but slides between Noah’s legs. Both Noah and the burly boy were caught by surprise. Arlan abuses the ambush by snatching the red scarf immediately. The burly boy sat down to signify his defeat.

The next blue member over was a bit skinnier but had an advantage of height and arm length. He was on the opposite side of JD in a stalemate.

One down and four to go. Reachy over there won’t go down easily, having arm length would allow you to grab the enemy scarf before they can grab yours.

Reachy repositioned to keep the combined red team trio in front of him. Cries are heard from the red team’s right flank. Chrysta and a blue team boy eliminated the red team’s right flank. This reduced the red team to only three members while the blue team still had four strong.

JD was now exposed to a three-on-one but he backpedaled away to reposition against the approaching enemy. Chrysta and two lackeys were moving for the kill on JD. Noah pivots to cover for JD’s left flank, but that wouldn’t be enough for the winning move.

Arlan knew that if they stood their ground, they’d lose. “JD, Noah, fall back to our tree full speed,” ordered Arlan. The confused pair look at each other. Noticing the disadvantage, they gave into Arlan’s order to retreat. The blue team gave chase right after. Chrysta and one blue member gave chase to JD. Reachy tailed Noah and a green-haired blue member gave chase to Arlan.

With the red team on the run, the blue team’s morale had struck an all-time high as they felt victory was just in their grasp. The red team had spread out all over the field. JD was moving towards the eastern red side while Noah was opposite of him on the western red side.

Come here Greenhorn, I need to take you out first.

Arlan had sprinted towards the red side tree, his pursuer had at least three inches of height over Arlan. Arlan would lose his scarf first if they clashed head-on due to Greenhorn’s reach. Arriving at the tree’s west side, Arlan circled the two-meter trunk. Greenhorn was only a few meters behind but lost line of sight briefly.

“Chicken!” yelled Greenhorn as he rounded the corner. Savory satisfaction was around the bend. At the corner of Greenhorn’s view, a peculiar figure was pressed against the tree. It was Arlan. He’d pressed himself against the tree after dropping the line of sight. Arlan used his element of surprise to steal Greenhorn’s only lifeline, his blue scarf.

Greenhorn down. Need to move quickly to assist the team.

Arlan sprinted back towards the centerline. JD still managed to keep a distance between his pursuers but was beginning to lose his stamina. Noah was going to lose his scarf to Reachy soon. Arlan decides to help Noah first by moving in his direction. Noah notices the approaching help. Reachy sees Noah's eyes looking past him, indicating Arlan’s approach.

Reachy attempted to grab Noah’s scarf knowing he had to even the odds.

“Yeah, get him JD!” yelled Arlan out loud. Upon hearing this, Reachy hesitated and backed away from Noah, and looked around. JD was still across the field near the red team tree. Realizing the false information, Reachy gets frustrated and turns his attention back to his opponent. But it was too late, that moment of hesitation was enough for Arlan to jump and dive for Reachy’s scarf.

Reachy sat down as his scarf was taken. Noticing Noah was fatigued, Arlan told Noah to catch his breath. JD was beginning to move towards his two teammates. Chrysta was moving towards JD from a different angle to pincer him. Arlan sprints towards the ensuing final battle.

The first to make contact was Arlan and Chrysta. Arlan forced Chrysta to stop and turn towards him by positioning himself to grab her scarf if she had continued. Chrysta underestimated Arlan and wasn’t able to predict his next move due to his unorthodox movements. Chrysta was now on the defensive trying to keep her distance.

Arlan decided Chrysta was paranoid enough. He was able to zone her and decide the pair’s movements. After half a minute of Arlan controlling Chrysta’s movements, she bumps into something hard and wooden. Chrysta turns to see she has bumped into the fence post in front of the Manor. This moment of surprise allowed Arlan to secure his victory over Chrysta.

Chrysta, confused at what had happened, sloops down to the ground. Before she could ask Arlan questions, JD yells in the distance that he got the final scarf from the blue team.

The red team had emerged victorious. Both teams converged on Arlan and Chrysta to recap and talk about the match. JD was the first to comment on Arlan’s performance. “Arlan, that was so cool! How’d you know or learn to do all that?”

“It just came naturally,” replied Arlan. All the kids started to add more praise on top of JD’s comment. They began accepting him as one of them.

Before they could play another round, a bell was heard from the Manor. Miss Petrah was standing at the front door waving for the kids to come inside. “Come inside and wash up for dinner!” commanded Miss Petrah.

Like breakfast, the younger kids had all taken their seats and the older kids were distributing dinner. This time, Arlan decides to help JD distribute mashed potatoes. The room was filled with children’s laughter and the aroma of chicken and mashed potatoes. This peaceful atmosphere was something Arlan could get used to.

Just like when I ate with my men back on Terra. This feels like home.