Chapter 175 — The First Dawn of the Forgotten
S.C. 1512 — Early Morning
Hidden Island — Refugee Shelter Sector
The sun had barely risen when the island stirred.
Not with the usual quiet calm of construction and training…
…but with the soft, trembling breaths of twenty new lives lying on woven mats along the freshly built longhouse floor.
Ren stood at the center of the open shelter, a bucket of clean water beside him, and a medical tray in hand. Zemo sniffed each sleeping refugee softly, as if counting them.
Mira entered first.
Her eyes widened at the sight of thin arms and hollow cheeks.
"…Ren," she whispered. "They're worse than we expected."
Ren nodded.
"That's why we start now."
She exhaled sharply, steadying herself.
"We'll need protocol. A system."
"And we'll build it today."
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1. Emergency Assessment Protocol
Ren knelt beside the unconscious woman with cracked lips and sunken eyes.
He placed two fingers gently against her neck.
"Pulse weak but steady. Severe dehydration. Mira—bring water in small spoons. No drinking fast."
"Yes."
Kiro entered next, expression serious.
"I've prepared the hot water, broth, and blankets."
Leo and Bram followed with wooden ledger boards and chalk.
Ren pointed toward the refugees.
"We divide tasks."
Ren: medical
Mira: hydration
Kiro: food preparation
Leo: registration
Bram: shelter arrangement
Zemo: patrolling and calming the children
Everyone nodded at once.
They moved like a team who had done this many times—yet this was their first true humanitarian mission.
---
2. Registration Begins
Leo knelt beside the first conscious child—a thin boy holding his own knees, eyes wide.
Leo gave a soft smile and kept his voice gentle.
"What's your name?"
"…Ravi."
"Age?"
"…six."
"Anyone with you?"
The boy shook his head.
Kiro's jaw tightened watching.
Leo wrote it down.
Next was a small girl.
Then elderly siblings.
Then a woman with twin infants.
One by one, the nameless were given names again.
Ren overheard snippets:
"I…I don't remember."
"My home burned."
"It's been so long since I ate…"
"Thank you… thank you…"
For every word spoken, Ren felt a knot tighten in his chest.
---
3. Hydration & Food
Mira fed each refugee spoon by spoon, preventing shock from sudden water.
Once hydration stabilized, Kiro stepped forward with bowls of warm broth.
The smell alone made the children tremble.
The smallest girl reached out with shaking fingers.
Kiro knelt down.
"Slow. Only small sips."
The girl nodded vigorously and drank, tears slipping down her cheeks.
Ren checked each intake carefully.
"They need about three days of controlled feeding before full meals."
Kiro nodded.
"We'll rotate shifts. Nobody will be left hungry."
---
4. Internal Assessment
Ren moved from person to person:
checking skin tone
testing reflexes
evaluating muscle loss
noting signs of infection
identifying trauma
Zemo followed him, sniffing each refugee and lying beside the most terrified ones.
A little boy held onto Zemo's fur, hiding behind him.
"…big wolf…" he whispered.
Zemo blinked gently and licked his hand.
Ren's heart softened slightly.
"You're safe here," Ren told the boy.
"…really?"
"Yes."
---
5. First Signs of Hope
Within hours, color began returning to a few cheeks.
Children who couldn't sit were now able to lift their heads.
A teenage boy with a bandaged leg whispered:
"It's warm here."
A woman with cracked lips said:
"I slept without hearing fighting… first time in months…"
Another man gripped Ren's wrist weakly.
"Why… why help us?"
Ren didn't have a grand answer.
He simply said:
"Because you were alone."
Tears filled the man's eyes.
---
6. Structuring the Refugee System
After stabilizing all twenty, Ren gathered Mira, Kiro, Leo, and Bram outside the longhouse.
The sky glowed gold as the sun rose fully.
Ren spoke with calm authority:
"We need structure. From today onward, every refugee taken in will follow a clear system."
Ren's Island Refuge Protocol (v1)
Step 1 — Initial Health Check
Ren + Mira perform medical and hydration work.
Step 2 — Registration
Name, age, condition, family status → handled by Leo.
Step 3 — Shelter Assignment
Temporary beds, future longhouse assignment → Bram.
Step 4 — Food & Hydration
Kiro supervises diet, schedules, portions.
Step 5 — Mental Support
Zemo stays with children, monitors stress.
Everyone absorbed the list.
Mira nodded first.
"This will work."
Leo added, "We can scale this fast."
Kiro said, "And once they're stronger, we can assign tasks."
Bram grinned. "We're building a whole village, huh?"
Ren exhaled softly.
"…Yes. A village."
---
7. Future Planning Begins
As the group dispersed to continue caring for the refugees, Ren stepped aside and gazed at the half-built northern zone of the island.
Soon:
Homes
Workshops
Training centers
Fields
Defense towers
And labs for genetic animals
Would all exist here.
But this morning?
It started with twenty people eating warm broth for the first time in weeks.
Ren whispered:
"This… is only the beginning."
Zemo nudged his hand in agreement.
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End of Chapter 175