The morning sun sipped into the storage room, freely passing through the blindfold...or tattered clothes that represented it.
Zora stretched.
"Ahh, damn it."
He was still reeling from the pains he had. Covered by mana and the initial surge of adrenaline, he hadn't really known the full extent of damage inflicted until now.
The morning was still very young. Regardless, Zora had his responsibilities to fulfill.
In truth, Zora alone was tasked with handling more than half of the whole chore done in the orphanage.
He first had to sweep the whole of the massive orphanage all by himself. He did have to wash the clothes of everyone; when he was done, he had to wait for everyone to finish their breakfast, then he'd do the dishes.
Only when he was done was he allowed a meal. A small pathetic meal.
So, he was practically their cheap labor. A slave.
"Finally done with those damn chores." He complained, resting his back on a tree; he sat on the floor.
Picking up a stick, he drew a circle, then another ring of circles surrounding the first. He drew up to nine rings around the first.
Just as he was about done, Luna jumped on him, rubbing her fur against his body.
Zora let out a short, happy laugh. One that he had, almost forgotten how it felt.
"Good morning to you too," he said, passing his hands through her fur. "Hope you completed your task?"
She waves her tail sideways, energetically.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Looking at the weird circles drawn, Luna tilted her head sideways in confusion, as if asking...
What are you doing?
Max manifested himself too.
"This is the map of the kingdom of Nox, one of the few strong sanctuaries of our world: Al." He pointed at the first circle.
"This is where the king, queen, and the royal family reside," he said, pointing at the next three circles.
"The next three circles are where the higher nobility, nobility, and lesser nobility reside."
"Then we have where the higher-class commoners such as merchants and hunters reside, and then the lower-class commoners. We have the farmers' circle and the slave circle. Then lastly, we have the last circle, the slums."
He tore his gaze from the ground and fixed it on his friend.
"From the middle outwards, we refer to it as the inner circle; from the slums down to the middle, we refer to it as the outer circle. Right now, we're in the slums, the ninth inner circle or...the first outer circle."
Lina licked her fur. If she understood or not, Zora wasn't really sure.
[Max: What are you trying to achieve?]
Zora hesitated before answering.
"I wish to get to the first inner circle and rule over everything in Nox." He pointed at the third inner circle.
"The old family were higher nobility; due to me not awakening before, they got demoted to the fourth circle."
Zora rubbed his temple.
"They are my first major target. I'll make them pay for everything they did to me."
[Max: How do you intend to achieve such?]
"Through the Hunter's Academy. They're located at the sixth inner circle, and it's my closest chance to getting stronger and achieving my goal."
[Max: Urgent Alert. Finish the first mission to receive a special reward.
The mission.
Zora had forgotten about it; it's just he needed to plan better to increase his chances of success.
"Time to get back to work." He had one more chore to do.
"I'll be back soon; just wait for me," he said, waving Luna goodbye.
Although she was sad and it pained him, he had no choice. Keeping her and his ability a secret till he dealt with Osborn was the best thing to do. Or he thinks it is.
On getting closer to the orphanage, Zora noticed that the atmosphere had changed. It had suddenly become colder than it should have; fewer people were seen on the streets too.
"That's odd."
On getting to the orphanage, Zora was short of words.
The yards leading to the house entrance were covered in thick ice. A crowd gathers at the other entrance, mumbling and chatting in loud voices. Knowing he would be ignored, he decided to eavesdrop on their conversation.
The people present were many, from children to adults. It was strange to see people gather on a spot in the slum; it meant either of the two: Something new has happened, or something that would benefit them is happening.
Zora was right. Based on the little Intel he could gather. Mira, the daughter of one of the 'mothers' of the orphanage, had awakened. What made this strange was the fact that she was a summoner and not a tamer.
It was impossible and unheard-of for a mere slum rat to be a summoner.
"Shit." Zora cursed under his breath.
This could only mean one thing: the Hunter's academy is going to come and recruit Mira, and as such, they'll be arriving much earlier than he had planned.
His whole plan was about to be ruined.
Running as fast as his legs could carry him, Zora dashed for the little hill he had left Luna on. He wasn't ready and neither was she to fight Osborn.
But with the anomaly, which was Mira, the academy was sure to return soon. They'd probably take those invited immediately because of her.
He had to act fast.
"Shit, shit, shit!" he screamed. "Where is Luna?"