FORSAKEN KID: But What if The Most Inconvenient Solutions Have the Best Outcomes? (unfinalized)

Coming home from school, Ialan sees David sitting at their kitchen/dining table, grumpy and arms crossed. “How unusual, we have a visitor.” He drops his bag on the couch.

“Tch. I wish I wasn’t,” he said, staring at the tea in front of him.

“Long time no see…” Their eyes met and a small spark ignited. Suddenly, they launched a spell attack at each other at lightning speed. Ialan’s attack being embedded with a dispersing spell disintegrated both the spells quickly. Clearly showing who among them overpowers the other. “...David Alvinn.”

David is still irritated. Ialan was only 11 when he graduated from learning witchcraft. That’s impressive even for necromen. Him being both a human and cursed makes David burn with envy, being a witch that graduated just two years ago, when he was 14. But that is still impressive, being the average graduation age as 18. But compared to Ialan, he feels small.

“How old are you right now, Ialan Lantass?”

“I am 14. I assume you are 16 at the moment, David Alvinn,” he says while making himself a cup of milk.

David still glares at him with irritation. He can’t stand these people. He’s usually not this snappy. He is snappy, but not to this extent. Marina comes from the back of the house holding a bowl of the raw chopped meat she bought earlier. “Hey now, boys, don’t start a fight. David, Ialan is still my brother, and Ialan, David is still my cousin. We can be a little happy family~”

“The idea of that makes me want to puke!” David cursed. “I swear to the devil, This job better give me good merit!”

Ialan looks at him for a while. “I do not like how you remind me of Aunt Theia,” he sips milk.

David was offended and stood. “The hell you said to me?!” He clearly doesn't like being compared to his ‘mother’.

While cooking, Marina handled the situation, “You sit down, boy,” and a spell pulled him back down on his chair. He groaned, accepting his faith.

“Ialan,” he called, “How did you master the dispersing spell? One can’t use it without dispersing the spell itself. It’s a spell made to kill itself… So how are you able to use it like it’s so basic? Tell me your secret at this moment.”

“You just want to get out of there, right?” Ialan replied.

“Of course I do!”

“You should stop resisting before it could hurt you.”

“I’d rather die!” with those responses, Ialan is slightly getting fed up with him.

After he finished his milk, and David’s tea turned cold, Marina turned off the stove, “Dinner’s done!” She and Ialan started preparing the table, putting 3 plates, 3 bowls of the food she was making, and a large plate of rice serving.

“Seriously…? Rice?”

“Never disrespect rice. It’s gold to the poor! time ta eat~” the two started eating. David didn’t want to. But he’s famished. He can smell the delicious meat and the enticing warm soup that came with it. He knows it could be poisoned. but that thought doesn’t make him not hungry anymore.

“Take a bite. It’s not poisoned.”

David hesitantly picked the spoon and ate a piece of pork from his bowl. After a few chews, he froze for a moment, before continuing to chew it. His eyes… seemed to relax. Marina was watching. She’s smiling because David seems to have finally calmed down. She continued eating as well.

“...It's actually not poisoned,” David said with a softer tone.

“Harsh,” Marina replied.

“...Honestly, I wanted to talk shit about it after my first bite, but… it has so much my cooking could never have. Bad mouthing it would humble my cooking to mud,” he said as his head bowed down a bit in shame.

“Why compare?”

David couldn’t respond immediately. “I wish I could cook like this,” he says, turning to the boy. “Ialan, are you the first lucky unlucky-cursed child? Getting adopted, having all of these for yourself.”

“Maybe I am,” Ialan didn't return the look David gave, just eating.

David scoffs. “That sounds funny.”

Marina is glad the air finally feels lighter. “So that was ‘hanger’ all along, huh, David? I thought so!”

“You should learn when to shut up,” he meekly replied.

“Mhm. And now that you’re calmer, I feel I can finally tell you about the job. It’s a lie. It’s not a single job, it’s a bunch of small ones. First one starts tomorrow. So I need you to wake up as early as possible. preferably before the sun does,” Marina explains.

David’s eyebrows start to furrow again, “You want me to wake up early and get here early? Be damned, I’m not doing it. If you’re dragging me in, you’ll have to fetch me from home.”

“Who says you are going home tonight?” Marina chuckled. David’s blood starts boiling again, but he tries to calm down, knowing there’s probably spells everywhere to keep him inside that house. He frustratedly sighs, “Fine!”

Ialan looked at him, judging him a bit. “You are not the type to accept job offers from the likes of us.”

“I WOULDN’T if I could choose! But your magnificent sister locked me in here. And I have to follow orders like a dog just to get my freedom.”

“Why are you complaining when it’s me? You have the exact same life as one of Fuego’s dogs, actually being the lowest and has the most to do… no promises, high labor, low payment, heavy burdens, and no friends for support.” she says so casually, watching David’s face fall silent. “I, on the other hand, offer you both fair payment and freedom, will lead you instead of boss you around, and willing to be your friend. I can offer you a LOT of things, David. Growth, food, shelter, warmth, money… a LOT. More than Fuego can give you.”

David is picking up Marina’s scheme. “Are you telling me to leave my job at the Batch Head?”

Marina plays with her fork, “Hm? Was that how I sounded?” she doesn’t sound as serious as everyone wishes her to sound.

“You promised me ONE job. Or many small jobs you bunched as one– whatever you call it! But that’s not as eternal as my job there, no matter how hellish. I’ve lived my life like I’m in hell anyway, so it’s not any different, right? What I need is money to survive, not some support you offer.”

“Geez, trust me… you haven’t seen this job yet. Maybe you’ll even resign yourself without my suggestion.”

“That only happens when miracles rain. And miracles run away from me.”

Marina breaks into a small laughter, “We’ll see about that.”

Ialan suddenly stands up, brings his dishes to the sink, grabs his bag from the couch, and heads to his room. “I’m going to do my homework. You two are annoying.”

***

That night, Marina gave David extra pillows to sleep on the couch. David unexpectedly felt comfortable sleeping there. In that small rundown house.

Then, David was woken up by Ialan, fresh from the shower and kicking the couch to rouse him. “Wake up, slacker. Don’t wait until Sis will be the one waking you up,” he said before walking away.

David is in a sleepy daze. It’s still dark. Night, he thinks. His comfortable sleep felt short. He picked Marina’s keypad from the table and saw 4:50 a.m.. He grunts standing up, “This darn early…?”

He stands up, Ialan tosses a towel on him and some of his clothes. “Tell us if any is too small. You can borrow from Sis.”

David is already hating this. As he approaches the bathroom, he sees Marina through a window, cooking with firewood outside, behind the house. A big cauldron half her height, stirring like a witch–well, she is a witch, but David has never seen a witch ever cook like that. It's scary. “What is even she making that amount…?” He enters the bathroom. The moment the water touched his skin, he screamed, “COLDDDD!!!”

Ialan joins Marina outside and starts digging out some seedlings. David is still screaming and cursing.

Marina halted her stirring for a while. “That’s the third victim of the day.”

“I didn’t scream,” protested Ialan.

“That doesn’t mean you weren’t a victim.”

***

Marina was watching the sky starting to light up. David already had 4 cups of tea and counting, still shivering from the cold. Ialan finished digging out some small seedlings they planted and transferring them into seedling bags. He brought them in front of the door outside. “The trees are set.”

Marina entered and watered the remaining firewood. “Then let’s not waste time and get going. David, man up and stand from there. Help me carry this cauldron.”

David sighs and obligates. Marina signals to drop it right before stepping outside, and Ialan brings them a cart filled with cheap crackers, disposable bowls and sporks, and the plenty of seedlings. Were they assigned for a feeding program?

“On a count of three,” Marina said. “One…”

But David bumped his head on an invisible wall. The spells are still on to keep him stuck inside. “Ow– at least decay the spells!”

“Oh right, I forgot. hehe~”, “Don’t ‘hehe~’ me!”

“Take off your shoes and show me the bottom of your feet.” She ordered, David was weirded out. “...or else you're never getting out of here.” David clicked his tongue and hesitantly obligated. Marina then chanted spells on his feet. “To keep you at bay,” she smiled at him and took off the barriers. He put back his shoes. The pot was placed on the cart, and they went to the market.

It was early and quiet. Not the deafening quiet, but there’s less sound than there usually is. As they walked, some children approached, “It’s Princess!” They were homeless. Most were parentless, and some were unfortunately used by their parents to beg for money. They seem close to Marina. “Hurry kids, line up! Is there anyone new?”

David was observing. She looks kind from this point of view, thinking the children don't even know her double life and see her as an angel.

“Line up and get your trees~! Make sure you plant them in the soil. if you don't plant your tree, you won’t get a meal, got it? Remember that I can detect lies,” Ialan started gently giving each child a plant. “Thank you, Rick!”, “You are very welcome.”

Marina calls David, “Come here, Dean, aren’t you gonna help us?”

“...” He started giving plants too. “You’re ‘Princess’, he’s ‘Rick’, and now I'm ‘Dean’? You couldn’t pick a better name?” David is stunned by this project of Marina's. It’s not a public program, it’s voluntary. She teaches children to plant, potentially helping with Caotica’s suffocating atmosphere, and feeding starving children at the same time. Two birds, one stone. He thought she was just an annoying asshole, but it turns out there was more to that…

Some children are quick to come back. Marina happily started serving them a bowl of her porridge and cracker each. Some children played with Ialan, and David got involved. He was against it at first but started enjoying it too.

They roamed the whole big market until 7 am. David all played with the children. He was interesting to them because it’s the first time they met him, so they asked him lots of questions. They were all energetic and engaging, and David couldn’t lie he had fun. Ialan has everyone’s names memorized, so he introduced some of them to him. David himself didn’t know children were this refreshing to mingle with. But it was sad for him to see so many children robbed of their rights and basic life needs.

Once they finished, all sprouts were planted, they were left with 3 crackers and enough porridge for three. Marina gave the boys their share and had hers. They sat on a side road as they ate breakfast. David watched the sky while munching. “I’d love to do this again.”