Chapter 3 - Identity

A suspenseful fight has just ended. Shailly's tenacity delights a few orphans. Everyone rushes towards him after his incredible performance.

_ Ayden: “ Damn, what a fight, she didn't give up once. She's incredible. ”

I also get up from the bleachers, with the idea of joining the other orphans. At the same time, I see two boys deliberately leaving the training field on their own. A third girl follows them shortly after.

_ Son: “ Your fight was incredible! ”

_ Little girl 1: “ That was so cool! You fought really well! ”

_ Little girl 2: “ Congratulations on your victory. ”

_ Little girl 3: “ Congrats... Congratulations! ”

The cheers of the orphans fill Shailly with pride and joy. Her cheeks flush and a broad smile spreads across her face.

_ Shailly: “ Thank you, everyone! ”

_ Little girl 2: “ By the way, what are your names? Mine is Kona. ”

_ Shailly: “ Nice to meet you, my name is Shailly! ”

_ Son: “ I'm Son! ” he said with a big smile.

_ Ayden: " Ayden, nice to meet you. "

_ Little girl 3: “ I... My name is Jenna. Nic... nice to meet you. ” she said hesitantly.

Kona put her hand on Jenna's shoulder.

_ Kona: " Don't worry about your performance against the tutor. Don't pay any attention to his comments. You did your best. "

These words touch Jenna and she feels more reassured.

_ Jenna: “ I...I thank you! ”

_ Little girl 1: “ Hey, don't forget about me. ”

The young girl points her thumb, smiling, her head held high.

_ Little girl 1: “ Nice to meet you all, I'm Maïko! ” she says confidently.

_ Shailly: “ Nice to meet you, Maïko! ”

_ Little kid: “ I'm Hazel, nice to meet you. ” he said in a neutral tone.

_ Kona: “ Nice to meet you, Hazel. ”

_ Shailly: “ I'm glad we can finally all talk to each other! ”

_ Maïko: “ Definitely, it was really awkward in the room. ”

_ Kona: “ Haha, yes. ”

_ Ayden: “ This match has clearly relaxed them. ”

Son looks at Maïko intently, then lets out a soft laugh.

_ Son: “ What's that on your forehead? It's pretty funny. ”

_ Maïko: “ It's called a curler. ”

Very relaxed, she crosses her arms and smiles slightly.

_ Maïko: “ That mohawk of yours won't do you any good. ” she says teasingly.

Son's lips tighten.

_ Son: “ Say that again. ” he says, offended.

The girls laugh one by one. Son's cheeks turn slightly red.

_ Son: “ Stop it, it's not even funny. ”

Meanwhile, Keren, still sprawled on the ground, is partially engulfed by pieces of the pillar. His sister approaches him, her face contorted with rage.

_ Keren: “ Damn it, why did you use your Source to interrupt me… ”

Gwen slaps her brother hard. The impact echoes in our ears. From a distance, their discussion is inaudible. But observing Gwen, the guardian, despite her ever-impassive face, we understand that she is giving him a dressing down.

_ Gwen: “ Can I ask what you're playing at? ”

_ Keren: “ Huh? ”

_ Gwen: " The explosion was bad enough, but on top of that you were planning to use the Demon's Source against her. If I hadn't intervened, who knows what might have happened. "

Keren removes the remaining pieces from himself and then stands up casually.

_ Keren: “ Hmm, so what? ”

_ Gwen: “ Don't be stupid. You know it's dangerous. Besides, they mustn't find out about the existence of this Source... at least not yet. ”

_ Keren: “ Tsss. ”

Her sister turns around and walks toward us.

_ Gwen: “ Well done for your fight. ” she says, stroking Shailly's head.

_ Shailly: “ Thank you very much! ”

_ Gwen: " We'll stop there for now. It's 6 p.m. and the sun is starting to set.

I have to get ready for my mission. You can go now. "

_ Son: “ That's so cool! ”

_ Gwen: " And don't forget to come to the cafeteria at 8 p.m. when the bell rings.

Shailly, stop by the infirmary first. "

_ All the orphans: “ Yayyy! ”

Our village has had several rules since the previous war. At 8 p.m., the bell at the top of a church rings. This sound tells us that we must go to the cafeteria. A cook takes attendance and then checks off the names of the villagers present on a piece of paper to pass on to the leader.

If even one villager is missing from the roll call, an immediate search is launched. No one is allowed to eat until the list is complete, unless there is a valid reason for the absence.

At 10 p.m., a curfew is enforced. Everyone must return to their huts. The village chief inspects the entire village to ensure that everyone has returned safely. My partner joins his hands together and stares at Kona.

_ Son: " But actually, I thought I saw another girl with long hair and a piercing on her mouth who looked a lot like you, but she disappeared. "

_ Kona: " That's right. She's my twin sister. "

_ Maïko: “ Cool! ”

_ Kona: “ I wonder where she went... Ah! There she is. ”

We head towards Kona's twin. She is waiting in the distance, arms crossed, eyes closed.

_ Kona: “ We were just looking for you, what are you...? ”

_ Twin: “ You, with the curly hair. “

A stutter rings out, Shailly's eyebrows rise.

_ Shailly: “ M...Me? ”

_ Twin: “ Don't think you're the strongest just because you won. ” she says in a firm tone.

Kona takes a step forward.

_ Kona: “ Oh, hey, Kaya, why are you saying that? ”

Her twin ignores her sister's words and continues to stare at Shailly.

_ Kaya: “ Take me on. ”

Maïko raises her hand slightly.

_ Maïko: “ But she just came out of a fight, she needs to go to the infirmary. ”

_ Son: “ And the guardian told us we had to leave. ”

The twin continues to ignore the orphans.

_ Kaya: “ Are you scared? ”

Kona frowns and waves her arms.

_ Kona: “ That's enough, stop it. ”

_ Kaya: “ I didn't ring you. ”

A desperate sigh overwhelms Kona.

_ Kona: “ Sorry about her attitude, don't listen to her, Shailly. ”

_ Shailly: “ Okay, fine, let's fight! ”

Stunned expressions spread across our faces, and all eyes turned to Shailly.

_ Shailly: “ Don't worry, I'm still up for it! ”

_ Kona: " That's not the problem, she's provoking you. And don't say anything stupid, you're not in any condition to. "

_ Ayden: “ This isn't reasonable, they're going to get in trouble. ”

_ Son: “ Well, at least we'll get some entertainment. ” he said, putting his hands behind his head

_ Keren: “ What entertainment? ”

Surprised, we all turn around, gritting our teeth.

_ Son: “ Damn, didn't he leave? ” he whispers to Ayden.

_ Keren: " It seems to me that you were given instructions. You two, come with me to the manor. "

_ Maïko: “ But they haven't done anything yet. ”

_ Keren: “ It doesn't matter, the intention was there. ”

We look at each other a little disgusted, but there's nothing we can do about it, those are the rules.