Chapter 9: Return to Life

Talon had been an orphan for as long as he could remember. His parents were unknown, and he was found on the doorstep of the Holy Mother Church’s orphanage when he was a baby. Growing up in the harsh nvironment of the orphanage, Talon was maltreated by the caretakers and often abused by the older children. This forced him to become self-reliant and strong-willed.

During his time at the orphanage, Talon met Vaila, a young albino girl who quickly became a target for bullies as soon as she arrived. He remembered how weak and frail she had looked back then. Vaila was six years younger than Talon, and he soon took on the role of her guardian, beating up other kids who tried to bully her and giving her his share of food when there wasn’t enough.

Later, Talon discovered that Vaila was afflicted with a strange disease that not only rendered her physically weak but also meant she wouldn’t live past sixteen years of age. He had heard stories and legends of magical elixirs and artifacts that could heal any ailments from the adventurers and bards who passed through town. Talon hoped he could get one of those magical elixirs one day to save her life.

Reality, however, was often disappointing. Talon failed to awaken any ability at the age of fifteen, the first golden stage for humans. At this age, orphans were kicked out of the orphanage if they hadn’t been adopted. Despite this setback, Talon remained undeterred. He joined the Adventurer Guild as a rookie, but his lack of power limited him to accompanying other adventurers on quests and helping with tasks like carrying equipment and collecting monster materials.

"But I am different now," he thought as he looked up at the orphanage gate. "And I am back, Vaila. I will get the elixir that will cure you. If I can’t find it in this world, then I will find it in other parallel worlds. If I can’t find it in any of the worlds, I am sure the System Admin of the Interdimensional Bazaar will definitely have it. Nothing can stop me." He clenched his fist as he thought.

Calming his thoughts, Talon entered the orphanage. Down the road, a man with an eyepatch was being pushed out of a shop by the owner.

“Get out, Crawford! The damn thing is worthless. You think I will pay you for your fool’s gold? You must be dreaming,” the shop owner shouted, throwing a bag at the eyepatched man.

Crawford shouted back, “You think you can mistreat me that easily, Hugin? Who told you it’s fool’s gold? You’re blind, I tell ya!”

“Puh, get lost with your pyrite, Crawford, and don’t ever enter my shop again.” Hugin firmly closed his shop door without looking back.

Crawford cursed a few times before dusting off the bag and swinging it over his shoulder. At that moment, he looked up to see Talon entering the orphanage up the road. “Heh?” He rubbed his only eye and looked again. “Impossible, didn’t Denzel say this guy was dead? Or is my eye defective?” he murmured, staring at his bag of pyrites.

---

Talon knew the orphanage’s layout like the back of his hand. The compound wasn’t very large, but it was spacious enough for Talon to sneak into the building and head towards the East Wing, where Vaila’s room was located. The moment he entered the East Wing, he ran into one of the caretakers, a man named Eno. Talon remembered how this man whipped him for breaking a plate while washing.

“You...” Eno pointed at him, looking as if he had seen a ghost. “...you, you’re dead,” Eno stammered in disbelief.

Talon didn’t feel like replying. He immediately activated his Mind Hunter abilities. Upon awakening a profession, a person would gain innate knowledge on how to use and activate their abilities, much like learning to breathe or blink. For a Mind Hunter, their power set was based on the mental world and consciousness. They had three ways to interact with the minds of others: using mental feelers, projecting their mental will, or expanding their mental presence.

Talon’s target was Eno, and he had no reservations about using the first method. Two feelers extended and stabbed into Eno’s head just as he finished speaking. Eno’s eyes went blank with shock, and his face contorted in pain. The feelers rummaged through Eno’s mind, and Talon saw the past few hours and days of Eno’s life. It was all mundane and normal: harassing female orphans, beating up male orphans, doing rounds, and visiting the local velvet house.

After searching a bit more, Talon discovered a scene from earlier in the day. The Verdant Brothers had arrived early yesterday morning in a sorry state, claiming they were attacked by brigands and had suffered heavy losses. They received treatment and supplies before leaving in the evening. Talon had arrived in Eryndor this morning, missing them completely.

“Those bastards must be getting closer to Ironflower now...” he muttered to himself. He then looked hatefully at Eno. “...as for you, I will make your life an unending sequence of agonizing torture.”

One of his feelers snapped out like a whip, shattering some of Eno’s memories. Talon continued whipping the feelers around until he was satisfied. When he finally stopped and disconnected the feelers, Eno was left a blubbering mess, drooling and staring blankly at the ceiling.

Feeling refreshed, Talon headed straight to Vaila’s room. 

Knock, knock... The sound of knocks reverberated through the hallway, waking the inhabitants of the room. It was already past lights out, and none of the orphans would dare stay awake unless they wanted the staff’s attention. The sudden series of knocks made the children apprehensive. When no one answered the door on the second round, Vaila decided to check who was outside. She had just gotten up from her bed when the door creaked open, causing everyone to hold their breath. They all stared at the door, fearing it was some evil ghost or, worse, one of the male staff. Even Vaila froze beside her bed.