Lyden returned home after finding the boy's parents.
The sun was beginning to set across the horizon. Lyden was worried that if he was late to get home, there would not be any food left for him. Therefore, Lyden quickened his pace to make haste.
His home was far out from the town so he had to trudge through the wood until he reached the orphanage. Lyden had lived in the orphanage house for pretty much all his life. Before that, he could not recall much.
After half an hour of walking, he saw a white orphanage house. The orphanage was named 'The Willwalker Homage.' Lyden had never met the person who built this place, but he heard a few stories about him from others and there was even an autobiography written about him
Lyden entered and walked to the dining hall where he saw 13 of his brothers and sisters. In there own separate table, there was his two Housemother enjoying their food.
"My apology on my lateness, Housemother Nanci, Housemother Tera." Lyden gave a formal apology.
"It is alright. I heard that a tower had arisen in the town." One of the two house parents, Nanci said.
"Yes indeed, but there was no casualty and the tower appeared in a vacant area so the town was not severely damaged," Lyden replied.
"That is good to hear. Our grace had protected the people of this town from suffering."
Just before he heads back to his room to change clothes, he rummaged through his pockets. "Before I forget, here you go." Lyden took out one of the two paychecks he received today. It is required to donate 70% of their earnings to help the orphanage. They said it was to provide things like food and cleaning supplies for all the children.
"Thank you, Lyden, you should go change before you eat." Nanci kindly said when she accepted the check.
When Lyden head back to his room, his eyes slightly lit with anger in the dark.
'We should not have to offer so much of our hard-earned money. Ever since they came here two years ago, they are just doing whatever they please.' Lyden was not only the one working, and the other had to donate just as much to them.
Before Nanci and Tera became their Housemothers, there used to be another. Her name was Jasmine Willwalker, the daughter of the man who built this place. She was like a saint to the children. She actively teaches them every day as well as provide them without asking for anything in return. Because of her, the children regarded her as their mother.
Many of the children had their last name changed to be Willwalker because of her. It was the same for Lyden.
Unlike Jasmine, Nanci and Tera would exploit the children as they see fit.
Lyden was not worried for himself since he had other means to make money, but he did worried about the others.
Lyden had turned 18 last week, thus he was the oldest one in this orphanage.
He was also planning to leave the orphanage place last week, but he decided to delay it.
Suddenly, a quiet knock came from behind the door. Lyden opened it to see two of his siblings.
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One was a blonde-haired girl and the other was a boy taller than her standing beside her.
"Tiff, and Joey, what are you doing here? Are you guys done eating?" Lyden smiled with no hint of anger from before. "I'm about to take a shower before heading down."
"I heard there a tower appeared near your workplace. I was wondering if you are ok?" Tiff softly spoke with a worried expression.
"I'm fine. The hunters got there before anything happen."
Joey simply nodded before heading back down and Tiff followed after.
Lyden had a long history with those since the three been here ever since they were young.
An hour passed, and Lyden finished his meal alone while the rest of his brothers and sisters were getting ready for bed.
By the time he got to his bedroom, he saw five of his brothers, including joey, were already fast asleep.
"I am going to go for a bit, but I will come back soon," Lyden whispered. He grabbed his backpack and stored some water and food he bought before he left.
Lyden walked outside of the orphanage.
The sky was lit with white stars and a full moon hanging over him.
Lyden looked at the moon like with determination.
"I will do it. A loser like me can only struggle until the end." Lyden recalled his past as he walked back to town.
When he was in school, he did not have much care and only enjoy a stress-free life. He blew off school because he did not understand the value of education until it was too late. Nevertheless, he was still able to graduate due to the 'No Child Left Behind Act,' and probably because the teacher gave up on him, and wanted him gone.
He had no talent because all he did was hang out with his classmates until all of them left the small town to go to college or find work.
But when a miracle happened, it was taken away as easily as it was given.
But he knows, if he let his past drag him down, then forever, he will be the biggest loser.
"I will cast my old self away. I will struggle to find my own path. I will enter the tower." He had nothing to lose and much to gain.
He spent many years with his brothers and sisters, but he knew that someday they will all grow up, and will leave him behind. It was all the same just likes his friends and his parents, who he can't even recall.
However, he wanted to become someone they can look up to and not be pitied. It was a sense of pride he had left.
After half an hour of walking, he made it through the town. Unlike a city, the small town was barely lit. The street lamps were the only thing guiding him through the night.
Occasionally, military vehicles would drive by him. They seemed to be heading towards the tower also.
When Lyden got close to the tower, there were guards on duty. One of the guards saw Lyden approaching.
"Hold it there, no one can go there without clearance or a hunter permit." The guard said in a stern voice.
"I am a hunter and came to enter the tower." Lyden handed his hunter permit from his wallet to the guard. The guard lit a flashlight to see.
"I also need to see sigil on your body."
Lyden revealed his lower wrist, showing a sigil with two white stars. Then the guard handed him back his permit and pointed him to the entrance of the tower.
A sigil was a sign of a hunter. All hunters have a white sigil somewhere on their body.
However, some would tattoo a sigil on their body to disguise themselves as a hunter to sneak inside the tower. For those that do succeed on sneaking in, only death waits for them inside. That was because only hunters could survive in there.
Near the entrance, Lyden saw at least dozens of other hunters waiting to be let in inside.
Lyden stood next to one of the tower's pillar and waited patiently to be let in, as well as the others. With nothing else to do, he would eavesdrop in other people conversation. Lyden felt no guilt since it was a way to gather information.
"It seems that the US government are increasing their authority in regards to us, freelance hunters. How annoying... " a woman said with an attitude.
"Even if hunters are stronger than ordinary people, we can easily be killed with a bullet. It is best not to be swallowed up in your ego and do something you will regret." the man replied to her with a carefree tone. "By the way, have you gathered enough people? The more we have, the better the chance we will come back alive."
"I did, but all the hunters here are mostly 1-star. The first team got all the goods one and already went inside. So in the end, I managed to get 3 1-star hunters on our team."
"That seems pretty low." The man looked around to see if there was anyone else. "How about that guy standing near the pillar. He has been looking at us. Perhaps, he does not have a team, yet."
"You should go ask then," The woman told the man as if she was tired from walking around all day.