The orphanage, a place so stark,

Houses the lost, the lightless spark.

Innocents, disowned, and without home,

Their presence in the tale begins to roam.

Why such focus on these children, you see,

Holds significance, a clue may be,

An author's pen poised with fire to ignite,

Upon the stone, a tale taking flight.

This tale's path won't be for the faint of mind

The Orphanage

Jack and Ramon strolled through the bustling, narrow streets of Thebes, where merchants hawked their goods and people shopped for their necessities. The houses emitted the aroma of brick and dust, intermingled with the spicy scents of various powders. The sun began its descent, positioning itself for the night while the moon readied itself to rise.

"So, where's this orphanage?" inquired Jack, surveying their surroundings.

"It's just nearby, slightly outside the busy part for the children's safety," replied Ramon, a smile gracing his face.

As they continued, the throngs of people gradually diminished until they arrived near the city's outskirts. A two-story orange building with an extended balcony came into view. A flight of stairs led to the entrance at the bottom floor, while behind it, there was nothing but an expanse of endless sand and mountains. Similar buildings and small homes flanked it in a symmetrical line.

"This is it?" Jack confirmed.

"Yes, that's the one," Ramon affirmed, looking up at the structure.

Ramon led the way towards the entrance, with Jack following closely behind. Suddenly, a small figure emerged from the corner, brandishing a wooden sword and wearing a mask. It was a 12-year-old child, joined by four others, all donning masks with distinct drawings. Two younger girls and one boy stood behind the boy, who declared proudly, "We are the Knights of the Royal Army, and I am its commander! If you wish to enter, you must defeat me first! Ha-ha!"

"Come on, Khaled, just let me in," Ramon shrugged, trying to bypass the playful confrontation.

But Khaled pointed his wooden sword at Jack and demanded, "You there! Where are you from?"

Amused, Jack jested, "From another world."

Unamused, Khaled lightly tapped Jack on the head with his wooden sword, causing Jack to grimace in mild pain.

"Alright, alright, kids, go inside," a woman intervened as she approached the entrance.

"Hello, Madame Farida," greeted Ramon with a warm smile. "How have you been?" he inquired, his voice cheerful.

The woman emerged from her dwelling, aged around 70 years old, draped in a purple thobe. Leaning on a stick for support, she had wisps of white hair, neatly covered by the cloak's hood.

"Welcome, Ramon. How have you been, and what brings you here?" she asked kindly.

"Madame Farida, I need your expert help in stitching," Ramon replied proudly.

"Oh, my, Ramon, I never would have thought such a skill would be needed by the royal army," she remarked.

"We need it urgently now. Soon Kasib will be bringing the leather, and we need you to stitch it for us. Please, could you help?" Ramon pleaded, bowing down with his hands clasped together.

"Alright, Ramon, I will do it. Don't you worry," Madame Farida reassured him with a smile.

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"Okay, let's go!" Ramon cheered with joy.

"Oh, who's this new face that I see?" remarked Madame Farida.

"Hello, my name is Jack Sterling. Nice to meet you," Jack greeted her, shaking her hand.

"Nice to meet you as well," she replied. "Why don't you come inside? Come on, welcome in."

The creaking wooden doors revealed a hallway where a few children played. Most wore white clothing—white shirts and trousers. Further inside, each hallway led to different rooms. Madame Farida guided them to the living room, where four children engaged in various activities—some playing with wooden horses, others reading books.

Madame Farida settled into a chair on the left side of the room, surrounded by a green carpet that covered the floor. Shelves were filled with small books for kids and larger ones for those with an interest.

"Come on, kids, introduce yourselves," she encouraged in a kind tone.

One girl stepped forward, wearing the standard white attire. She had bright hazel eyes and dark brown hair with a cherished scarf, smiling despite her shyness. "My name is Amira Abbas. I am 10 years old."

Next was a boy who introduced himself as Youssef Hassan, aged 8. He had sparkling brown eyes, tousled black hair, and homemade goggles. He was the brainy one, akin to Kamil, who loved to read.

Following Youssef was another young girl, Layla Mansour, aged 7. She had large blue eyes, light brown braided hair, and was always holding a tattered doll. "And this is Dolly; she is 3 years old," Layla said with a smile, pretending to be the doll. Jack smiled, patting Layla's head, and complimented her on Dolly's excellent manners.

Then came the boy, aged 12, with a smile absent from his face, replaced by anger and arrogance. His expression was harsh, but his heart still bore the innocence of youth. He introduced himself in a tired tone, "My name is Khaled Ahmed, I am 12 years old. Nice to meet you," he said, walking off without shaking Jack's hand.

"Nice to meet you," Jack replied with a smile, even though Khaled wasn't listening.

"Don't worry, Jack. He's just like that," said Layla, holding her doll tightly in her hands, speaking with a cute voice. She then glanced at Khaled, making an angry face and said, "I am not talking to you."

"But Layla, it's..." he mumbled, while Layla turned around, still angry.

Feeling embarrassed and pressured, Khaled returned to Jack and shook his hand, saying, "Nice to meet you," in an unsatisfied tone.

"You too," Jack replied.

"Why don't you sit? Bring the chairs here, kids, for these two," said Madame Farida, and the children followed, bringing chairs for Jack and Ramon. They sat on the wooden chairs, and Madame Farida asked, "What do you need it for? I am just curious."

"Oh, Madame Farida, we are making a car."

"A car? Never heard that before. What is it?" she asked, her mind racing to know the answer. The kids, too, got interested. "Wow, a car! What's that?" asked Youssef, his goggles shining in the lantern light.

"It's a carriage that moves faster than a horse, all on its own," Ramon answered.

"Really?" Layla asked in disbelief.

"Yes, really," Ramon confirmed.

"That sounds like a lot of nonsense to me," said Khaled, looking away.

"Hey, you can't say that! That is a swear word," exclaimed Layla and Amira. "Yeah, Khaled, you can't say that," added Amira.

"Take it back," demanded Layla.

"Fine, fine, I will. Not like I care about this carriage anyway," muttered Khaled as he walked off to the other corner of the room.

"Jack is helping us build it. It was his idea," exclaimed Ramon.

"Wow, can you let us ride it as well?" Jack asked Layla and Youssef.

"Yes, of course. We will bring it to you once our mission is completed," Jack replied.

"What mission do you mean?" asked Khaled.

"I thought you weren't interested," joked Ramon.

"Shut up, Ramon. What do you mean by 'mission'?" Khaled exclaimed.

"I am a member of the royal army and am under Commander Menes. However, for my training, I am working under Ramon," Jack explained.

"I've risen some ranks, you know what I mean," said Ramon with pride. "And don't bother fighting, Jack. I know you are going to say, 'Well, I beat him, can I join the army?'" Ramon continued jokingly. "Remember the Valley of Wadi Hammamat?" Ramon asked the group.

"Yes, I heard about it. One of the royal army soldiers decimated the Merchant Guild's troops together with one of their sergeants or something," answered Khaled.

"Well, it was Jack," Ramon shared the news.

Silence enveloped the room, and Khaled, in shock and fear, looked at Jack's innocent face, starting to imagine him as an evil entity trying to harm him.

"I'm not scared," Khaled said, still sweating.

"You know, Khaled, if you become a better person, I will take you under my wing if I ever become a general," joked Ramon.

"I will become a great general before you, Ramon, like General Akhil, the great general," Khaled exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, we will see. But I know I will make it there first," joked Ramon.

"Do you have the Chronotex?" Jack asked Youssef.

"Yes, I do indeed," Jack replied.

"What's your power?" asked Layla.

"It's Chrono Arachnid. I can create spider-like legs or claws from my spine and attack enemies with them. I also have the senses of a spider, but I can't control it at will," he joked.

"Weakling, I bet I can beat you," Khaled teased.

Feeling the mood, Jack stood up from his chair, surprising Khaled, who realized he might have said too much.

"Well, let's test it. Throw that book at me, and I will dodge it with my eyes closed," Jack challenged Khaled.

"Okay, fine," Khaled said, picking up the book.

Jack closed his eyes, imagining his surroundings using dark energy L1 and his Chronotex's power to gain an extra sense of his surroundings. He learned this technique from his experiences and training with General Setka and during the Valley of Wadi Hammamat war. In his mind, Jack visualized the kids and life around him as lines, as if their bodies were thin white lines, and their life force was their nervous system linking to the whole body. He imagined the nerves in multiple colors, and life itself in blue, while the inanimate objects appeared in a low shade of white with thin lines on a black background.

Khaled threw the book, and in Jack's mind, it moved as a slow object. He used his L1 power to sense it and dark energy to get a more precise image in his mind, easily dodging it without effort.

Annoyed, Khaled noticed Jack's eyes were still closed, so he decided to throw more things at him. However, Jack effortlessly dodged them all - wooden toys, thicker books, and even a paper ball.

"Wow, Jack, you are amazing!" said Layla.

"Fascinating," replied Youssef.

"Great work!" exclaimed Amira.