Casper looked at the person beside him. The person's icy-blue hair contrasted with most of the children's brown and pink hair. The only exception was Weiss's silver-white hair, and Casper knew how Weiss felt about being an outcast like that. Shy and timid, easily bullied by others, the poor Weiss swayed like a leaf in the wind whenever he made eye contact. Casper hoped this new resident of the orphanage wouldn't end up like Weiss, but it seemed to Casper that all he could do was hope, as the glazed eyes did not bode well.
Casper's attention was soon pulled to the height of the person standing close to him. It was unusual because there were only a few others around his maturity. He had no idea what race this person with icy-blue hair belonged to, but he should be at least around his maturity, which only made Casper's view of this person's future more upsetting.
“Cas…per…” The voice of Istina floated into Casper and Carter's ears, making them turn in that direction.
As soon as Carter saw the woman, he was shaken by her peculiar appearance. Her hood had slipped down to her shoulders, revealing her striking features - one eye was a deep blue, while the other was a bright green. But what caught his attention was her hair; it was split right down the middle, with one side a vibrant shade of green and the other a dark, almost black color, but if you looked closely, you could see the shimmer of a dark purple.
"CASPER!" a child's shout echoed beside Istina, catching Carter's attention. Carter realized it was the little thing that flew out of the tree a few moments ago and was, in fact, a child with pale pink hair and eyes just like this Casper who stood next to him. The only difference was the child smiled so excitedly that it seemed he might burst. It also seemed the child was vibrating as he tried to contain all that excitement. While this Casper beside him had a calm, solemn, almost cold behavior and tone, even though his smile and voice hinted at concern and warmth, it seemed fake and practiced.
Aster's eyes began to glow as he looked at Carter, "NEW FRIEND!" He screamed and tried to run but was pulled back by Aiyah, the girl following close behind him.
"Oh no, you don't!" She screamed as she hit the back of Aster's head, "You are still in trouble for causing a riot and need to go to the timeout room."
Istina just stood by while giggling at the children. This so-called timeout room was something that Aiyah and Pit, the oldest of the children here, had created especially for Aster, and honestly, she found it very cute and quite humorous.
Hearing that he needed to go to the timeout room, Aster winced as his eyes darted around. Not far away, he saw a beacon of safety: a child only about a forehead taller than him with silver-white hair timidly playing with his nails as others ran around him.
"Weiss!" Aster screamed as he dashed off to the boy, followed by a red-faced Aiyah.
"I am sorry for my brother's behavior, Master Istina," Casper said with a slight bow.
Istina waved her hand, a warm smile on her face. However, her calm demeanor shattered as her head jerked to the side, her eyes growing wide with surprise as she gazed toward the orphanage entrance. Without hesitation, she sprinted towards the orphanage gate, her sense of urgency tangible. The others around her seemed uninterested in her sudden departure, except for Carter, who watched the woman with his usual glazed, emotionless eyes.
In the distance, a figure draped in white like Istina appeared. Istina sprinted towards the figure with all her might, leaping into the air and colliding with them, sending both of them tumbling to the ground.
"I am glad you have made it safely," The odd sound of their voices mixing and intertwining was still so offputting.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
But what Carter noticed most was the striking similarity the two shared. They looked like the same person; the only difference was the more masculine body shape of the new figure.
"Strange, are they not?" The sound of an old and wispy voice came from behind Carter.
Carter jumped at the sound of the voice close behind his ear.
"Hehe, It appears that there may still be something left inside that mind of yours," The old man's weathered face broke into a gentle grin as he spoke, looking gently at the poor child before him, "The Puppet Prince… That is the title your people are calling you now. Did you know this?"
"Master Hermes!" Casper's voice came from beside Carter as he turned to the old man.
"Child… Casper? Correct?" Master Hermes questioned.
"Yes, Master Hermes, It is an honor that you remember my name."
Hermes smiled at Casper, "Take care of this one. He is more of a handful than you could ever know."
"I will do my best…" Casper said with a determined nod
"Yes, I know you will."
While the two conversed, Carter turned to the strange duo walking towards him.
"The Split Race is a strange and rare race. They usually stay far away from others as they have a strange sense that can detect the intentions of others. Because of this, they are great judges of a person's character. Stay close to them, child; they may help with some of the scars." Hermes said as he placed his hand on Carter's head, rubbing his thin, icy-blue hair.
"Master Hermes!" The strange duo from the split race said in their usual peculiar way.
"Ibada, Istina, You are doing an excellent job here… Keep it up," Hermes said as he strolled past.
As they heard the simple passing statement of Master Hermes, the faces of the Split Race duo lit up with excitement, and their expressions transformed into wide and genuine grins. It was as if they were two children who had just received praise from their parent or hero. Their eyes sparkled with joy, radiating a sense of pure happiness that was contagious to anyone around them.
"Now I have a task I need to accomplish… Seems like some other children may need my help." Hermes said in passing as his figure began to move further away.
Seeing the old man moving further away, Casper pulled Carter back, "That was the creepy old man I was talking about."
"I can see that he is important from how Ibada and Istina and the other adults behave around him… but there is something about him and how he looks at us that makes me… uncomfortable like… I don't know." Casper looked at the distant figure with a strange mix of emotions in his eyes, "I guess you're really not the one I should be explaining this to."
"Casper?" The Split Race Duo asked, seeing the young Casper standing and talking to Carter.
"Masters, I was simply interacting with the new resident to ensure he is comfortable."
The duo gave a kind smile after hearing what Casper had said.
"Carter will not be a resident. He is only here briefly while his caretakers tend to business in the village." The duo informed
"Caretakers?" Casper glanced at Carter, a hint of some emotion mixed into his cool gaze.
"Yes. And Casper, can you take care of your younger brother? I can see him being chased by Pit and Aiyah. We are sure he has caused yet another problem from the smile on his face and the red faces of his pursues." The duo said with hints of amusement in their twisting voices.
Casper's eyes grew large after hearing his brother causing more problems, "ASTER!" He screamed, joining the chase.
"Not what you were expecting, are we right?" The duo said, "You may think we deceived you, Carter, but we have not. You just need to find your place; only then can you find what you are looking for."
Carter stared at the duo. His eyes squinted, and the pair could see the mix of emotions in his eyes. With a sigh, they could only ignore what lay inside those eyes.
Carter spent hours wandering alone around the orphanage. The other children and adults seemed to ignore the new and quiet child, letting him adjust at his own pace or perhaps ostracizing him as a strange newcomer. Suddenly, the sky turned a brilliant shade of green, and a massive pillar of light burst from the center of the village. The light was so intense that it appeared like a green aurora had appeared in the sky. The world around the village seemed to come to a halt as everyone recognized the significance of this light.